J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C20 Back pew

By Sister Ellen Rose Coughlin, SSJSuperintendent of Schools

OGDENSBURG - Michele Bom-bard, a teacher at TrinityCatholic School in Massena,has been named the 2014Outstanding Catholic SchoolTeacher for the Diocese ofOgdensburg.She was honored June 20

during a luncheon hosted byBishop Terry LaValley at theBishop’s residence. Ms. Bombard began her

teaching career in 1987 atTrinity Catholic. In her appli-cation for the position atTrinity Ms. Bombard wrote, “Iwelcome the opportunity toteach in a school in the Dio-cese of Ogdensburg. It is theperfect place for me to begina career as a dedicatedteacher. I believe that the car-ing, Christian environmentof a Catholic school inspiresboth students and teachersto work to full potential in allacademic areas and to growin faith.”For 28 years, Ms. Bombard

has remained at TrinityCatholic leading hundreds ofstudents to Christ and life-long learning.Ms. Bombard currently

teaches fifth and sixth gradeELA and Social Studies. In

past years, she has taughtMath, ELA, Social Studies andReligion in a self-containedfifth grade classroom. In addition to her teaching

responsibilities, Ms. Bom-bard has demonstrated hercapacity for leadership. Sheis a presenter at that annualDiocesan New Teacher Orien-

tation program and regularlyshares her expertise with themembers of the Trinity fac-ulty. Since 2012 she has served

as the assistant principal atTrinity. She also plays an in-tegral role in the life of herparish serving as a wonder-ful role model for her stu-dents.Ms. Bombard graduated

from SUNY Potsdam with aBA in History/Education. Shehas a Master’s Degree in Ele-mentary Education and ispermanently certified in N-6elementary education with aSocial Studies extension forgrades 7-9. She regularly participates

in continued professional de-velopment workshops andtraining sessions which in-clude but are not limited tothe incorporation of technol-ogy across the curriculum,mentoring of new teachersand leadership skills throughCognitive Coaching.In nominating Ms. Bom-

bard, Kathleen Behrens,Trinity Catholic principal,stated: “Michele Bombardpossesses all the qualitiesone looks for in an effectiveand outstanding teacher. . . .She has selflessly served stu-dents, colleagues, parentsand parishioners; not caringabout money, promotions oradulation. “Michele chose a teaching

vocation, not a career, onlywanting to share the hopeand love of Christ in the bestway she knows how – as aCatholic school teacher,” Mrs.Behrens wrote.Ms. Bombard was joined at

the bishop’s luncheon byMrs. Behrens, St. Joseph Sis-ter Shirley Anne Brown, as-sistant superintendent forcurriculum and instruction;Pam Ballantine, assistant di-rector of Catholic Educationfor Christian Formation andCatholic Schools, Joan Rufaand St. Joseph Sister MaryEamon, former principals atTrinity Catholic and St.Joseph Sister Ellen RoseCoughlin, director of educa-tion and superintendent ofschools for the Diocese ofOgdensburg.

PHOTO BY VALERIE MATHEWSMichele Bombard, a teacher at Trinity Catholic School in Massena for the past 28 years, was honored as the 2014 Outstanding CatholicSchool Teacher for the Diocese of Ogdensburg. She is pictured above at a June 20 luncheon at the Bishop’s House in Ogdensburg with Bishop TerryR. LaValley, members of the diocesan education office and the Trinity principals with whom she has worked. From left are Bishop LaValley, St.Joseph Sister Shirley Anne Brown, assistant superintendent of schools; Joan Rufa and St. Joseph Sister Mary Eamon Lyng, former principals; Ms.Bombard, St. Joseph Sister Ellen Rose Coughlin, director of education and superintendent of schools; and Kathleen Behrens, current Trinity principal.

Teacher of the YearMichele Bombard named the 2014 Outstanding Catholic School Teacher for the diocese CATHOLIC

NORTH COUNTRYNORTH COUNTRYThe Diocese of Ogdensburg Volume 69, Number 10

JULY 2, 2014

INSIDETHIS ISSUESupreme Court strikesdown ‘buffer zones’ atabortion clinics l PAGE 14

Meet Pat, Matt and Joeyof the Guggenheimstaff l PAGE 17

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

CLOSER TO BEATIFICATION

Welcome

NCC summer scheduleNEXT ISSUE TO BE DATED JULY 16

Catholic schoolteacher of theyear honored

F U L L S T O R Y, PAG E 2 0

FULL STORY, PAGE 14

PHOTO, PAGE 12

Two priests from the Heralds of

Good News Mother Theresa

Province in India have arrived to

serve in Massena and Malone

PHOTO SUPPLIEDThis summer dozens of students from Immaculate Heart Central Junior and Senior High in Watertown will again be donatinghundreds of hours of their time and talent during IHC’s 4th Annual Summer Mission, “Building Blocks 2014.” Sponsored byIHC’s Faith Community Service Program together with Watertown’s First Presbyterian Church, IHC students consistently providethe bulk of the “Youth Power” during this weeklong summer service event. From July 28 to Aug. 1 these students will be help-ing to scrape, paint and restore the homes of local families in need. Mikayla Kolb is shown above during last year’s BuildingBlocks Week. Articles and photos of Catholic efforts to help people in need across the country is the focus of this Week’s NorthCountry Catholic.

Michele Bombard of TrinityCatholic School in Massena

Fortnight forFreedom: thefreedom to serveThe theme of this year's

Fortnight for Freedom, tak-ing place from June 21 toJuly 4, will focus on thefreedom to serve the poorand vulnerable in accordwith human dignity andthe Church's teaching. This is the third year that

that United States Confer-ence of Catholic Bishopshas called upon diocesesto observe a Fortnight forFreedom to highlight the

importance of religious lib-erty in the United States. To highlight the “free-

dom to serve,”the NorthCountry Catholic has part-nered with Catholic Chari-ties to publish this specialissue focusing on numer-ous ways that parishes,schools and Catholic or-ganizations in the Dioceseof Ogdensburg serve thepoor in the North Countryand around the world.

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C news 19

OBITUARIESAuSable Forks – William David Cordick,61; Funeral June 23, 2014 at Holy NameChurch; burial in parish cemetery.

AuSable Forks – Mark S. “Dan” Cross, 59;Funeral Services June 19, 2014 at HolyName Church; burial in parish cemetery.

AuSable Forks - David A. Smith, 49; Fu-neral Services June 16, 2014 at HolyName Church; burial in ClintonvilleMethodist Cemetery, Clintonville.

AuSable Forks – Joseph F. Shambo, 87;Funeral Services June 26, 2014 atThwaits-Zaumetzer Funeral Home; burialin Holy Name Cemetery.

Black River - Marjorie Delight "Dee"(Davison) Schneider, 76; Funeral ServicesJune 17, 2014 at St. Paul's Church; burialBlack River Cemetery.

Canton - Gerald M. Bessette Sr., 81; Fu-neral June 23, 2014 at St. Mary's Church;burial in St. Mary's Cemetery.

Canton - Doris E. (Viancour) Dominie,101; Funeral Services June 24, 2014 atO'Leary Funeral Home; burial in St.Mary's Cemetery.

Clayton – Michael R. Forcier, 58; FuneralServices June 25, 2014 at St. Mary’sChurch; burial in St. Philip Neri Cemetery,Westport.

Clayton - Michael F. Knill, 51; FuneralServices July 1, 2014 at St. Mary's Church.

Croghan - Maketa Rodgers, 66; MemorialServices June 18, 2014 at the AdirondackFuneral Home.

Hogansburg – Michael G. “Minnows”Sunday, “Ohserase”, 77; Funeral ServicesJune 26, 2014 at St. Regis Church.

Lake Placid – Ellis H. Smith, 65; FuneralServices June 26, 2014 at the M.B. ClarkInc. Funeral Home; burial in St. AgnesCemetery.

Louisville - Laurie A. (Kerr) Hollander, 50;Funeral June 23, 2014 at St. LawrenceChurch; burial in parish cemetery.

Lowville - Olga (Samsa) Iszyani, 91; Fu-neral Services June 18, 2014 at St. Peter'sChurch; burial in Lowville Rural Ceme-tery.

Lyon Mountain – Helen J. (Pivetta)Tolosky, 84; Funeral Services June 22,2014 at St. Bernard’s Church; burial in

parish cemetery.

Massena – Frederic E. Charter, 82; FuneralServices June 28, 2014 at the DonaldsonFuneral Home; burial in Carville Ceme-tery, Helena.

Massena - David E. Fish, 59; Funeral Serv-ices June 19, 2014 at Church of the Sa-cred Heart; burial in Calvary Cemetery.

Massena - Catherine (Whalen) Portolese,83; Funeral Services June 17, 2014 atChurch of the Sacred Heart.

Massena - Shirley A. (Forbes) Premo, 84;Funeral June 20, 2014 at St. Mary'sChurch; burial in Calvary Cemetery.

Mooers – Violet R. Rascoe, 88; FuneralServices June 23, 2014 at Hamilton Fu-neral Home; burial in St. Bernard’s Ceme-tery, Saranac Lake.

Mooers Forks – Victor Joseph Decoste,80; Funeral June 21, 2014 at St. Ann’sChurch; burial in St. Ann’s Cemetery.

Norfolk - Gerald P. Fleury, 75; FuneralServices June 19, 2014 at Church of theVisitation; burial in Visitation Cemetery.

Norfolk - Eileen J. (Villnave) Murray, 94;Funeral Services June 18, 2014 at Churchof the Visitation; burial in VisitationCemetery.

North Lawrence - Earle G. Hastings, 75;Funeral Services June 21, 2014 at St.Lawrence Church; burial in FairviewCemetery, Dickinson.

Ogdensburg - June F. (Conroy) Amo, 89;Funeral Services June 16, 2014 at St.Mary's Cathedral; burial in St. Mary'sCemetery.

Ogdensburg - Thomas P. Murray, 57; Fu-neral Services June 23, 2014 at NotreDame Church; burial in Notre DameCemetery.

Peru – Pearl “Betsy” M. (Gregg) Luce, 88;Funeral Services June 19, 2014 at St. Au-gustine’s Church; burial in PeasleevilleCemetery.

Plattsburgh - Sonya (Horvath) Haggerty,77; Funeral Services June 21, 2014 at St.Peter's Church; burial in St. Peter's Ceme-tery.

Plattsburgh – Dr. Orlando J. Martelo, 78;Funeral Services June 21, 2014 at St.John’s Church.

Port Henry - Stephen J. Montagnola, 88;Funeral Services June 20, 2014 at St.Patrick's Church; burial in St. Patrick'sCemetery.

Potsdam - Thomas C. Mauchly, 82; Fu-neral Services June 23, 2014 at St. Mary'sChurch.

Redford - Raymond A. Archambault, 88;Funeral Services June 21, 2014 at Churchof the Assumption; burial in WhisperingMaples Memorial Mausoleum, Platts-burgh.

Redford – George W. Waldron, 84; FuneralServices June 26, 2014 at St. Mary’sChurch; burial in Assumption of Mary’sCemetery.

Saranac Lake - Alice M. (Douglas)Bourquin, 74, Funeral Services June 18,2014 at the Fortune-Keough FuneralHome; burial in North Elba Cemetery.

Tupper Lake - Holly J. Walsh Gardner, 51;Funeral Services June 25, 2014 at St.Alphonsus Church; burial in St. Joseph'sCemetery.

Watertown - Bernard J. Beck, 83; FuneralServices June 21, 2014 June 21, 2014 atCummings Funeral Service Inc.,; burial inSt. Mary's Cemetery.

Watertown - Victor D. Fralonardo, 98; Fu-neral Services June 19, 2014 at St. An-thony's Church; burial in GlenwoodCemetery.

Watertown - William J. Flynn Jr., 86; Fu-neral Services June 21, 2014 at SacredHeart Church.

Watertown – Margaret “Peggy” AnnMartin, 65; Funeral Services June 28,2014 at St. Patrick’s Church; burial inGlenwood Cemetery.

Watertown - Clelia M. (Frattali) Navarra,90; Funeral Services June 16, 2014 atHoly Family Church; burial in GlenwoodMausoleum.

Watertown - Joan Richey, 83; FuneralServices June 19, 2014 at Holy FamilyChurch; burial in Glenwood Cemetery.

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

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

By Molly McKee RyanDiocesan mission office

You could call in Christmas in July. The summer months are here, finally. Logically it starts.

The fun begins. We plan and anticipate such wonderfulgatherings as graduations, weddings, festivals and re-unions. It is so easy to make plans for a barbecue or a poolparty. Maybe we take it for granted a little bit. Summer willbe fun. It always is. But just like at Christmas, it’s a time to reflect, be grateful

and give of yourself unconditionally if you can. It’s not always that easy for those in the Missions. The

children in places like Peru, Nicaragua and Ecuador do nothave the luxury of knowing that tomorrow will even includea meal, a warm bed to sleep in or even necessary medica-tions. Just like at Christmas. The Mission office does what it can to help those in need. Every summer the Missionary Cooperation Campaign in-

troduces parishioners to a real – life missionary who repre-sents a mission cause from a faraway place. The missionary makes the needs of the missions more

real and more personal, as the faithful become personallyinvolved in learning about the missions and in respondingto their needs. It has been an appeal that has been worth cultivating and

nourishing in the Diocese of Ogdensburg. This summer, the Missionary Cooperation Appeal is

planned for the East Side of our Diocese during July-August.The Missionary Projects of the Diocese of Ogdensburg Ap-

peal will be taken up in the St. Lawrence, Jefferson andLewis Deaneries on the weekend of July 26-27. This appeal will be used to provide continued financial

support of our former mission in Mollendo, Peru, to sup-port the U.S. Bishop’s annual appeal for Latin America andto help any other missionary projects throughout the worldthat the Diocese of Ogdensburg might deem appropriate aspart of its evangelization effort. Please consider contribut-ing with your prayers and sacrifices.So, just like at Christmas, the Society for the Propagation

of the Faith too has plans to give and celebrate. Please consider giving this summer to our appeals that

will be held in your parish here but will help those far awayand in need.

Please remember “The Society for the Propagation of the Faith”when writing or changing your Will.

This summer wewill help peoplewho are in need

NORTHCOUNTRYCATHOLIC

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When Pope Francis calls for“a church that is poor and forthe poor,” I think he’dapprove of the churchhe’d find in the Dioceseof Ogdensburg.As we join in the na-

tional observance ofthe third annual Fort-night for Freedom -with its theme “Free-dom to Serve” - our dio-cese is taking stock ofhow we have beenserving the poor andwhat more we can do.In the pages of this

special issue of theNorth Country Catholic, weread about the efforts ofparishes and schools across

the diocese to tackle poverty inour region.

We know that we arebarely scratching thesurface in telling thestory of the generosityof Catholics of theNorth Country.But, we also need to

accept that there ismore that each of uscan do to take care ofthe least of our broth-ers and sisters.The statistics of

poverty are staggering.In this wealthiest

country in the world,one out of every five childrengoes to bed hungry.How can we bear that?

In New York State, nearly 35percent of our children live inworking families who are inpoverty.In our part of the state, the

growing job market won’t befound in high paying industrialpositions. It’s in the serviceand tourist industry with jobsthat tend to be low paying andlacking in benefits.Across New York State, the

percentage of persons living inpoverty is 14.9%; in St.Lawrence County, the rate is18.5% and, in Franklin Countyit’s 17.6%.That’s a lot of poverty in our

midst.Pope Francis, of course, isn’t

the only pope to put the needs

of the poor in front of us. Backin 1979, St. John Paul came toYankee Stadium and offered amessage Catholics can’t affordto forget: “The poor of theUnited States and of the worldare your brothers and sisters inChrist. You must never be con-tent to leave them just thecrumbs from the feast. Youmust take of your substance,and not just of your abun-dance, in is order to help them.And you must treat them likeguests at your family table.”The stories in this week’s

NCC offer many suggestionsfor the dollars of our suste-nance to go. What a perfectway to honor our call to loveGod and our neighbor.

I would like to share withyou some ideas I’ve learnedconcerning our CatholicChurch’s efforts to serve thepoor. Recently, my friend, Fa-ther Phil Allen, encouraged meto read a book by RobertCalderisi, “Earthly Mission: TheCatholic Church and World De-velopment.” Calderisi, a lay-man, is an economist andwriter. He has been involvedwith the World Bank and hasalso traveled throughout theworld, interviewing many todiscover something of theCatholic effort to help develop-ment throughout the world.I was deeply impressed with

this book so I want to sharesome of these ideas with you.Calderisi mentions several ofthe Catholic lay movementsthat have been successful inhelping the poor and needy.He makes it clear that prayer isan important part of each ofthese groups. One of the groups that he

mentions is the Community ofSant’Egidio. I remember at-tending one of the daily prayerservices of this group when Iwas in Rome. It is held eachday at the Church of SantaMaria in Trastavere. Prayer isan important part of this pro-gram. They sponsor soup

kitchens, educational pro-grams, interfaith meetings anda continuing program to endthe death penalty throughoutthe world. Their work demon-strates the strength of theirCatholic faith in action.Calderisi points out that

there has been a waning in theCatholic Church’s social mis-sion. He notes that there hasbeen a trend in our Church toassociate “Catholic” with a nar-row range of moral issues –even retrenchment – ratherthan the openness and reform-ing zeal the Church stood forafter the Vatican Council.He quotes Cardinal Turkson

of Ghana: “The Church’s socialmission should remain central,and not just for priests, broth-ers and religious sisters – in asense, this is the vocation ofthe laity. If Christians don’tpromote social change, whowill?The Second Vatican Council

established a spirit that there

is no difference between serv-ice and being Christian. OurCatholic Church must be con-cerned with solving these ur-gent problems of people. Inthese present days, this willnecessitate working with otherfaith communities and the pri-vate sector; people of all faiths,little faith and even no faith atall are capable of devotingthemselves to the welfare ofothers, impelled by pure hu-manity. Calderisi makes a point here

that the Church must manageits wealth more effectively, giv-ing a better opportunity tohelp where needed.There is hope. There is a

new pastoral spirit in the state-ments and action of Pope Fran-cis. He has given an image of aChurch of the Poor – a Churchfor the Poor. This would be animportant time for our bishopsto make a statement concern-ing development, poverty andthe environment. Such a state-ment and program would putnew life and new focus for theparishes of our diocese. Nowis the time for Catholics to berecognized for our readiness todeal with the needs of our peo-ple – all people – especially thepoor and needy. Our Masses, our liturgies, our

preaching must result instrong action by our people.As Church, we must lead all togo out and live their faithboldly as we bring help tothose in need. We must berecognized as true disciples ofJesus – as people of faith whobelieve in a loving, caring God. Calderisi quotes an Indian

priest: “Amidst globalization,competition and privatization,our faith must inspire us to re-ally serve the poorest of thepoor. In spite of all the criti-cism she received, MotherTeresa was a genius in recog-nizing this forgotten dimen-sion and restoring dignity tothe poor.”Finally, he quoted Father

Bernard Lecomte, from wayback in 1965: The Christian iscalled to join others (includingpeople without labels) in fight-ing poverty not as Crusaders,but in this present age pursu-ing scientific and technicalprogress, our hearts open tothe Gospel, demonstrating ourcommitments to somethinggreater than ourselves.”The question is - are we

ready to continue and rein-force our Catholic and per-sonal commitment to followJesus’ lead to help the poorand needy?

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

REV. JOSEPH A. MORGANVice President

SR. JENNIFER VOTRAW, SSJSecretary-TreasurerMARY LOU KILIAN

Editor/General Manager

BISHOP TERRYR. LAVALLEYPresident

Showing love for God... and neighbor

Mary LouKilian

Church of the poor – church for the poorA PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE

EDITOR’S NOTE

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

Encouragement, Faithful-ness and Respect are thecore values of our DiocesanEnvisioning process. Theydescribe how welive out our faith.Our Sacred Purposefinds its roots in aChrist-led, Christ-fed, Hope-filled so-cial contract. This prophetic

Diocesan vision offinding your homein Christ, renewingfaith, nurturinghope and discover-ing love correlateswell with the themefor the 2014 Fort-night for Freedom (June 21to July 4): Service of thePoor. The Vatican II document

on Religious Freedom, Dig-nitatis Humanae, providesthat “the social nature of thehuman person and the verynature of religion afford thefoundation of the right ofthe human person freely tohold meetings and to estab-lish educational, cultural,charitable and social organi-zations, under the impulseof their own religioussense.” (DH, 4) Religious liberty provides

each of us with the right to

pray and worship as wechoose. We possess theright to develop programsand services that address

the needs of indi-viduals and familieson the local, na-tional and interna-tional levels. Weexercise our free-dom when we wit-ness to the Gospelvalues of charity,justice, inclusion,mercy, compassionand respect. Religious liberty

enables us to buildintentional commu-nities that promote

the sanctity and dignity ofall persons. Created in theimage and likeness of God,each person has the right tofood, housing, education,gainful employment, afford-able health care and inclu-sion in the life of thecommunity.Our identities as Catholics

and as Americans define ourbehaviors. Thomas Paine,one of our Founding Fatherswrote, “We have it in ourpower, to begin the worldover again.” (CommonSense)Jesus already gave usthe tools to achieve thisgoal. The Beatitudes are the

blueprint for authenticChristian living. Welcomingthe disaffected, advocatingfor the marginalized andrecognizing the giftednessof all persons flow from un-derstanding the lessons pro-vided in the Beatitudes. Jesus intentionally fo-

cused on the poor, the mar-ginalized and thedisaffected. He spoke to thewoman at the well. Jesusreached out to the lepers.He opened his heart to thesick, the abandoned andthose lacking social status.Living a life based on theBeatitudes is a commitmentto be prophetic.Finding and raising our

prophetic voices can changethe world. Making a choiceto support peacemaking,protection of human rightsand justice for all citizens ofthe world takes courage andprayerful, deliberate action.Respecting the dignity of allhuman life takes under-standing, compassion and awillingness to listen. Being prophetic means

having the vision to see theneeds of our sisters andbrothers and working to ad-dress those needs and ac-cepting the responsibility ofworking to change unjust

social structures. Beingprophetic calls us to ac-knowledge our common hu-manity. Through thatacknowledgement we com-mit ourselves to changingthe world.

During this year’s Fortnight for Freedom, I urge allparishes, families and

individuals to do something, big or small, to serve our

sisters and brothers.

Being prophetic compelsus to restore the social con-tract based on each person’sfreedom to live with dignity.We know these truths. As

long as one child remains acaptive in the human traf-ficking trade, we are all cap-tives. As long as one womanor man experiences ex-ploitation due to unfairwages, we are all exploited.As long as the gap betweenthe rich and the poor con-tinues to widen, we are allshackled by the suffering ofour brothers and sisters.Until every citizen of ourworld lives in peace andsafety we are all in danger.

Religious liberty must allowus to work for the “Libertyfor all captives” (Isaiah 58).During this year’s Fort-

night for Freedom, I urge allparishes, families and indi-viduals to do something, bigor small, to serve our sistersand brothers. Help a familymember or a neighbor. Be apeacemaker by seeking rec-onciliation with someonefrom whom you have beenestranged. Organize anextra food collection for alocal soup kitchen or foodpantry. Develop a creativeproject that brings peopletogether to build up yourlocal community. Advocatefor immigration reform andpolicies that support thesanctity and dignity ofhuman life at all stages andwork against injustices inthe workplace.The prophet Micah sum-

marizes well the propheticcall and responsibility of re-ligious freedom, “Act justly,love tenderly and walkhumbly with your God.”(6:8)Together we must exerciseour religious freedom tochange the world with muchencouragement, faithfulnessand deep respect becausewe are Christ-led, Christ-fedand Hope-filled.

FOLLOW ME

Fortnight for Freedom: freedom to serve

Bishop Terry R. LaValley’s column“Follow Me” received an honorablemention in the category “Best Regu-lar Column by a Bishop or Arch-bishop” in the 2014 Catholic pressawards of the Catholic Press Associ-ation of the United States andCanada.The awards were presented June

19 during the Catholic Media Con-ference in Charlotte, North Carolina.The judges comments follow:Bishop LaValley uses events from

his pastoral life to enhance hiscolumns. The reader comes to know him as a pastoralleader. His attributions to Pope Francis remind us of theuniversality of the Church. And in each concluding para-graph, he invites the faithful to join him -- in thanksgiving,in prayer and at Mass.

BishopTerry R.LaValley

Bishop’s columnis honored by CPA

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C18 around the diocese

ADULT SUMMER RETREATSaranac Lake -A summer retreat in theAdirondacks has been plannedDate: Aug. 22-24Schedule: begins with supper on Fri and

concludes supper on Sun.Place: Guggenheim LodgeSpeakers: Paul Gibaldi, wilderness

guide for 25 years, nature photographer,and Sister Bethany Fitzgerald, SSJ, spiri-tual director and adult faith educator. Cost: $150 Register no later than Au-

gust 20. (Limited to 10 adults - firstcome basis) Registration fee of $25 isdue with registration.Features: There will be times to reflect,

pray and to share with each other thespiritual wisdom revealed to us byGod.Mass will be offered by Fr. Paul Kellyon Sun. afternoon before dinner.Contact: call 315-212-6592 or email sr-

beth@cit-tele.com.

INORABRASS CONCERTPlattsburgh – Inorabrass concerts to beheld.Schedule: Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. Waitsfield

Union Church, Waitsfield Village, VT;Aug. 24 at 3 p.m. St. John the BaptistChurch, Plattsburgh.Features: InoraBrass, named for the

Goddess of Mountain Snow, celebratesthe parallel between the majesty ofbrass music and the natural beauty ofVermont and Northern New York. Freeadmission, donations welcome!Contact: In VT contact: (802) 595-0601

InoraBrass@gmail.com; In NY contact:(518) 846-3211destinobrass@twcny.rr.com

LOST SHEEP QUILT SHOPEllenburg Center –The Lost Sheep QuiltShop at Our Lady of Adirondacks Houseof Prayer is hosting several programsduring the upcoming weeks.Take 4 Placement Class: July 12 from 9

a.m. to 3, cost - $15. This class uses 4 fatquarters plus backing material. Sew Together: any Tuesday from 10

a.m. to 3. This is a quilting group de-signed to share ideas, help fellow quil-ters, teach beginners. Bring your ownprojects to sew. Place: The Lost Sheep Quilt Shop, Our

Lady of the Adirondacks House of Prayer(The shop is open Tues. - Sat, 10 a.m.-4p.m. Evenings and other times by ap-pointment.)

Contact: 518-594-3253 Website: th-elostsheepquiltshop.weebly.com; th-elostsheepquiltshop@gmail.com

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

Chapel, downstairsTime: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m Contact: call 518-561-5083 or email

Sjohnsadoration@aol.com

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

HEALING MINISTRY Morrisonville - The Catholic Communityof St. Alexander's and St. Joseph's holdsLiving Waters Healing MinistryDate: First Thursday each monthTime: 6:30 p.m.Place: St. Alexander’s ChurchFeatures: Mass, Anointing of the Sick,

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, in-dividual prayer.

LATIN MASSConstable - A Tridentine (Latin) Mass iscelebrated each Friday at 5:30 p.m. be-ginning July 4 with Fr. Howard Venetteas the celebrant. Mass will also be cele-brated every first Saturday at 9 a.m.Place: St. Francis of Assisi Church

HOLY HOURAdams/Henderson – Parish holy hour sto be held.

Schedule: July 2, 6:30 – St. Cecilia; July10, 5:30pm – Queen of Heaven; July 24,5:30pm – Queen of Heaven; Aug 6,6:30pm – St. Cecilia; Aug 28, 5:30pm –Queen of Heaven; Sept 3, 6:30pm - St.Cecilia; Sept 25, 5:30pm – Queen ofHeavenFeatures: Praying for vocations and the

needs of our Church.

EUCHARISTIC ADORATIONWatertown - Holy Family Church is hold-ing holy hours of Eucharistic Adoration for VocationsSchedule: Monday through Friday fol-

lowing the 9 a.m. Mass at Holy FamilyChurch (9:30 - 10:30 a.m.),Contact 348-6260.

DIVINE MERCY DEVOTIONSHouseville – Divine Mercy Devotions forthe month of June to be held.Date: July 6Time: 3 p.m.Place: St. Hedwig’s ChurchFeatures: Vespers (Evening Prayer), Ex-

position of the Most Blessed Sacrament,The Divine Mercy Chaplet and Benedic-tion. Contact 348-6260.

BRUNCHNorfolk – The Knights of Columbus willbe sponsoring a brunch.Date: July 13Time: 8:30 a.m. to NoonPlace: Visitation Parish CenterCost: Adults, $7; Children under 12, $4;

Under 5, Free; Family, $18; Take-outs

FEAST DAY OF SS PETER AND PAULSouth Colton- Msgr. Robert H. Aucoin,pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Colton andSt. Mary Parish in Potsdam, will be cele-brant of a vigil Mass of the Feast Day ofSS Peter and PaulDate: June 28Time: 6 p.m.Place: St. Paul's OratoryFeatures: Procession to the Sacred Heart

Shrine after Mass. An Ice Cream Socialwill follow; bring a lawn chair.

INDEPENDENCE DAY BREAKFASTNorwood – First annual St. Andrew’sParish Independence Day Breakfast and50/50 raffle.Date: July 4Time: 8 a.m. to 11:30Cost: Adult, $6-advance, $7 at the door;

age 6-12, $4-advance, $5 at the door.

BIBLE STUDYOgdensburg – St. Mary’s Cathedral ishold an eight session program “A QuickJourney Through The Bible.”Date: Starting June 25 for 8 WeeksPlace: Bishop Brzana HallFeatures:Deacon Dave Sandburg will be

presenting the program created by JeffCavins, a renowned bible scholar andformer Baptist pastor,Contact: www.saintmaryscathedral.

net/bible-study.

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

tion at 8 p.m. Place: Deacon Winter Chapel

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

LATIN MASSPotsdam – A Tridentine (Latin) Mass iscelebrated each Sunday Time: 11:30 p.m.Place: St. Mary's Church

BUILDING STRONG FAMILIESNorfolk – A workshop to be held, “Build-ing Strong Families: Marriage, Sex, andthe Church.Date: July 26Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.Place: Church of the Visitation Parish

CenterCost: $20 (Includes lunch)Features: Dr. Angela Franks-- author,

professor, speaker, television host—brings vast experience to this topic.Using the wisdom of the Church, Dr.Franks will consider current issues thatthreaten marriage, including commit-ment-phobia, hook-up culture, pornog-raphy, definition of marriage, andunintended consequences of contracep-tion. The day will include prayer, discus-sion, and practical guidance forstrengthening marriages. Registration: Register at

rcdony.org/BSFContact: Angelo/Suzanne Pietropaoli ,

apietropaoli@rcdony.org, or at 518-483-0459.

PRAYER RALLYOgdensburg –The third annual prayerrally to show support for life, traditionalmarriage and other Catholic Values hasbeen planned.Date: Aug. 3Time: 2 p.m. to 4Place: St. Mary’s Cathedral

Features: There will be speakers, includ-ing Bishop LaValley, a prayer service andrecitation of the Rosary. We will alsohave a small ceremony at the Monu-ment of the Unborn on the grounds ofthe Cathedral. A reception will be heldafterward, place to be announced.

JOURNEY TO EASTERN EUROPEFather Amyot will be leading a pilgrim-age visiting the land of St. John Paul II. Date: November 3- 14Cost: Only $3129 from Montreal

(Air/land price is $2449 plus $680 gov-ernment taxes/airline fuel surcharges)Visiting: Warsaw, Krakow, Budapest, Vi-enna, PragueFeatures: First Class/Select Hotels, most

meals with comprehensive sightseeingContact: For a brochure and more infor-

mation contact: Fr. Andrew Amyot at(315) 384-2064or mail: P.O. Box 637, Norfolk, NY 13667e-mail: fraamyot2@twcny.rr.com Spaceis limited! Call today!

10 DAY ADVENT PILGRIMAGEFather Donald Robinson, pastor St. An-thony’s and St. Patrick’s in Watertown,will be hosting a pilgrimage to the HolyLand. Date: Dec. 1-10, 2014Cost: $2997Features: Haifa, Tiberias, Nazareth,

Bethlehem, Jerusalem.Contact: 782-1190 for brochure

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

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

e-mail news@northcountrycatholic.org.

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

ADIRONDACK

CLINTON

FRANKLIN

JEFFERSON

LEWIS

ST. LAWRENCEDIOCESAN EVENTS

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

…We are convinced that the local parish is the most important ecclesial setting for sharing and acting

on our Catholic social heritage.”(U.S. bishops, Communities of Salt and Light)

Thinking about Lake Placid brings to mind images of theOlympics, lovely resort areas and phenomenal mountainviews. Along with great restaurants and intriguing shop-ping opportunities this area evokes an impressive pictureof idyllic living. Father John Yonkovig and the parish community of St.

Agnes are able to appreciate the positive aspects of theircommunity and see the flip side of the coin. Lake Placid ishome to individuals and families who live on the margins.The struggle to meet their daily needs challenges these lowincome households.St. Agnes Parish hosts a food pantry that feeds 175 to

190 families each month. At Thanksgiving the parish com-munity distributes over 300 full holiday dinners. Theparish is also involved with the Inter-faith thrift Shop. Thisprogram reaches out to individuals and families in need ofclothing and household items.

By Sister Mary Frances Barnes, DCPastoral Associate, Saints Philip and James Church, Lisbon

LISBON - Ss. Philip & Jamesactively serves those whoare poor and vulnerableboth visibly and behind thescenes. The parish has sponsored

two students to make themission trip with the Mis-sion of Hope in Nicaragua.A parent of one of these stu-dents will again make thetrip next summer. Through-out the year the parish col-lects toiletries and neededsupplies for the missiontrips. As a result of a pres-entation from a mission-ori-ented Catholic organization,many of our parishionersmaintain contact and con-tribute generously to spon-sor a child living in povertyin a third world country.The Lisbon Churches to-

gether sponsor a foodpantry that is open twice amonth. Our parish con-

tributes in many ways tocontinue this needed serv-ice to the community of Lis-bon and the surroundingarea. Our Confirmation stu-dents have helped with fooddistribution as well as as-sembling some of theThanksgiving baskets thatare given out each year.Come to our church on anygiven Sunday and you willbe encouraged to take homea re-usable grocery bag andreturn it the following Sun-day with your contributions. On a broader scale, our

parishioners actively partici-pate in the Lights of theRiver project as foundingmembers, board members,volunteering during theevent, fund raising and hav-ing a yearly display. Each year our parish takes

part in the annual HarvestWalk that raises funds forlocal food pantries and or-ganizations helping poor in-dividuals. Students,parents, staff all collect do-nations and make the an-

nual walk in Ogdensburg. Confirmation students

help serve at the fund-rais-ing events for the HarvestWalk held throughout theyear. The Altar/Rosary/Out-

reach Society of the parishalso has a focus for the poorand vulnerable. Their fundraising events support theircontributions to theBishop’s Fund, CatholicCharities, the Food Pantryand to the annual scholar-ship to Lisbon communitystudents in memory of Sr.Joan Casey. The groupcomes together during Ad-vent to make favors andgifts for the elderly andshut-ins of the parish whomthey visit for the holidays. We are grateful for this

year’s focus of the Fortnightfor Freedom that has givenus the chance to reflect onour actions in favor of thosewho are poor and vulnera-ble and look for ways tocontinue and expand thismission.

Daughter of Charity Sister Mary Frances Barnes is shown with young people from Ss. Philip and James Church in Lisbon who tookpart in the 2013 Harvest Walk in Ogdensburg. In front, from left are Sister Mary Fran, Lexi LaFlair, Maddison Vine, Katie Sovie andKoby Jordan; back, Lorraine Hollis, Kane Jordan, Logan Mathews, Connor Hammond and Tucker Jordan.

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

Mary Vasquez and Christina Perez of the Catholic Charities staff in the Watertown of-fice show off their new "Baby Depot" which features items they provide to families inneed.

St. Agnes Parishlives out Catholicsocial teaching

Lisbon parishioners servethe poor and vulnerable

By John MulderigCatholic News Service

There may, no doubt, becircumstances that wouldjustify a film having a run-ning time close to threehours. Some lavish adaptation of

a Dickens novel, perhaps,or a sweeping historicalepic might be expected tosustain prolonged viewerinterest. A set of outsizeHasbro toys come to life,on the other hand, not somuch. Still, that's what audi-

ences will find waiting forthem in the interminable 3-D action sequel "Transform-ers: Age of Extinction"(Paramount). Such self-indulgence on

the part of director MichaelBay is all the more regret-table because his fourth in-stallment in this popularpopcorn franchise is ini-tially somewhat more en-gaging than itspredecessors. The bonduniting small-time inventor,young widower and over-protective dad Cade Yeager(Mark Wahlberg) with histeen daughter, Tessa (NicolaPeltz), for example, gives usslightly more substantialhuman interest than waspreviously evident. The rural setting of the

Texas farm on which Cadeand Tessa -- routinelyjoined by Cade's surfersidekick, Lucas (T.J. Miller) -- live out a cash-strappedbut mutually caring exis-tence, moreover, makes forsome pleasant visuals. Lesswelcome is the wayward re-lationship between Tessaand her clandestineboyfriend, Shane (JackReynor). Once the alien robots

from whom the series takesits title show up, however,it does turn out to be agood thing that Irish-bornShane makes his living as aracecar driver. These me-

chanical beings are capableof changing shape at will,and do so most often byshifting into the guise ofspeedy vehicles. So it helpsthe humans who get mixedup with them -- as Cadedoes by buying a long dis-used truck -- to have somevelocity of their own. For those not fluently fa-

miliar with Transformerslore in all its manifesta-tions, the briefest of expla-nations: the good, i.e.human-friendly, guys arecalled Autobots and are ledby Optimus Prime (voice ofPeter Cullen). Their adver-saries -- and ours -- areknown as Decepticons. Thewhole point of plunkingdown your dozen or so dol-lars at the box office is towatch these guys magicallymorph -- and noisily duke itout. Stacked up against the

endless shape-shifting andcacophonous combat, nei-ther Wahlberg's strongpresence nor an amusingturn by Stanley Tucci asJoshua Joyce, a Steve Jobs-like tech pioneer standsmuch of a chance. Also lostalong the way are scatteredreligious references -- doTransformers have souls? --

and a more sustainedtheme about the dangers ofoverreacting to terrorism. That tendency is embod-

ied by Harold Attinger(Kelsey Grammer), a top-ranking CIA agent forwhom the only good au-tomaton is a dead one. Besides sometimes

ridiculous dialogue, EhrenKruger's script also in-cludes a heavy dose of vul-garity.Together with the be-

nignly treated behavior be-tween Tessa and Shanementioned above, such ver-bal lapses make this sci-fislog an inappropriate onefor those youthful viewerswho might best be able toendure it. The film contains relent-

less, though largely blood-less, violence, an impliedpremarital situation, atleast one use each of pro-fanity and rough languageand numerous crude andcrass terms. The Catholic News Serv-

ice classification is A-III --adults. The Motion PictureAssociation of America rat-ing is PG-13 -- parentsstrongly cautioned. Somematerial may be inappropri-ate for children under 13.

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C entertainment 17

AT THE MOVIES

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION

Pat KnightPat Knight is from Peru,

NY, and attends FranciscanUniversity of Steubenville.A Guggenheim camper

since he was 12, this is hisfirst year on staff!"My prayer is that the

campers learn to spreadmore love than you receiveto those around you,” hesaid.“God's love is infinite - if

you live your life full of lovethen you will always be re-filled."

GUGGENHEIM 2014 - MEET THE STAFF

Visit www.rcdony.org/youth for information aboutCamp Guggenheim and registration forms

THERE’S STILL TIME TO SIGN UP FOR A WEEK AT CAMP!

Matt CongerMy name is Matthew Con-

ger I grew up in Ogdensburgand my home parish isNotre Dame.Currently, I go to school

in Pennsylvania at St.Charles Borromeo Seminary.Some day God willing I willbecome a priest for our dio-cese. I am so excited to be

working at camp this sum-mer to be able to bring thefaith to the campers. I hopeto see you all there thissummer.

Joey IzzoJoey Izzo grew up in Lake

Placid and is currently at-tending Berklee College ofMusic in Boston majoring inMusic Production and Engi-neering. He is an experienced com-

poser and pianist.Camp Guggenheim has

been an important part ofhis life for many years, hav-ing been a camper for sev-eral seasons. This is his second year on

staff and he feels veryblessed to return to the bestjob in the world for anothersummer.

CNS PHOTO/ANDREW COOPER, PARAMOUNT PICTURESMark Wahlberg and Jack Reynor star in scene from movie 'Transformers: Age of Ex-tinction'

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

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

Our parish communitiesare measured by how theyserve “the least of these” inour parish and beyond itsboundaries – the hungry,the homeless, the sick,

those in prison, the stranger(MT. 25: 31) Our local fami-lies of faith are called to‘hunger and thirst for jus-

tice’ and to be ‘peacemakers’in our own communities(Mt

5:6-9).(U.S. Bishops, Communities

of Salt and Light)

By Sister Donna Franklin, DCDiocesan director, Catholic Charities

The partnership betweenCatholic Charities and theparishes reaches all the wayback to 1917. For over 97years Catholic Charities hasbeen part of the diocesanfamily. Acknowledging theprimacy of the parish in theevangelization mission ofthe Church, Catholic Chari-ties continues to search foropportunities to partnerwith parishes.The Annual Mother’s Day

Appeal brings together theparishes and Catholic Chari-ties in assuring that CatholicCharities can continue itsmission and Catholic iden-tity. Each year all of theparishes provide financialsupport for the works andthe mission of CatholicCharities. This support isessential and deeply appre-ciated.

Partnership in MaloneThere are multiple addi-

tional partnerships existingbetween Catholic Charitiesand various parishes. The Catholic community

in Malone partners withCatholic Charities in multi-ple ways. Catholic Charitiesprograms and services arelocated in one of the parishcommunity’s buildings inthe former St. John Boscoarea. Catholic Charities runs

the area food pantry and theparish helps to provide asalary for the staff personwho coordinates the pantry.

Programs for pregnant andparenting teens, financialassistance, and holiday sup-port programs for individu-als, families and the elderlyexists all with the supportof parishioners and thecommunity.

With Watertown parishesThe parishes in Watertown

support the collaborativeholiday outreach programs.Catholic Charities providesthe parishes with angels fortheir Giving Trees and theparishes respond gener-ously. Holy Family, St. An-thony’s, and St. Patrick’sparishes participate in thisimportant community pro-gram, providing toys andclothing for over 350 HeadStart families.

Holy Family and St.Patrick’s parishes include re-quests for gas and food giftcards. These gift cards pro-vide essential support forfamilies during the wintermonths. The gift cards areused for medical and em-ployment travel. St. Patrick’s parish pro-

vides a welcoming environ-ment for our OmbudsmanProgram’s training sessions.

Altar Rosary SocietiesThe Altar and Rosary Soci-

eties throughout the Dio-cese hold baby showers andprovide the various CatholicCharities offices with cloth-ing, diapers and other infantand toddler items.Each year Catholic Chari-

ties receives a delivery from

the Norfolk altar and RosarySociety’s baby shower.These items support manyfamilies. Recently, the Altar and

Rosary Society of St. Jamesand St. Ann’s in Wells andLake Pleasant did a wonder-ful job of handcrafting bagsand filling them with per-sonal care items. These bagshave been distributedthroughout the diocese andhave been a great resourcefor families.

Catholic DaughtersThe Catholic Daughters of

America provide support toCatholic Charities in manyways. They have providedfinancial support. Recently,the Catholic Daughters fromSaranac Lake visitedCatholic Charities adminis-trative offices in Ogdens-burg. They brought withthem an exquisite array ofbaby items. Diapers, newclothing and beautiful handcrafted items and a check tosupport our services tomother s and babies. A fewyears ago, the CatholicDaughters throughout theState presented a check toeach of the eight CatholicCharities organizations inNew York State.St. Peter’s Parish in

Lowville has been generousin providing space forCatholic Charities Ombuds-man Program meetings. St. Alexander’s Parish in

Morrisonville provided toysand other presents forCatholic Charities’ Christ-mas outreach program inPlattsburgh. St. Alexander’sis a consistent source of re-ferrals to Catholic Charitiesprograms/services.

The Knights of ColumbusThe Knights of Columbus

throughout the Diocese wit-

ness to the two aspects ofChristian service: direct aidand advocacy. The variouscouncils provide financialsupport to Catholic Chari-ties. They advocate for thevulnerable through theirwork in support of the sanc-tity and the dignity ofhuman life. This commit-ment is evident each year asthey attend the Catholics atthe Capital Day in Albany.

St. Vincent de PaulThe St. Vincent De Paul So-

cieties in Ogdensburg andMassena provide essentialservices to individuals andfamilies in need. The Ladiesof Charity in Ogdensburgare always there to help thepeople that Catholic Chari-ties staff refers for clothingassistance. Each year the St. Vincent

DePaul Society makes a sub-stantial donation to CatholicCharities.

St. Peter’s in PlattsburghSt. Peter’s Parish in Platts-

burgh has been a tremen-dous source of support,especially, when disastershave impacted the lives ofmany individuals and fami-lies in Clinton and Essexcounties. Catholic Charitieswas able to begin the disas-ter response as quickly aspossible due to the financialsupport from St. Peter’s.Over 500 people were as-sisted after a serious hurri-cane and flooding. Withoutthe help from St. Peter’sParish our response wouldnot have been as rapid or asbroad.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Catholic Charities partners with parishes

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C16 commentary

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Keeping hope for God’s dream of peace After such a long, cold

winter, we wel-come the warmthof summer andthe brighterevenings. Yet, theshadow of aworld comingapart at theseams hangs overus like a darkcloud. There isno peace in theMiddle East, andin parts of Africa. Peace seems like

an impossibledream. In today’s first reading,

Zechariah prophecies acoming Messiah who willbring universal peace andharmony. Of course,Zechariah was ridiculed andthought insane in his time.

It wasn’t any better whenthe Prince of Peace ac-tually came into theland of Israel. In today’s Gospel,

Jesus laments theblindness and rejec-tion of the learnedones—pharisees,scribes, sadducees.Jesus was hurt and an-gered by their hostil-ity. Only the simpleand uneducatedseemed to believe Hiswords and His mightydeeds of healing.

Jesus loved ordinary peo-ple, and He loved children,their innocence and their in-credible openness to thethings of God. They readilybelieve in angels and thebeauty of art and musicmuch more than adults do.

He had come to fulfill thepeople’s dreams of peace.It’s no different in our

times. After all, our coun-try was founded on adream. Otherwise we wouldnot be celebrating theFourth of July this weekend. America’s dream is very

like God’s dream, His Provi-dence. We are all entitled tobe dreamers. We mustnever give up hope thatGod’s dream of peace willcome true. Freedom for all,born and unborn. Why are politicians so

afraid of giving life achance? God gave us achance before we were everborn!!We are also celebrating

Fortnight for Freedom thisJuly 4th. Religious freedomis at risk, the freedom for

the various churches to takecare of the sick and the eld-erly without penalty for liv-ing by the principles of theirfaith. We need to speakout and demand our rightsto believe and to act accord-ing to our faith. Our second reading urges

us to live in the Spirit. Asmembers of Christ, everygood individual actionstrengthens the whole body.We need to faithfully pray

for freedom and peace, torespond with courage to themany frustrations and“downers” in our lives, andinfluence others to do thesame. Of course, we live in the

flesh—from hugs to hotdogs -- but its so easy to letour desires get out of hand. More prayer, more getting

out of ourselves to think ofother people brings light-ness of heart and freedomof Spirit. When we’re scared and

think that it’s just too hard,think of the Lord’s words intoday’s Gospel—“Come tome all you who labor andare heavily burdened and Iwill refresh you” In other words, Jesus says

to us “Here, give it to me.I’ll carry it for a while”.

MonsignorPaul E.Whitmore

14th Sunday in Ordinary TimeReadings

Zechariah 9:9-10Romans 8: 9, 11-13Matthew 11: 25-30

JULY 6

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

By Tony MaglianoNCC columnist

Catholic social teaching isunfortunately the church’sbest kept secret. But because it directly ad-

dresses the world’s mostpressing social justice andpeace issues, Catholic socialteaching instead needs tocome out of hiding and bediscovered, read, preached,proclaimed and lived in ourparishes, schools, universi-ties, media, homes and soci-ety.Five years ago, a very

valuable contribution toCatholic social teaching was

given to the church andworld by Pope EmeritusBenedict XVI.

In service to the poor

His encyclical letter Cari-tas in Veritate (“Charity inTruth”) was given a respect-ful but short hearing, andthen put on the shelf togather dust.Let’s shake off five years

of dust, and really begin toappreciate this gem.Foundational to all just

solutions to the world’s illsis unconditional love. Andas our retired Holy Fatherwrote, “Love – caritas – is anextraordinary force whichleads people to opt forcourageous and generousengagement in the field of

justice and peace. It is aforce that has its origin inGod, Eternal Love and Ab-solute Truth.”Benedict insists that au-

thentic charity or love needsthe assistance of truth.“Without truth, charity de-generates into sentimental-ity. Love becomes an emptyshell, to be filled in an arbi-trary way,” he wrote.He taught that the truth

contained in the values ofChristianity, are “essentialfor building a good societyand for true integral humandevelopment.”He emphasized “the truth

of Christ’s love in society.”And added, that “Develop-ment, social well being, thesearch for a satisfactory so-lution to the grave socio-economic problemsbesetting humanity, all needthis truth. … “Without truth, without

trust and love for what istrue, there is no social con-science and responsibility,and social action ends upserving private interestsand the logic of power, re-sulting in social fragmenta-

tion, especially in a global-ized society at difficulttimes like the present.”Pope Emeritus Benedict’s

insights are right on themark. Because the quest for

love, a love influenced bytruth, is not on the agendaof so many individuals – es-pecially so many individualswho hold political and cor-porate power – social actionis indeed largely serving pri-vate interests and the logicof power. Just consider how income

and wealth over the last 30years have dramatically in-creased for a tiny percent-age of the population, whilethe working-class’ share ofthe economic pie has stag-nated, and various pro-grams to assist the poorhave significantly been cut. While some claim that the

Great Recession is over, thatclaim is of no consolation tocountless human beingswho are struggling withpoverty, hunger, homeless-ness, unemployment andunderemployment. And allof this painful injustice con-

tinues while corporate prof-its are at or near all timehighs, and CEO’s are rackingin astronomical salaries.A greedy, unjust toxic

economic atmosphere issuffocating countless broth-ers and sisters. Social con-science and responsibilityare not in the air. Although the atmosphere

is foul, as disciples of theLord we are called to bemen and women of hope.For just as air pollution

can be reversed, so too, eco-nomic pollution can becleaned up. As Christians,we have the ultimate rem-edy: the Gospel of JesusChrist.For as our retired Holy Fa-

ther wrote: “The Gospel isfundamental for develop-ment, because in theGospel, Christ, in the veryrevelation of the mystery ofthe Father and of his love,fully reveals humanity to it-self.”Christ became human to

show us what true humanityshould reflect: Divine Loveand Absolute Truth.

Fresh look at Pope Benedict’s valuable gift to us

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

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

By Julie MootReligious Education Coordinator, The Catholic Community of Cape Vincent,Chaumont, and Rosiere

God calls us to fulfill ourBaptismal Call as priest,prophet, and king just asJesus did. By becomingJesus to our neighbors, weare making the “least” of ourbrothers the “first” in God’seyes. Our youth group does

many hours of service worknot just for the parish buthave been active in volun-teering time at the UrbanMission in Watertown, serv-ing at benefit dinners to helpthose in need, and havebeen caroling at the seniorhome. We have a social out-reach

team that visits those whoare sick, elderly, in the nurs-ing home, or just need some-one to check on thembecause they are alone. Wemake greeting cards forbirthdays or special occa-sions for them as well asbringing holiday cheer, reli-gious reading materials,cookies, and other treats.Our religious education

program runs annual fooddrives to support the localfood pantries in the commu-nities. The Altar Rosary Society

provides Christmas stock-ings with goodies and homebaked cookies to our shut-ins, elderly, sick, or nursinghome parishioners. As a Parish, we have pro-

vided numerous Sunday

Brunches open to all aftermass; supported the UrbanMission in their capital cam-paign, hosting dollar din-ners, running collections ofclothing and other itemsthey need. The parish has also started

a scholarship program toprovide funds for youth en-abling them to attend CampGuggenheim. We have participated in

mission support for the Mis-sionaries of the Sacred Heartand we have helped supportthe Immaculate Heart CentralFaith Community Serviceprogram in their right to lifeinitiative providing dignityand sanctity of human life inmissions overseas.

Our parish communityspends many hours servingthose in need. There are somany other little things thatindividuals in our parish doto help their neighbor thatare too numerous to mentionbut are just as significant. Itis through this service thatwe see the “face of Jesus” inothers and remember ourBaptismal Call.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5Wherever Msgr. Duprey is

pastor, he makes sure thathis young people learn howto advocate according to thevalues and principles of theGospel. Each year he bringsa group of students to theCatholics St the Capital Dayin Albany. Passing on the legacy of

direct service and advocacyis the responsibility ofevery Christian and eachparish. Along with studentsfrom Immaculate Heart Cen-tral in Watertown the youngpeople from Plattsburgh arelearning the importance ofusing their propheticvoices.Advocacy plays a signifi-

cant part in transformingthe world. Many parishesencourage their parish-ioners to participate in theannual Catholics at the Cap-ital Day. This day highlightsthe Bishops’ legislativeagenda. Based on CatholicSocial teaching and organ-ized by Catholic Charities,the Catholics at the CapitalDay provide the opportu-nity for Catholic from ourparishes to join Catholicsfrom throughout New YorkState is making our voicesheard.

Harvest WalkThe Harvest Walk/Run is

an annual event held in Og-densburg where people ofall ages, walk/run to raisemoney. The funds are dis-tributed to various agencies,food pantries and holidayprograms. The success ofthis fundraiser is due to thecommitment made by themembers of St. Mary’sCathedral, Notre Dame, St.Raphael’s in Heuvelton andSts. Philip and James, Lis-bon. The support of theclergy from all of theparishes plays an importantrole in encouraging theirparishioners to make a dif-ference in their community.Catholic Charities collabo-

rated with Mercy Care of theAdirondacks and theparishes in Watertown totrain 18 nurses for faith

community based healthcare. Board of TrusteesFather Patrick Ratigan, Fa-

ther Scott Seymour, FatherSteve Murray, Father KevinMcEwan, Deacon Mark Ben-nett, Ursuline Sister TeresaByrne, Grey Nun Sister Bar-bara Schiavone and St.Joseph Sister Jennifer Vo-traw, help to shape policyand oversee the mission ofCatholic Charities throughtheir service on the Board ofTrustees. Father Art LaBaffcontinues his support ofCatholic Charities as a mem-ber of the Corporation. All of the members of the

Board of Trustees and theCorporation belong toparishes throughout thediocese. This leadershipsupport from the parishes iswelcomed and essential tothe functioning of CatholicCharities.

GratitudeCatholic Charities is grate-

ful to Bishop Terry LaValleyfor his pastoral leadershipand continued support andencouragement. His com-mitment to building aDiocesan community ofcompassion, charity andjustice creates an environ-ment for the developmentof both direct aid and advo-cacy. Catholic Charities isgrateful to all of theparishes in the Diocese.Many of our clients benefitfrom the soup kitchens,food pantries, thrift stores,holiday outreach programsand other parish services.

Parishes are called toreach out to the hurting, thepoor, and the vulnerable inour midst in concrete acts

of charity. Just as the gospeltells us our lives will be

judged by our response tothe “least of these,” so too

our parishes should bemeasured by our help forthe hungry, the homeless,the troubled and the alien-ated –in our own commu-

nity and beyond.(U.S. Bishops, Communities

of Salt and Light)

Catholic Charities

The youth group of Cape Vincent, Chaumont and Rosiere carries out a variety of service projects during the year, in the parish and thecommunity. The young people have been active in volunteering time at the Urban Mission in Watertown, serving at benefit dinnersto help those in need and have been caroling at the senior home.

Catholics of Cape Vincent,Chaumont, Rosiere reach out

By Kristina DeanStaff Writer

Learning to ride a bike was hard for me. Aclumsy kid, I had no sense of balance and anoverwhelming fear of falling. I was probably dif-ficult to teach. Lots of patience was needed.

I remember my parents bought me a beautiful,BIG purple bicycle. I wanted to ride it badly. Forweeks I had scraped knees and hands. Finally my dad took pity on his clumsy daugh-

ter and offered to help. He’d run behind me,holding up my bicycle with one strong hand. I’dhear his footsteps and feel confident I wouldn’tfall. To this day, that memory is strong in my mind.

My father’s footsteps. His presence, holding meup. Protecting me.A dad’s role in his daughter’s life is so impor-

tant. Every relationship she has with a male willbe measured against it. Part of her sense of self-worth is related to it. If she is blessed enough tohave a good father, as I was, then she can experi-ence a small piece of heaven, as our heavenly Fa-ther’s love is mirrored in her earthly father’s love.My dad, while not perfect, was a great dad. Growing up, he had a difficult relationship with

his own father, who passed away before my par-ents were married. Much of what I learned aboutmy paternal grandfather is from my mother. Mydad didn’t talk about him. Apparently, my grandfather never told my fa-

ther or his siblings that they were loved. Ever. So,when my mother was expecting me, the first-born, my dad vowed to her that he would be dif-ferent. His children would never wonder if theywere loved. He vowed to hug them, play withthem, love them. They would never wonderabout their place as a cherished son or daughter. My dad was a good as his word. I have pictures

of him on the floor, holding me high above hishead, smiling and acting as silly as can be. Thereare pictures with funny hats on his head, with in-flatable bears hanging over his shoulder, hand-kerchief “bunny rabbits” he made talk with funny

voices.Every picture showed his absolute delight in

me. I knew I was loved unconditionally. OurHeavenly Father’s love is much the same way. Itis unmeasurable. He treasures us. We are his joy.I loved my dad so much. Through him, I saw a

small slice of how to love others. He gave me apattern to follow. Through our conversations, Icould see how important his faith was to him.Together, we discussed scripture passages andwhat it would have been like to live when Jesus

was alive. We visualized paradise. We pondered the question of animals going to

heaven (as a little girl, I insisted I wasn’t going togo to heaven if my beloved dog wasn’t going tobe allowed in, either). We were amazed togetherat God’s gift of creating this beautiful world forus. As a meteorologist, my dad’s eyes, which al-

ways contained wonder and awe, were focusedon the heavens. We would gaze at the clouds,and he would quiz me on their type and names.His favorite word was “fascinating.” Years later, when my own children were born, I

saw the same joyful, loving man, now a grandfa-ther, play with his grandchildren. Nothing wastoo silly for him. He would allow his grandsonsto put funny clown noses on him, he’d mess uphis hair and put on a ridiculous face.

Years later, as my father lay dying in the hospi-tal, in pain and knowing things weren’t goingwell, he made my then four-month-old son Alex,giggle a great, big belly laugh. He also laughedout loud in delight. “I made him laugh, I madehim laugh!” he shouted.After his death, at his calling hours, more than

1,200 people came to pay their last respects. Iheard stories of how my father impacted theirlives positively. They said, ‘he listened to mewhen I was upset. He hugged me when I cried.He told such funny stories and jokes. He was sospecial.’’ A nurse from radiology, who’d only known him

a few weeks, gripped my hands tight, telling mewhat a wonderful man he was. I never knew somany people experienced him and the joy he car-ried within.Dad, I didn’t know it then, but what a wonder-

ful example of a father’s love you were. You werea mirror, a reflection of God’s love for his chil-dren, for everyone. You are still teaching me. Al-though I am no longer a little girl learning to rideher bike, I still feel your absolute and uncondi-tional love for me, holding me up, never lettingme fall. Protecting me.God, both spiritual and physical, radiate your

unconditional love for their children.

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C commentary 15

A STORY OF FAITH

Dad: reflection of God’s love for his children

Kristina and her dad at her college graduation

OUR READERS WRITEThanks from CVRTL

Champlain Valley Right to Life wishesto thank the people in our diocese for sogenerously contributing to the RespectLife Sunday Collection.

We sincerely thank Bishop LaValleyand the Respect Life Grant Committeefor selecting our Billboard Project fordiocesan funding. Attached is a photo ofthe billboard which is on Route 22 fromJune 2nd until July 27th.

We also appreciate the donors whohave provided additional funds for ourproject. These donations will enable us

to put a similar billboard on Route 3from July 28th - August 31.

We hope our billboards will capturepeople's attention and that we will beable to provide help for those in need.We will be sending individuals to ournew Plattsburgh Pregnancy Center,Birthright, Catholic Charities, or GabrielProject.

May our billboard be a message ofhope and lead to a greater respect forlife.

KITTY ST. DENISCVRTL SECRETARY

Appreciating priestsYour May 21 article on Priests of the

Diocese was super. It was nice to see somany priests celebrating an anniversary.They deserve a special thanks and all toooften I believe they are taken forgranted. And, it was nice to read aboutmy own classmates at Wadhams Hallwho are celebrating anniversaries andnew Pastoral appointments.

I am so glad I have stayed in touchover the years with former faculty, likeMonsignors Paul Whitmore and PeterRiani.

During my time as a trustee of Wad-hams Hall, I recall various discussions onwhat is the key to vocations to thepriesthood?

The board concluded that it Was " a

mother's prayer."JAMES A. DONOVAN, CLASS OF 1972

LAKE MONROE, FLORIDA

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C diocesan life 7

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

By Deacon Mark BennettSpiritual Life Director, St. Peter’s Church, Plattsburgh

PLATTSBURGH - “I was hungry and you gave me food,I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a strangerand you welcomed me…” These words from St.Matthew’s Gospel clearly define the social justicemission of our Church. Saint Peter’s parish has a long history of sup-

porting the option for the poor. The center pieceof our social justice outreach is our SoupKitchen. The parish has operated a weekly soupkitchen every Monday for the past 16 years. Ourkitchen is staffed by over 60 volunteers from theparish, as well as volunteers from the local Ro-tary club and SUNY Plattsburgh.

We serve the elderly, the working poor andyoung families throughout the greater Platts-burgh area. We see an average of 73 people perweek and last year we served over 3000 meals.While the soup kitchen is the focal point of our

social justice programs, Saint Peter’s is commit-ted to many other charitable endeavors. Duringthe past 12 months the parish assisted over 200with gas vouchers for medical appointments inPlattsburgh, Albany and Burlington. We werealso able to help over 50 people with medical co-pays and emergency overnight accommodations. The annual preparation and distribution of

Thanksgiving baskets and our partnership withthe Department of Social services “Giving Tree”program are major events for the parish family.Every year our parishioners prepare and donate

over one hundred Thanksgiving baskets to thosein need. They contain all that is required for aThanksgiving dinner. Last year volunteers from the parish purchased

over $10,000 in Christmas gifts which were thendistributed by Social Services. Saint Peter’s par-ticipates in the Interfaith Food Shelf and deliverseight to ten bags of groceries every week to thelocal food pantry. We are currently exploring a ministry to family

members of people who are incarcerated in thecounty jail.Saint Peter’s parish has been truly blessed, and

we strive to share our blessings with those whoare in need. “Amen, I say to you, whatever youdid for one of these least brothers of mine, youdid for me.”

Saint Peter’s option for the poor

Being Christ-led, Christ-fed and Hope-filled communities, we commit ourselvesto building the Kingdom of God on earthas in heaven. Jesus Christ taught with Hiswords and witnessed to God’s plan by hisactions. Words and actions represent thetwo sides of the same coin. One makes animpact in conjunction with the other. The following ideas may help you to

think of creative ways for putting yourfaith into action. You may feel affirmedby seeing that you are already doing tobuild a faith based community. You may also find in your assessment

of your use of your time, talent and treas-ure, motivation to make some differentlifestyle choices.• Find out about volunteer opportuni-

ties in your parish, local community.• Volunteer at a soup kitchen, food

pantry, other program• Join the Knights of Columbus,

Catholic Daughters or other service or-ganization• Start a Catholic Daughters, St. Vincent

De Paul Society or Knights of Columbusin your parish/local community• Be a peacemaker. Seek reconciliation

with a person or group from whom you

have been estranged• Organize a food drive in your com-

munity. Summer months are especiallydifficult for parents with children. Foodpantries needs extra food products• Organize a group to see/hear the

needs in your community…to pray andreflect … and then to act in deliberate andeffective action• Visit the New York State Catholic con-

ference website: www.nyscatholic.org andjoin the Catholic Action Network. Raiseyour voice for public policies that respectthe sanctity of human life, support fami-lies and build the common good.• Establish a service group for the

youth in your community. Teach themhow to be advocates for charity and jus-tice and to use their talents and time tohelp others,• BOGO – Buy One/Get One Free - When

shopping buy items when you can buyone and get one free. Donate the freeitem to a food pantry, soup kitchen•Plant a couple extra rows of vegetables

in your garden and donate the fresh pro-duce to a soup kitchen or food pantry. Ortake it to the back of church and share itwith other members of the congregation.

Ideas for putting ourfaith into action

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C14 World/nation

By Carol ZimmermannCatholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) - In a June 26decision, the U.S. SupremeCourt unanimously ruledthat 35-foot buffer zonesaround abortion clinics -meant to keep demonstra-tors away - violates FirstAmendment rights. The decision, a victory for

pro-life groups, reversed anappellate court decision up-holding a 2007 Massachu-setts law that made it a crimefor anyone other than clinicworkers to stand within theyellow semicircular linespainted 35 feet from en-trances of Planned Parent-hood clinics in Boston,Springfield and Worcester. Eleanor McCullen, lead

plaintiff in the case, Mc-Cullen v. Coakley, said she

should be able to speak andoffer advice to women goingto these clinics. McCullen, a77-year-old who attendsMass at St. Ignatius Church atBoston College said when thecase was brought to theSupreme Court that she hadhelped many women decideagainst abortion. The Supreme Court, in its

opinion written by Chief Jus-tice John Roberts, said thestate law blocked public side-walks that have been tradi-tionally viewed as open forfree speech. It also said thegovernment's ability to limitspeech in those places is"very limited." The law in question was

put in place in an attempt toprevent violent demonstra-tions or protests outsideclinic entrances. It replaced a2000 state law that kept pro-testers from approaching

within 6 feet of a person whowas within 18 feet of an abor-tion clinic -- similar to a 2000law in Colorado that theSupreme Court upheld thatyear. The court's decision "has

affirmed the American tradi-tion of basic constitutionalrights for all," said BostonCardinal Sean P. O'Malley,chairman of the U.S. bishops'Committee on Pro-Life Activ-ities. He said that the now-over-

turned legislation "reflects anominous trend in our soci-ety" because it reveals howabortion supporters seek todeny Americans who "seek toprotect the unborn" theirright to freedom of speechand association as well as the"right to participate in thepublic square and serve thevulnerable in accord with ourmoral convictions."

By Carol GlatzCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Despite"grievous attacks" around theworld, peace can alwaysflourish through God's graceand people's loving generos-ity, Pope Francis said. He urged Christians in the

Middle East and elsewhere tocontinue to have hope and to"never falter in their convic-tion that the fire of Pente-cost, the power of love, canhalt the fire of arms, hatredand vengeance." Meeting June 26 with

members of ROACO, a coali-tion of funding agencies co-ordinated by theCongregation for EasternChurches, the pope toldthem he was "grateful that

you continue to 'make peacegrow' through charity." Even though true peace is

a gift from God, he said,"with unity and charity,Christ's disciples strive to bepeacemakers everywhere, inall peoples and communi-ties, and to overcome per-sistent forms ofdiscrimination, starting withthose based on religion." The pope said that "first

among those called to bepeacemakers are our broth-ers and sisters of the Easternchurches, together with theirpastors." "Hoping at times against all

hope," those Christians whoremain in the lands wherethe Gospel was first pro-claimed need the support ofthe universal church, he said.

"Their tears and their an-guish are ours, as well astheir hope!" Pope Francissaid. "We can express thisthrough our solidarity, if it isone which is concrete and ef-fective, capable of ensuringthat the international com-munity upholds the rights ofindividuals and peoples." Pope Francis told the par-

ticipants that his May pil-grimage to Jordan, Israel andthe Palestinian territories"was a great source of conso-lation, but also of encourage-ment and a renewed sense ofresponsibility for the ad-vancement of full unityamong Christians and of dia-logue between religions." He said he hoped his jour-

ney would, "like a good seed,bring forth abundant fruit."

PEORIA, ILL. (CNS) -- The possiblemiracle needed for the be-atification of ArchbishopFulton J. Sheen took an-other step toward papalrecognition June 17 when apanel of theologians met atthe Vatican, the ArchbishopFulton Sheen Foundationannounced. As a normal part of the

sainthood process, the the-ologians met to considerwhether or not the promot-ers of Archbishop Sheen'scause demonstrated thatthe proposed miracle -- thesurvival of a child deliveredstillborn -- occurred afterprayers for the intercessiononly of Archbishop Sheen. In March, a seven-mem-

ber board of physiciansconvoked by the Congrega-tion for Saints' Causesagreed there was no naturalexplanation for why theboy's heart started beating61 minutes after his birth. The child, James Fulton

Engstrom, is now 3 yearsold and developing nor-mally. His mother, BonnieEngstrom, had said she hadno pre-composed prayerasking for help from Arch-bishop Sheen. "I just keptrepeating his name overand over in my head: FultonSheen, Fulton Sheen, FultonSheen." Archbishop Sheen was a

Peoria diocesan priest whogained fame for his 1950stelevision show "Life IsWorth Living" and for his 16years at the helm of the So-ciety for the Propagation ofthe Faith. The archbishopdied Dec. 9, 1979, in NewYork. In a statement June 17

from the Archbishop FultonSheen Foundation, BishopDaniel R. Jenky of Peoriasaid, "With the recommen-dations of the medical ex-perts and now thetheologians, the case will

next be reviewed by thecardinals and bishops" whoare members of the Congre-gation for Saints' Causes. "Finally, the miracle

would be presented to PopeFrancis, who would then of-ficially affirm that God per-formed a miracle throughthe intercession of FultonSheen. There is no timelineas to when these next stepsmight move forward,"Bishop Jenky said. If Pope Francis formally

issues the decree recogniz-ing the miracle, the bishopsaid, "Sheen could then bedeclared 'Blessed' in a cere-mony that could be cele-brated in Peoria, Sheen'shometown." Another miracle would be

needed for ArchbishopSheen's canonization.

ArchbishopSheen closer tobeatification

Supreme Court strikesdown 'buffer zones' atabortion clinics

Pope: Peace can prevaildespite 'grievous attacks'

CNS PHOTOArchbishop Fulton J. Sheen is picturedin an undated file photo. BishopDaniel R. Jenky of Peoria, Ill., presidentof the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foun-dation, said early March 6 he receivedword that the seven-member boardof medical experts who advise theVatican Congregation for Saints'Causes has unanimously approved amiracle attributed to the intercessionof Archbishop Sheen.

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4NORT H C O U N T R Y C AT HO L I C8 Diocesan Life

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

July 3 – 12 p.m., Mass at St. Mary’sCathedral

July 5 – 4 p.m., Mass at St. Mary’sCathedral

July 6 – 8:30 a.m., Mass at Immacu-late Conception Church in Brownville10 a.m., Mass at Immaculate Con-ception Church in Brownville11:30 a.m., Mass at St. Andrew'sChurch in Sackets Harbor

July 7 – 4:00 p.m., Clinton DeaneryCookout at St. Peter’s Church in Platts-burgh

July 8 – 10:50 a.m., Mass at St.Joseph’s Home in Ogdensburg4 p.m., Mass at Camp Guggenheim

in Saranac Lake

July 9 – 12:00 p.m., Mass at St. Mary’sCathedral

July 11 – 10 a.m., Mass at RiverledgeHealth Care and Rehabilitation Centerin Ogdensburg

July 12 – 10:30 a.m., Jubilee Mass forthe Sisters of St. Joseph at Our Lady ofthe Sacred Heart Church in Water-town.

July 13 – 8 a.m., Mass at Fish Creek10 a.m., Mass at St. Bernard's

Church in Saranac Lake

July 15 – 4 p.m., Mass at CampGuggenheim & Dinner with Semi-narians in Saranac Lake

Bishop’s Schedule

This week marks the anniversary of the deaths of the following

clergymen men who have served in the Diocese of Ogdensburg

July 2 – Rev. Richard A. Gleason,O.S.A., 1939; Rev. Denis F. Finnegan,1951; Msgr. John A. Stone, 1964; Msgr.Francis J. Connors, 1977; Rev. GeorgeA. Lemieux, 1993; Rev. John M. Crable,2012July 3 – Rev. E. Leonard Murphy, 1954July 4 – Rev. Joseph L. St. Jacques,1952July 9 – Rev. John Rogers, 1887; Rev.Joseph H. Emard, O.M.I., 1924July 10 – Rev. Mary Ignatius Grom,1936; Rev. John F. McNamara, 1971;Deacon Victor Fisher, 1999; Rev. JamesA. Delbel, 2013July 12 – Rev. James Salmon, 1835;Rev. John J. Brennan, 1881; Most Rev.Albert Pascal, O.M.I., 1920July 13 – Rev. George Garand, 1941July 15 – Rev. John Conlon, 1881;Msgr. Armand Dussault, 1963; Rev.Joseph F. Quinn, 1970; Rev. Joseph F.Dowd, 1983

Rest in Peace

Water and the PoorDuring the weeks since Easter the

focus of our environmental steward-ship has been on use of the sacredgift of water. This week the focus ofthe Fortnight of Freedom is on serv-ice to the poor. What is the connec-tion between water and the poor?In the parable on the Last Judg-

ment Jesus says that the Son of Manwill say “… when I was thirsty…you gave me a drink; in so far as youdid this to one of the least of thesebrethren of mine, you did it to me.”Mt. 25: 35, 40The connection between these

words leads us to the question: whatwill be the availability and quality offresh water that we have to offer ourbrothers and sisters? Will it be pol-luted by chemical toxins from ourhouseholds and commercial indus-tries, or will it be fresh life-givingwater? Will our less fortunate of God’schildren have access to fresh water atall? The effects of drought and risingocean waters are already having dev-astating effects on those most vul-nerable and those with the leastresources to cope with these changes.Our awareness of these connectionscan affect the way that we relate towater. The ways that we reverence,conserve and protect this sacred giftof water has profound effects onGod’s children, especially the poorand all of creation. Take time thissummer to enjoy this gift, and chooseone way that you can reduce theamount of water you use at homeand/or yard. Consider alternatives toharmful chemicals for pest controland household cleaning.

Environmental Stewardship

The Diocese of Ogdensburg hasscheduled sessions for ProtectingGod's Children for Adults.Pre-registration online is required inorder to participate. Participantsmay preregister at www.virtus.orgby selecting the registration buttonand following the directions. All employees and volunteers whoparticipate in church sponsored ac-tivities with minor are required toparticipate in this training. Further information is availablefrom Atonement Sister Ellen Don-ahue, 315-393- 2920, ext. 1440.Upcoming programs:July 3- 7 p.m., Malone CatholicParishesAug. 20 - 6 p.m., Holy Name School,AuSable Forks

Protecting God’s Children

If you have a complaint of suspectedmisconduct involving diocesanclergy, religious, employees or volun-teers, contact Victims Assistance Co-ordinator, Terrianne Yanulavich, Adult& Youth Counseling Services ofNorthern New York, PO Box 2446,Plattsburgh, NY, 12901; e-mail: terri-anneyanulavich@yahoo.com Phone:518-483-3261; or Father James Sey-mour, the Episcopal Vicar for Clergyat 315-393-2920 , ext. 1340

To Report Abuse

The next issue of the North Country Catholicwill be dated July 16

NO PAPER NEXT WEEK

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4NORT H C O UN T R Y C AT HO L I C world/nation 13

AT A GLANCE

CATHOLICWORLDSynod document cites cultural and economic threats to family VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The working document for the October 2014 extraordi-nary Synod of Bishops offers a picture of the Catholic Church today strugglingto preach the Gospel and transmit moral teachings amid a "widespread cul-tural, social and spiritual crisis" of the family. The 75-page "instrumentum la-boris," published by the Vatican June 26, is supposed to "provide an initialreference point" for discussion at the synod, whose theme will be the "pastoralchallenges of the family in the context of evangelization." The document isbased principally on comments solicited in a questionnaire last November fromnational bishops' conferences around the world. But it also reflects commentssent directly to the Vatican by individuals and groups responding to the ques-tionnaire, which was widely published on the Internet. Topics in the workingdocument include some of the most contested and controversial areas ofCatholic moral teaching on the family, including contraception, divorce and re-marriage, same-sex marriage, premarital sex and in vitro fertilization.

Church is essential for faith; there are no 'free agents,' pope says VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians are not made in a laboratory, but in a commu-nity called the church, Pope Francis said. At his weekly general audience June25, Pope Francis continued his series of audience talks about the church, tellingan estimated 33,000 people that there is no such thing as "do-it-yourself"Christians or "free agents" when it comes to faith. Every Christian, he said, cantrace his or her faith back to parents, grandparents, teachers or friends. "I al-ways remember the nun who taught me catechism. I know she's in heaven be-cause she was a holy woman," he said. In the Old Testament, the pope said, Godcalled Abraham and began to form a people that would become a blessing forthe world. "With great patience -- and God has a lot of it -- he prepared thepeople of the ancient covenant and in Jesus Christ constituted them as a signand instrument of the union of humanity with God and unity with one an-other." Pope Francis described as "dangerous" the temptation to believe thatone can have "a personal, direct, immediate relationship with Jesus Christwithout communion with and the mediation of the church."

Pope condemns mafia, says members are excommunicated VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In the stronghold of an Italian crime syndicate believedto be richer and more powerful than the Sicilian Mafia, Pope Francis said,"Those who follow the path of evil, like the mafiosi do, are not in communionwith God; they are excommunicated!" During a Mass June 21 in the southernregion of Calabria, Pope Francis made clear that even if the mob families con-tinue to go to Mass and decorate their homes and hideouts with religious pic-tures, they have cut themselves off from communion with the church and withGod. "When instead of adoring the Lord, one substitutes the adoration ofmoney, one opens the path to sin, personal interests and exploitation," PopeFrancis said to applause from an estimated 250,000 people gathered in a fieldnear the town of Sibari. "When one does not adore the Lord God, one becomesan adorer of evil, like those who live lives of crime and violence. Your land,which is so beautiful, knows the signs and consequences of this sin. This is whatthe 'Ndrangheta is: the adoration of evil and contempt for the common good,"Pope Francis said. The 'Ndrangheta is a crime syndicate based in Calabria

By Maria WieringCatholic News Service

BALTIMORE (CNS) - The Eucharistconforms Catholics to "thepattern of Christ's self-givinglove" and compels them tosee the dignity of the poorand perform acts of mercy,Baltimore ArchbishopWilliam E. Lori said at theJune 21 opening Mass forthis year's Fortnight for Free-dom. The Mass coincided with

the feast of Corpus Christi. "By entering the dynamic

of Christ's self-giving eu-charistic love, we are im-pelled ... to work for a lovingand just society where thedignity of human life is re-spected from conceptionuntil natural death and allthe stages in between," hesaid in his homily. More than 1,000 people

packed the Basilica of the Na-tional Shrine of the Assump-tion of the Blessed VirginMary for the opening of thethird annual Fortnight forFreedom, two weeks dedi-cated to prayer, educationand advocacy for religiousfreedom. Archbishop Lori is the

chairman of the U.S. Confer-ence of Catholic Bishops' AdHoc Committee for ReligiousLiberty, formed in 2011. In 2012, it published a let-

ter titled "Our First, MostCherished Liberty" andlaunched the Fortnight forFreedom event in responseto government infringementon religious freedom rightsin the United States andabroad. Chief among those per-

ceived threats are the U.S.Department of Health andHuman Services' mandatethat most employers, includ-ing religious employers, pro-vide insurance for artificialbirth control, sterilizationand abortion-causing drugs.

Archbishop Lori and theArchdiocese of Baltimore areamong plaintiffs in 100 law-suits nonprofit and for-profitorganizations and busi-nesses have brought againstthe federal government overthe mandate. In his homily, Archbishop

Lori criticized the mandate,as well as state laws criminal-izing churches that serve im-migrants living in thecountry illegally and "dis-crimination against Catholichumanitarian services be-cause they refuse to provideso-called 'services' that vio-late Catholic teaching." Archbishop Lori acknowl-

edged that in other coun-tries, people are killed forprofessing their faith. In theUnited States, he said, thechallenges to religious free-dom are more subtle yet"very real." "Increasingly, government

at all levels is asserting itselfin the internal life ofchurches, telling them thathouses of worship are fullyreligious, whereas religiousschools and charities thatserve the common good areless so, and therefore lessdeserving of religious free-dom protections," he said. The 2014 fortnight theme

is "The Freedom to Serve" toemphasize the charitableworks of Catholic organiza-tions and individuals. Duringthe Mass, Archbishop Loridistinguished the church'swork from that of non-governmental agencies, asPope Francis has done,adding that Catholics "are tobe more than an NGO" byvirtue of a "eucharisticheart." "We are seeking for the

church and for church insti-tutions no special privi-leges," he said. "We areseeking the freedom toserve, or as Pope Francisonce put it, the freedom toproclaim and live the Gospel

'in its entirety.'" He asked Catholics to keep

"in the forefront of ourhearts" people whom U.S.Catholic humanitarian agen-cies, parishes and individu-als serve. "Let us look at them not

merely as statistics but aspersons created in God'simage and called to enjoyfriendship with God," hesaid. Catholic parishes and or-

ganizations throughout thecountry have planned eventscelebrating religious free-dom and charitable works tocoincide with the fortnight. In addition to participating

in these events, ArchbishopLori urged Catholics in theArchdiocese of Baltimore totake "The Freedom to ServePledge," found at www.arch-balt.org. Among the Mass attendees

were members of the Balti-more-based Little Sisters ofthe Poor, plaintiffs in a well-publicized lawsuit againstthe federal government overthe HHS mandate. The U.S.Supreme Court granted thesisters a temporary injunc-tion in January. In an interview after Mass,

Mother Loraine Marie ClareMaguire, the Little Sisters'provincial superior, urgedCatholics to pray for reli-gious freedom. "Religious freedom is very

important to us and to ourmission of caring for the eld-erly," she told The CatholicReview, Baltimore's arch-diocesan newspaper. "Youcan't do anything withoutprayer, and the Eucharist isthe summit of our prayerlife. It's what brings us to-gether as a community topray." The Fortnight for Freedom

will culminate with a July 4Mass at the Basilica of the Na-tional Shrine of the Immacu-late Conception inWashington.

Archbishop: Catholicsshould be free to servewith 'eucharistic heart'

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C diocesan life 9

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

By Shan MooreStaff Writer

PLATTSBURGH — Evidence ofearthquake damage waseverywhere when Sister Deb-bie Blow and two NorthCountry Mission of Hope vol-unteers visited Nicaragua re-cently.

Two quakes, both higherthan 6 on the Richter scale,had shaken the country inApril, and countless after-shocks kept the groundtrembling — and the peopleon edge — for more than twoweeks.

They feared another quakelike the one that in 1972killed some 10,000, SisterDebbie said.

"Chinendega Hospital is inruins," the Dominican Sisterof Hope said. "It looks like it'sgoing to fall, has some hugecracks."

Its equipment and furnish-ings, many items donated byNorth Country folks throughMission of Hope, was movedout for use in a smaller facil-ity called Espagna.

"There is no way they canserve the number of peoplethey did at the other hospi-tal," Sister Debbie reported.

And Valez Paiz Hospitalwas also shut down after thequakes, she said.

That facility was also a re-cipient of assistance throughthe Plattsburgh-based hu-manitarian aid group.

Holes in roofsSister Debbie, James Carlin

of Peru and David Fuller ofSchroon Lake toured asmany of their project sites asthey could on the short trip.

Nino Jesus de Praga Schooland Church suffered dam-age, including a partially col-lapsed wall between thechurch and convent area andsignificant trauma to one ofthe school buildings.

"The other schools havewhat we would call fissurecracks," the nun said.

And that's what they foundat the Mission of Hope com-pound not far from Nino

Jesus — surface cracks thatdid not pose a danger ofstructural instability, Carlinsaid.

"We breathed a sigh of re-lief from that perspective,"Sister Debbie said.

El Crucero Orphanage,which with Nino Jesus waswhere the mission did majorwork on its first few tripsmore than 15 years ago, sawan increase of decay of themetal roofs.

That, Sister Blow said, wasdue to increased activity of anearby volcano, likely be-cause of the earthquakes.

Acid from volcanic ashquickly eats through metal,she said, and the sky wasclearly visible through hugeholes in the roof of the girlsdormitory.

It will cost several thou-sand dollars to replace theroofs, she added.

‘Don’t forget us’There was a reunion, too,

at El Crucero.A year or so ago, Sister

Debbie met a little girlnamed Xochitl, whosemother was serving jail timefor prostitution and drugcrimes.

The child, the nun said,"was so tiny, so sickly."

Now, Xochitl ran to SisterDebbie, throwing her armsaround her,

"She wouldn't leave myside the whole time I wasthere," she said."She's stillundernourished, struggleswith schooling."

About 10 years old, Xochitlis more the size of a 4- or 5-year-old, Sister Debbie said.

The child's history, shesaid, "is a gutwrenching re-minder of why we do whatwe do.

"The children always grabyour heart — like they're say-ing, 'Don't forget us; we'restill here.'"

And Mission of Hope doesnot forget them even in thebigger picture of improvingtheir living conditions.

For the projects under-taken at the orphanage, Mr.Carlin said of larger missioncontingents, they always as-sign more volunteers thanreally needed. "Because weknow eventually someonewill wander off with the kids"to play with them," he said,"and that's great."

SafehouseThe three missioners in

May did some advance workfor the next larger group ofvolunteers, who will head to

Nicaragua on July 8. Andthey got some work rollingon a safehouse for womenand children in Managua.

A donation of $10,000from a North Country couplehas given that effort a jump-start, Sister Debbie said, andshe hopes structural repairto the walls and roof may befinished by July.

Next, they will tackle thebedrooms.

And Mission of Hope,working with women'shealth-care facility Fonda-cion Juan Pable II (for PopeJohn Paul II), has made itpossible for more poorwomen from the remote bar-rios to access treatment.

A donor contributedenough money for the Mis-sion of Hope van to take atleast 15 women a month toJuan Pablo, where they cansee a physician and havebreast exams and PAP smearsdone.

Sister Debbie had sat downwith the local junta, com-prised of 11 women, to askwhat their most vital needsare.

"They all rattled off inSpanish at once," she said,listing such needs as moremedicines and food for thechildren, more latrines to

serve the barrio populationsand more health care forwomen.

The nun proposed the vantrips, asking whether thewomen would take advan-tage of them.

"They said, 'Yes, and we'llbe the first to go.

"That's great modeling,"she said, "that the leadershipwomen are the first to go.They see this as a great need,as they, themselves, havenever had these exams.

And, Sister Debbie added,"as a two-time cancer sur-vivor, I see this as a greatstep forward for the womenof the barrios."

How to helpMission of Hope is accept-

ing donations to establish anemergency fund for usewhen such crises arise asearthquakes, for foods, med-icines and for sending a largeshipping container of goodsand equipment to Nicaraguain September.

The cost of food has con-tinued to rise in Nicaragua,so the poor are more hungry,Sister Debbie said.

And there is increasedneed for medications andfirst-aid supplies, in part be-cause of the closure of thehospitals, she said.

The group is hoping fordonation of two refrigeratorsin good working order, asthose used in the missionmeal program have brokendown.

Composition books (700)and other school suppliesare needed for studentssponsored by the mission,along with duct tape andpacking tape for use at thePlattsburgh warehouse of themission, MO-Town, new bat-teries of all sizes, small tarpsand paint supplies such asdisposable rollers and plasticliners.

Learn more at ncmis-sionofhope.org or reach Sis-ter Debbie at 570-5443.Donations can be mailed toNorth Country Mission ofHope, P.O. Box 2522, Platts-burgh NY 12901.

Mission of Hope rocked by earthquakes

PHOTOS PROVIDEDDavid Fuller of Schroon Lake, above, not only assessed earthquake damage to North Country Mission of Hope facilities in Nicaraguaon the recent trip, he bonded with children at El Crucero Orphanage. At right, .Xochitl, a 10-year-old orphan in Nicaragua whose lifehas been bettered by North Country Mission of Hope intervention, poses for a photo with Sister Debbie Blow's translator, Olympia,during the Plattsburgh nun's recent visit to the third-world country.

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C12 diocesan life

PHOTO BY LINDA ROSSBishop Terry R. LaValley welcomed two priests from the Heralds of Good News Mother Theresa Province, India, who arrived in theNorth Country June25. Father Tojo Chacko, left, has been named parochial vicar of Church of Sacred Heart and St. Lawrence inMassena and Louisville; Father Donald Manfred, pastor of Sacred Heart and St. Lawrence is behind him. Father Justin Thomas, whowill serve as parochial vicar of St. Andre’ Bessette Parish in Malone, is shown with Father Joseph Giroux, pastor, at right. The appoint-ments are effective July 9.

By Patricia MarieContributing writer

KEESEVILLE - During the week-end of June 14-15,The RomanCatholic Commu-nity of Keesevillecelebrated its lastofficial “Father’sDay” with Msgr.Leeward Poissant aspastor.

Father Lee offi-cially retired June25, but before heleft active ministry,the parishionerswanted to recog-nize him in a special way.

He has served the com-munity for the past dozenyears and Keeseville is hislast parish home.

Father Lee celebrated his50th anniversary of ordina-tion to the priesthood andhis 75th birthday Dec. 18,2013. On that evening, theparish hosted a celebrationcommemorating bothevents.

Bishop Terry R. LaValleyand a number of areapriests attended the Massof Thanksgiving as well asa dinner in his honor. How-ever, there was a specialgift (which had been or-dered months in advance)that was supposed to bepresented at that evening’sevents, but it did not arrivein time.

The gift was a PapalBlessing acknowledging Fa-ther Lee’s milestone, com-plete with a picture of PopeFrancis, the Pontifical sealand congratulatory mes-sage of gratitude for FatherPoissant’s lifelong ministryto the church.

Father Lee began his for-mal priestly service inRome where he was or-dained in 1963 and now, ahalf century later, it is fit-ting that he retires withformal blessings from

Rome. Since the Holy Father’s

acknowledgment didn’t ar-rive until February, theKeeseville parishioners de-

cided to keep theVatican letter andpresent it on a spe-cial day or event. Itseemed most ap-propriate to give itto him just beforehis retirement.What better daythan Father’s Day?.

On behalf of theentire parish, Dea-con John Luceropresented the PapalProclamation to Fa-

ther Lee at each of theMasses at St. John the Bap-tist and Church of the Im-maculate Conception.

In joyful support, theparishioners applaudedhim as he accepted theframed document. He wassomewhat surprised butquite pleased to be givensuch a gift and he assuredus that he had a perfectplace to display it.

Although Father Lee islooking forward to retire-ment, he will be staying inthe area and we will likelysee him again. Like manyother retired priests, he ismore than willing to helpthe local priests still in ac-tive ministry who occa-sionally need help incovering some daily andweekend Masses.

Father Lee is known forhis great homilies and for12 years he has finishedevery one with the samesignature closing prayer,which was “God Bless.”

It seems most appropri-ate that now, his friends inKeeseville return the samesentiment.

We wish him good luck inhealth, spirit and to you,

Monsignor Leeward J.Poissant we say with a col-lective, heartfelt goodbyeprayer, “God Bless”!

PRIESTS FROM INDIA ARE WELCOMED The last ‘Father’sDay’ for FatherLeeward Poissant

PLATTSBURGH - Seton CatholicCentral High School has an-nounced the academic lead-ers of the graduating Class of2014.

ValedictorianThe Valedictorian for the

Class of 2014 is Melissa Why-man. Ms. Whyman, daughterof Kevin and Denise Why-man, is a resident of Mor-risonville. She earned a finaloverall grade point averageof 93.85.

Melissa consistently per-formed at the highest level inall of her endeavors. She hasbeen involved in NationalHonor Society, Student Coun-cil, Model UN, and is an avidparticipant in the Relay forLife.

Melissa has competed invarsity track and cross coun-try all four years of highschool and was a member ofmultiple championship

teams in cross country andoutdoor track and field.

Melissa has been awardedthe Rose Rascoe-Maynardscholarship, the New YorkState Comptroller Thomas P.DiNapoli Student Achieve-ment Award, New York StateBoard of Regents Scholarshipfor Academic Excellence.

Ms. Whyman plans to at-tend SUNY Geneseo majoringin Biology with plans to be-come a physical therapist.She will also be a member ofthe cross country team atGeneseo

SalutatorianThe Salutatorian for the

Class of 2012 is ThomasDeon. Mr Deon, son of Johnand Elaine Deon, is a residentof Plattsburgh. He earned afinal overall grade point av-erage of 93.65.

Tom consistently per-formed at a high level in all

of his endeavors. He hasbeen involved in NationalHonor Society, Student Coun-cil, Key Club, Model UN, andOutdoor Experience.

Tom has competed in var-sity soccer and golf, and in-door track. .

Tom was awarded the NewYork State Board of RegentsScholarship for Academic Ex-cellence.

Mr. Deon plans to attendSUNY Plattsburgh studyingHistory.

Other top studentsIn addition, the following

students are at the top ofSeton Catholic’s AcademicClass of 2014:

Kamil Ali, Ashley Carpen-ter, Ashley Leta, Adam Ted-ford, Maddison Murnane,Paige Spittler, Lauren Richter,Nicolas Favreau, Evan Page,Cody Quantock, and NatashaClark.

Class leaders for SetonCatholic are announced

Fr. LeePoissant

By Patricia Minter-PowellModerator, IHC’s Respect Life Initiative

WATERTOWN - The plan wassimple. Some might even

say divine. They came. Theyfasted. They served. Theywalked. And walked. Andwalked.On June 7, over 40 Im-

maculate Heart Central Jr/SrHigh students capped offtheir seventh Annual Re-spect Life Initiative,KIDS4:Kids, with a ten-hourDay of Fasting and Servicethat included a five-mile sol-idarity walk. While local

agencies benefited fromtheir service (The Water-town Urban Mission,Thompson Park Zoo, Habitatfor Humanity and The Jef-ferson County Historical So-ciety to name only a few)the real winners are the chil-dren of the Batwa, a largelyforgotten people of Burundi,Africa. The children inBatwa have little chance ofcompleting more than asixth grade education.IHC’s Annual Respect Life

Initiative strives to providea “hand up” rather than a“hand out” to those oftenstruggling just to survive.This year’s initiative is a

perfect reflection of that

philosophy. For every $20 our service

initiative raises a goat willbe purchased and deliveredto a widow and her childrenin Burundi.Our guardian angel for the

project is an IHC parent,Cabot Stone, who travelsfrequently to that country.While some other charitableorganizations have the “do-nate a goat” program, the re-quired donation may be $75or more per animal. Thanks to Mr. Stone, who

purchases the goats himselfand oversees their deliveryto the families in need, themoney raised by our IHCcommunity makes the maxi-

mum impact. With thousands of dollars

already donated, thesefunds will translate into in-come for school fees andother necessities for count-less Batwa children. Justimagine. A brighter futurefor an entire family. And allfor only $20. Not to men-tion a beautiful trainingground for compassion.Donations to support our

efforts are welcome. Checksmay be made payable to Im-maculate Heart Central witha notation: 7th RLI and sentto the school, Attn: PatriciaMinter-Powell. The addressis 1316 Ives Street, Water-town, NY, 13601

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C10 Diocesan Life

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

PHOTO AT LEFT BY SISTER MARY ANN CROITZAmong the more than 40 students of Immaculate Heart Central School in Watertown who took part in a ten-hour Day of Fasting and Service June 7 were, front from left, Erika Elscisin, Theresa VanWormer, Isabella Ron-don and Margaret Gonas; back, Lauren Quinn, Justine White and Alicia Bishop. The girls are shown before

setting out on a five-mile solitary walk. Funds raised from the Respect Life Initiative at IHC support local andinternational charities. Among those receiving donations are children of Batwa in Burundi, Africa. IHC parentCabot Stone, shown above right with one of the children, travels frequently to the country and assists the IHCcommunity in providing goats to needy families.

KIDS4:Kids

IHC’s seventh annual Respect Life Initiative

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C diocesan life 11

PORT HENRY -The Retired Senior Volunteer Pro-gram Clinton County Branch is celebrating40 years of community service.

Retired Senior Volunteer program is celebrating 40 years of service

This very successful program in Clintonand Essex Counties is sponsored byCatholic Charities. Funding comes fromCatholic Charities, United Way of theAdirondacks, State office of the Aging andthe National Corporation for CommunityService. The seniors in our community possess

talents and a willingness to share theirtime, their wisdom and their gifts to maketheir community a better place for every-one. Over 395 volunteers work in non-profitagencies throughout the counties.RSVP has been named “Agency of the Year

2014” by the New York State Senior Citizenscouncil. RSVP has earned this award andevery accolade expressed by supervisors,agency directors and other members of the

community. Volunteers provide over 40,000volunteer hours of service. They serve at:JCEO, Friendly Visitors Program, libraries,reading programs for the visually impaired,the rural transportation program, elemen-tary schools and home delivery for meals. Volunteers serve at the American Red

Cross. RSVP volunteers assist seniorsthrough the AARP Tax Services and numer-ous other programs. Volunteers range inage from 55 to 102 years old. Albina St. Ger-main is 102 years old. She has been a partof RSVP for 36 years. Albina makes laprobes for Veterans at the VA hospital in Al-bany. Albina is a wonderful example of thedetermination and compassion that existsamong the RSVP volunteers.One of the RSVP volunteer efforts is the

Kitchen Band. This country band consists oftalented RSVP volunteers. They entertain atsenior centers and events.If you are interested in learning more

about RSVP in Clinton and Essex countiescontact Kate Gardner at: (518)566-0944.Join in this successful effort to make a dif-ference in your community.

Kate Gardner, left, director of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program in Port Henry, isshown with Sally Garvey, an aging specialist for the Clinton County Office for the Agingand a member of the Advisory Council of Clinton County RSVP. Sally was in charge ofthe silent auction at RSVP's 40th Anniversary Recognition Luncheon. She is picturedholding an auction item, an autumn wreath designed by Trudy Sworts, another RSVPAdvisory Council member.

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

Holy Family makes faithvisible by its generosityBy Fr. Steve Murray Pastor, Holy Family Church, Watertown

It is a tremendous honorto be the pastor of such agenerous community, HolyFamily makes its faith visi-ble to the community by themany charitable works it in-volves itself in. In 2013 we contributed

$10,000 to the Capital Cam-paign of the WatertownUrban Mission, and $6,000to the Critical needs pro-gram at the Mission. We arealso a sponsor for the DollarDinner Program. During the year we gave

more than 6,000 items tothe food pantryWe sent over $6,000 to

Catholic Relief Services for

the victims of the Super Ty-phoon.We provided Christmas

gifts for over 200 childrenand more than 100 elderlyreceived gifts as well.We gave Catholic Charities

more than $3,200 in gasand food cards.

It is safe to say that thisparish does more than tithebecause more than 20% OFTHE GENEROSITY of thisparish goes to other thanour own needs.It is safe to say we recog-

nize our neighbors in needand respond.

Senior volunteers make a difference

Alex Moots and Erin Fikes, students of Immaculate Heart Central School in Watertownjoined fellow students in last year’s summer mission program sponsored by IHC’s FaithCommunity Service Program. They helped to scrape, paint and restore homes of localfamilies in need. The 4th Annual Summer Mission, “Building Blocks 2014” will be heldJuly 28 to Aug. 1.

GOT SERVICE? IHC STUDENTS DO!

By Patricia Minter-PowellModerator, IHC’s Respect Life Initiative

WATERTOWN - The plan wassimple. Some might even

say divine. They came. Theyfasted. They served. Theywalked. And walked. Andwalked.On June 7, over 40 Im-

maculate Heart Central Jr/SrHigh students capped offtheir seventh Annual Re-spect Life Initiative,KIDS4:Kids, with a ten-hourDay of Fasting and Servicethat included a five-mile sol-idarity walk. While local

agencies benefited fromtheir service (The Water-town Urban Mission,Thompson Park Zoo, Habitatfor Humanity and The Jef-ferson County Historical So-ciety to name only a few)the real winners are the chil-dren of the Batwa, a largelyforgotten people of Burundi,Africa. The children inBatwa have little chance ofcompleting more than asixth grade education.IHC’s Annual Respect Life

Initiative strives to providea “hand up” rather than a“hand out” to those oftenstruggling just to survive.This year’s initiative is a

perfect reflection of that

philosophy. For every $20 our service

initiative raises a goat willbe purchased and deliveredto a widow and her childrenin Burundi.Our guardian angel for the

project is an IHC parent,Cabot Stone, who travelsfrequently to that country.While some other charitableorganizations have the “do-nate a goat” program, the re-quired donation may be $75or more per animal. Thanks to Mr. Stone, who

purchases the goats himselfand oversees their deliveryto the families in need, themoney raised by our IHCcommunity makes the maxi-

mum impact. With thousands of dollars

already donated, thesefunds will translate into in-come for school fees andother necessities for count-less Batwa children. Justimagine. A brighter futurefor an entire family. And allfor only $20. Not to men-tion a beautiful trainingground for compassion.Donations to support our

efforts are welcome. Checksmay be made payable to Im-maculate Heart Central witha notation: 7th RLI and sentto the school, Attn: PatriciaMinter-Powell. The addressis 1316 Ives Street, Water-town, NY, 13601

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C10 Diocesan Life

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

PHOTO AT LEFT BY SISTER MARY ANN CROITZAmong the more than 40 students of Immaculate Heart Central School in Watertown who took part in a ten-hour Day of Fasting and Service June 7 were, front from left, Erika Elscisin, Theresa VanWormer, Isabella Ron-don and Margaret Gonas; back, Lauren Quinn, Justine White and Alicia Bishop. The girls are shown before

setting out on a five-mile solitary walk. Funds raised from the Respect Life Initiative at IHC support local andinternational charities. Among those receiving donations are children of Batwa in Burundi, Africa. IHC parentCabot Stone, shown above right with one of the children, travels frequently to the country and assists the IHCcommunity in providing goats to needy families.

KIDS4:Kids

IHC’s seventh annual Respect Life Initiative

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C diocesan life 11

PORT HENRY -The Retired Senior Volunteer Pro-gram Clinton County Branch is celebrating40 years of community service.

Retired Senior Volunteer program is celebrating 40 years of service

This very successful program in Clintonand Essex Counties is sponsored byCatholic Charities. Funding comes fromCatholic Charities, United Way of theAdirondacks, State office of the Aging andthe National Corporation for CommunityService. The seniors in our community possess

talents and a willingness to share theirtime, their wisdom and their gifts to maketheir community a better place for every-one. Over 395 volunteers work in non-profitagencies throughout the counties.RSVP has been named “Agency of the Year

2014” by the New York State Senior Citizenscouncil. RSVP has earned this award andevery accolade expressed by supervisors,agency directors and other members of the

community. Volunteers provide over 40,000volunteer hours of service. They serve at:JCEO, Friendly Visitors Program, libraries,reading programs for the visually impaired,the rural transportation program, elemen-tary schools and home delivery for meals. Volunteers serve at the American Red

Cross. RSVP volunteers assist seniorsthrough the AARP Tax Services and numer-ous other programs. Volunteers range inage from 55 to 102 years old. Albina St. Ger-main is 102 years old. She has been a partof RSVP for 36 years. Albina makes laprobes for Veterans at the VA hospital in Al-bany. Albina is a wonderful example of thedetermination and compassion that existsamong the RSVP volunteers.One of the RSVP volunteer efforts is the

Kitchen Band. This country band consists oftalented RSVP volunteers. They entertain atsenior centers and events.If you are interested in learning more

about RSVP in Clinton and Essex countiescontact Kate Gardner at: (518)566-0944.Join in this successful effort to make a dif-ference in your community.

Kate Gardner, left, director of the Retired Senior Volunteer Program in Port Henry, isshown with Sally Garvey, an aging specialist for the Clinton County Office for the Agingand a member of the Advisory Council of Clinton County RSVP. Sally was in charge ofthe silent auction at RSVP's 40th Anniversary Recognition Luncheon. She is picturedholding an auction item, an autumn wreath designed by Trudy Sworts, another RSVPAdvisory Council member.

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

Holy Family makes faithvisible by its generosityBy Fr. Steve Murray Pastor, Holy Family Church, Watertown

It is a tremendous honorto be the pastor of such agenerous community, HolyFamily makes its faith visi-ble to the community by themany charitable works it in-volves itself in. In 2013 we contributed

$10,000 to the Capital Cam-paign of the WatertownUrban Mission, and $6,000to the Critical needs pro-gram at the Mission. We arealso a sponsor for the DollarDinner Program. During the year we gave

more than 6,000 items tothe food pantryWe sent over $6,000 to

Catholic Relief Services for

the victims of the Super Ty-phoon.We provided Christmas

gifts for over 200 childrenand more than 100 elderlyreceived gifts as well.We gave Catholic Charities

more than $3,200 in gasand food cards.

It is safe to say that thisparish does more than tithebecause more than 20% OFTHE GENEROSITY of thisparish goes to other thanour own needs.It is safe to say we recog-

nize our neighbors in needand respond.

Senior volunteers make a difference

Alex Moots and Erin Fikes, students of Immaculate Heart Central School in Watertownjoined fellow students in last year’s summer mission program sponsored by IHC’s FaithCommunity Service Program. They helped to scrape, paint and restore homes of localfamilies in need. The 4th Annual Summer Mission, “Building Blocks 2014” will be heldJuly 28 to Aug. 1.

GOT SERVICE? IHC STUDENTS DO!

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C diocesan life 9

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

By Shan MooreStaff Writer

PLATTSBURGH — Evidence ofearthquake damage waseverywhere when Sister Deb-bie Blow and two NorthCountry Mission of Hope vol-unteers visited Nicaragua re-cently.

Two quakes, both higherthan 6 on the Richter scale,had shaken the country inApril, and countless after-shocks kept the groundtrembling — and the peopleon edge — for more than twoweeks.

They feared another quakelike the one that in 1972killed some 10,000, SisterDebbie said.

"Chinendega Hospital is inruins," the Dominican Sisterof Hope said. "It looks like it'sgoing to fall, has some hugecracks."

Its equipment and furnish-ings, many items donated byNorth Country folks throughMission of Hope, was movedout for use in a smaller facil-ity called Espagna.

"There is no way they canserve the number of peoplethey did at the other hospi-tal," Sister Debbie reported.

And Valez Paiz Hospitalwas also shut down after thequakes, she said.

That facility was also a re-cipient of assistance throughthe Plattsburgh-based hu-manitarian aid group.

Holes in roofsSister Debbie, James Carlin

of Peru and David Fuller ofSchroon Lake toured asmany of their project sites asthey could on the short trip.

Nino Jesus de Praga Schooland Church suffered dam-age, including a partially col-lapsed wall between thechurch and convent area andsignificant trauma to one ofthe school buildings.

"The other schools havewhat we would call fissurecracks," the nun said.

And that's what they foundat the Mission of Hope com-pound not far from Nino

Jesus — surface cracks thatdid not pose a danger ofstructural instability, Carlinsaid.

"We breathed a sigh of re-lief from that perspective,"Sister Debbie said.

El Crucero Orphanage,which with Nino Jesus waswhere the mission did majorwork on its first few tripsmore than 15 years ago, sawan increase of decay of themetal roofs.

That, Sister Blow said, wasdue to increased activity of anearby volcano, likely be-cause of the earthquakes.

Acid from volcanic ashquickly eats through metal,she said, and the sky wasclearly visible through hugeholes in the roof of the girlsdormitory.

It will cost several thou-sand dollars to replace theroofs, she added.

‘Don’t forget us’There was a reunion, too,

at El Crucero.A year or so ago, Sister

Debbie met a little girlnamed Xochitl, whosemother was serving jail timefor prostitution and drugcrimes.

The child, the nun said,"was so tiny, so sickly."

Now, Xochitl ran to SisterDebbie, throwing her armsaround her,

"She wouldn't leave myside the whole time I wasthere," she said."She's stillundernourished, struggleswith schooling."

About 10 years old, Xochitlis more the size of a 4- or 5-year-old, Sister Debbie said.

The child's history, shesaid, "is a gutwrenching re-minder of why we do whatwe do.

"The children always grabyour heart — like they're say-ing, 'Don't forget us; we'restill here.'"

And Mission of Hope doesnot forget them even in thebigger picture of improvingtheir living conditions.

For the projects under-taken at the orphanage, Mr.Carlin said of larger missioncontingents, they always as-sign more volunteers thanreally needed. "Because weknow eventually someonewill wander off with the kids"to play with them," he said,"and that's great."

SafehouseThe three missioners in

May did some advance workfor the next larger group ofvolunteers, who will head to

Nicaragua on July 8. Andthey got some work rollingon a safehouse for womenand children in Managua.

A donation of $10,000from a North Country couplehas given that effort a jump-start, Sister Debbie said, andshe hopes structural repairto the walls and roof may befinished by July.

Next, they will tackle thebedrooms.

And Mission of Hope,working with women'shealth-care facility Fonda-cion Juan Pable II (for PopeJohn Paul II), has made itpossible for more poorwomen from the remote bar-rios to access treatment.

A donor contributedenough money for the Mis-sion of Hope van to take atleast 15 women a month toJuan Pablo, where they cansee a physician and havebreast exams and PAP smearsdone.

Sister Debbie had sat downwith the local junta, com-prised of 11 women, to askwhat their most vital needsare.

"They all rattled off inSpanish at once," she said,listing such needs as moremedicines and food for thechildren, more latrines to

serve the barrio populationsand more health care forwomen.

The nun proposed the vantrips, asking whether thewomen would take advan-tage of them.

"They said, 'Yes, and we'llbe the first to go.

"That's great modeling,"she said, "that the leadershipwomen are the first to go.They see this as a great need,as they, themselves, havenever had these exams.

And, Sister Debbie added,"as a two-time cancer sur-vivor, I see this as a greatstep forward for the womenof the barrios."

How to helpMission of Hope is accept-

ing donations to establish anemergency fund for usewhen such crises arise asearthquakes, for foods, med-icines and for sending a largeshipping container of goodsand equipment to Nicaraguain September.

The cost of food has con-tinued to rise in Nicaragua,so the poor are more hungry,Sister Debbie said.

And there is increasedneed for medications andfirst-aid supplies, in part be-cause of the closure of thehospitals, she said.

The group is hoping fordonation of two refrigeratorsin good working order, asthose used in the missionmeal program have brokendown.

Composition books (700)and other school suppliesare needed for studentssponsored by the mission,along with duct tape andpacking tape for use at thePlattsburgh warehouse of themission, MO-Town, new bat-teries of all sizes, small tarpsand paint supplies such asdisposable rollers and plasticliners.

Learn more at ncmis-sionofhope.org or reach Sis-ter Debbie at 570-5443.Donations can be mailed toNorth Country Mission ofHope, P.O. Box 2522, Platts-burgh NY 12901.

Mission of Hope rocked by earthquakes

PHOTOS PROVIDEDDavid Fuller of Schroon Lake, above, not only assessed earthquake damage to North Country Mission of Hope facilities in Nicaraguaon the recent trip, he bonded with children at El Crucero Orphanage. At right, .Xochitl, a 10-year-old orphan in Nicaragua whose lifehas been bettered by North Country Mission of Hope intervention, poses for a photo with Sister Debbie Blow's translator, Olympia,during the Plattsburgh nun's recent visit to the third-world country.

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C12 diocesan life

PHOTO BY LINDA ROSSBishop Terry R. LaValley welcomed two priests from the Heralds of Good News Mother Theresa Province, India, who arrived in theNorth Country June25. Father Tojo Chacko, left, has been named parochial vicar of Church of Sacred Heart and St. Lawrence inMassena and Louisville; Father Donald Manfred, pastor of Sacred Heart and St. Lawrence is behind him. Father Justin Thomas, whowill serve as parochial vicar of St. Andre’ Bessette Parish in Malone, is shown with Father Joseph Giroux, pastor, at right. The appoint-ments are effective July 9.

By Patricia MarieContributing writer

KEESEVILLE - During the week-end of June 14-15,The RomanCatholic Commu-nity of Keesevillecelebrated its lastofficial “Father’sDay” with Msgr.Leeward Poissant aspastor.

Father Lee offi-cially retired June25, but before heleft active ministry,the parishionerswanted to recog-nize him in a special way.

He has served the com-munity for the past dozenyears and Keeseville is hislast parish home.

Father Lee celebrated his50th anniversary of ordina-tion to the priesthood andhis 75th birthday Dec. 18,2013. On that evening, theparish hosted a celebrationcommemorating bothevents.

Bishop Terry R. LaValleyand a number of areapriests attended the Massof Thanksgiving as well asa dinner in his honor. How-ever, there was a specialgift (which had been or-dered months in advance)that was supposed to bepresented at that evening’sevents, but it did not arrivein time.

The gift was a PapalBlessing acknowledging Fa-ther Lee’s milestone, com-plete with a picture of PopeFrancis, the Pontifical sealand congratulatory mes-sage of gratitude for FatherPoissant’s lifelong ministryto the church.

Father Lee began his for-mal priestly service inRome where he was or-dained in 1963 and now, ahalf century later, it is fit-ting that he retires withformal blessings from

Rome. Since the Holy Father’s

acknowledgment didn’t ar-rive until February, theKeeseville parishioners de-

cided to keep theVatican letter andpresent it on a spe-cial day or event. Itseemed most ap-propriate to give itto him just beforehis retirement.What better daythan Father’s Day?.

On behalf of theentire parish, Dea-con John Luceropresented the PapalProclamation to Fa-

ther Lee at each of theMasses at St. John the Bap-tist and Church of the Im-maculate Conception.

In joyful support, theparishioners applaudedhim as he accepted theframed document. He wassomewhat surprised butquite pleased to be givensuch a gift and he assuredus that he had a perfectplace to display it.

Although Father Lee islooking forward to retire-ment, he will be staying inthe area and we will likelysee him again. Like manyother retired priests, he ismore than willing to helpthe local priests still in ac-tive ministry who occa-sionally need help incovering some daily andweekend Masses.

Father Lee is known forhis great homilies and for12 years he has finishedevery one with the samesignature closing prayer,which was “God Bless.”

It seems most appropri-ate that now, his friends inKeeseville return the samesentiment.

We wish him good luck inhealth, spirit and to you,

Monsignor Leeward J.Poissant we say with a col-lective, heartfelt goodbyeprayer, “God Bless”!

PRIESTS FROM INDIA ARE WELCOMED The last ‘Father’sDay’ for FatherLeeward Poissant

PLATTSBURGH - Seton CatholicCentral High School has an-nounced the academic lead-ers of the graduating Class of2014.

ValedictorianThe Valedictorian for the

Class of 2014 is Melissa Why-man. Ms. Whyman, daughterof Kevin and Denise Why-man, is a resident of Mor-risonville. She earned a finaloverall grade point averageof 93.85.

Melissa consistently per-formed at the highest level inall of her endeavors. She hasbeen involved in NationalHonor Society, Student Coun-cil, Model UN, and is an avidparticipant in the Relay forLife.

Melissa has competed invarsity track and cross coun-try all four years of highschool and was a member ofmultiple championship

teams in cross country andoutdoor track and field.

Melissa has been awardedthe Rose Rascoe-Maynardscholarship, the New YorkState Comptroller Thomas P.DiNapoli Student Achieve-ment Award, New York StateBoard of Regents Scholarshipfor Academic Excellence.

Ms. Whyman plans to at-tend SUNY Geneseo majoringin Biology with plans to be-come a physical therapist.She will also be a member ofthe cross country team atGeneseo

SalutatorianThe Salutatorian for the

Class of 2012 is ThomasDeon. Mr Deon, son of Johnand Elaine Deon, is a residentof Plattsburgh. He earned afinal overall grade point av-erage of 93.65.

Tom consistently per-formed at a high level in all

of his endeavors. He hasbeen involved in NationalHonor Society, Student Coun-cil, Key Club, Model UN, andOutdoor Experience.

Tom has competed in var-sity soccer and golf, and in-door track. .

Tom was awarded the NewYork State Board of RegentsScholarship for Academic Ex-cellence.

Mr. Deon plans to attendSUNY Plattsburgh studyingHistory.

Other top studentsIn addition, the following

students are at the top ofSeton Catholic’s AcademicClass of 2014:

Kamil Ali, Ashley Carpen-ter, Ashley Leta, Adam Ted-ford, Maddison Murnane,Paige Spittler, Lauren Richter,Nicolas Favreau, Evan Page,Cody Quantock, and NatashaClark.

Class leaders for SetonCatholic are announced

Fr. LeePoissant

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4NORT H C O U N T R Y C AT HO L I C8 Diocesan Life

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

July 3 – 12 p.m., Mass at St. Mary’sCathedral

July 5 – 4 p.m., Mass at St. Mary’sCathedral

July 6 – 8:30 a.m., Mass at Immacu-late Conception Church in Brownville10 a.m., Mass at Immaculate Con-ception Church in Brownville11:30 a.m., Mass at St. Andrew'sChurch in Sackets Harbor

July 7 – 4:00 p.m., Clinton DeaneryCookout at St. Peter’s Church in Platts-burgh

July 8 – 10:50 a.m., Mass at St.Joseph’s Home in Ogdensburg4 p.m., Mass at Camp Guggenheim

in Saranac Lake

July 9 – 12:00 p.m., Mass at St. Mary’sCathedral

July 11 – 10 a.m., Mass at RiverledgeHealth Care and Rehabilitation Centerin Ogdensburg

July 12 – 10:30 a.m., Jubilee Mass forthe Sisters of St. Joseph at Our Lady ofthe Sacred Heart Church in Water-town.

July 13 – 8 a.m., Mass at Fish Creek10 a.m., Mass at St. Bernard's

Church in Saranac Lake

July 15 – 4 p.m., Mass at CampGuggenheim & Dinner with Semi-narians in Saranac Lake

Bishop’s Schedule

This week marks the anniversary of the deaths of the following

clergymen men who have served in the Diocese of Ogdensburg

July 2 – Rev. Richard A. Gleason,O.S.A., 1939; Rev. Denis F. Finnegan,1951; Msgr. John A. Stone, 1964; Msgr.Francis J. Connors, 1977; Rev. GeorgeA. Lemieux, 1993; Rev. John M. Crable,2012July 3 – Rev. E. Leonard Murphy, 1954July 4 – Rev. Joseph L. St. Jacques,1952July 9 – Rev. John Rogers, 1887; Rev.Joseph H. Emard, O.M.I., 1924July 10 – Rev. Mary Ignatius Grom,1936; Rev. John F. McNamara, 1971;Deacon Victor Fisher, 1999; Rev. JamesA. Delbel, 2013July 12 – Rev. James Salmon, 1835;Rev. John J. Brennan, 1881; Most Rev.Albert Pascal, O.M.I., 1920July 13 – Rev. George Garand, 1941July 15 – Rev. John Conlon, 1881;Msgr. Armand Dussault, 1963; Rev.Joseph F. Quinn, 1970; Rev. Joseph F.Dowd, 1983

Rest in Peace

Water and the PoorDuring the weeks since Easter the

focus of our environmental steward-ship has been on use of the sacredgift of water. This week the focus ofthe Fortnight of Freedom is on serv-ice to the poor. What is the connec-tion between water and the poor?In the parable on the Last Judg-

ment Jesus says that the Son of Manwill say “… when I was thirsty…you gave me a drink; in so far as youdid this to one of the least of thesebrethren of mine, you did it to me.”Mt. 25: 35, 40The connection between these

words leads us to the question: whatwill be the availability and quality offresh water that we have to offer ourbrothers and sisters? Will it be pol-luted by chemical toxins from ourhouseholds and commercial indus-tries, or will it be fresh life-givingwater? Will our less fortunate of God’schildren have access to fresh water atall? The effects of drought and risingocean waters are already having dev-astating effects on those most vul-nerable and those with the leastresources to cope with these changes.Our awareness of these connectionscan affect the way that we relate towater. The ways that we reverence,conserve and protect this sacred giftof water has profound effects onGod’s children, especially the poorand all of creation. Take time thissummer to enjoy this gift, and chooseone way that you can reduce theamount of water you use at homeand/or yard. Consider alternatives toharmful chemicals for pest controland household cleaning.

Environmental Stewardship

The Diocese of Ogdensburg hasscheduled sessions for ProtectingGod's Children for Adults.Pre-registration online is required inorder to participate. Participantsmay preregister at www.virtus.orgby selecting the registration buttonand following the directions. All employees and volunteers whoparticipate in church sponsored ac-tivities with minor are required toparticipate in this training. Further information is availablefrom Atonement Sister Ellen Don-ahue, 315-393- 2920, ext. 1440.Upcoming programs:July 3- 7 p.m., Malone CatholicParishesAug. 20 - 6 p.m., Holy Name School,AuSable Forks

Protecting God’s Children

If you have a complaint of suspectedmisconduct involving diocesanclergy, religious, employees or volun-teers, contact Victims Assistance Co-ordinator, Terrianne Yanulavich, Adult& Youth Counseling Services ofNorthern New York, PO Box 2446,Plattsburgh, NY, 12901; e-mail: terri-anneyanulavich@yahoo.com Phone:518-483-3261; or Father James Sey-mour, the Episcopal Vicar for Clergyat 315-393-2920 , ext. 1340

To Report Abuse

The next issue of the North Country Catholicwill be dated July 16

NO PAPER NEXT WEEK

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4NORT H C O UN T R Y C AT HO L I C world/nation 13

AT A GLANCE

CATHOLICWORLDSynod document cites cultural and economic threats to family VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The working document for the October 2014 extraordi-nary Synod of Bishops offers a picture of the Catholic Church today strugglingto preach the Gospel and transmit moral teachings amid a "widespread cul-tural, social and spiritual crisis" of the family. The 75-page "instrumentum la-boris," published by the Vatican June 26, is supposed to "provide an initialreference point" for discussion at the synod, whose theme will be the "pastoralchallenges of the family in the context of evangelization." The document isbased principally on comments solicited in a questionnaire last November fromnational bishops' conferences around the world. But it also reflects commentssent directly to the Vatican by individuals and groups responding to the ques-tionnaire, which was widely published on the Internet. Topics in the workingdocument include some of the most contested and controversial areas ofCatholic moral teaching on the family, including contraception, divorce and re-marriage, same-sex marriage, premarital sex and in vitro fertilization.

Church is essential for faith; there are no 'free agents,' pope says VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Christians are not made in a laboratory, but in a commu-nity called the church, Pope Francis said. At his weekly general audience June25, Pope Francis continued his series of audience talks about the church, tellingan estimated 33,000 people that there is no such thing as "do-it-yourself"Christians or "free agents" when it comes to faith. Every Christian, he said, cantrace his or her faith back to parents, grandparents, teachers or friends. "I al-ways remember the nun who taught me catechism. I know she's in heaven be-cause she was a holy woman," he said. In the Old Testament, the pope said, Godcalled Abraham and began to form a people that would become a blessing forthe world. "With great patience -- and God has a lot of it -- he prepared thepeople of the ancient covenant and in Jesus Christ constituted them as a signand instrument of the union of humanity with God and unity with one an-other." Pope Francis described as "dangerous" the temptation to believe thatone can have "a personal, direct, immediate relationship with Jesus Christwithout communion with and the mediation of the church."

Pope condemns mafia, says members are excommunicated VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In the stronghold of an Italian crime syndicate believedto be richer and more powerful than the Sicilian Mafia, Pope Francis said,"Those who follow the path of evil, like the mafiosi do, are not in communionwith God; they are excommunicated!" During a Mass June 21 in the southernregion of Calabria, Pope Francis made clear that even if the mob families con-tinue to go to Mass and decorate their homes and hideouts with religious pic-tures, they have cut themselves off from communion with the church and withGod. "When instead of adoring the Lord, one substitutes the adoration ofmoney, one opens the path to sin, personal interests and exploitation," PopeFrancis said to applause from an estimated 250,000 people gathered in a fieldnear the town of Sibari. "When one does not adore the Lord God, one becomesan adorer of evil, like those who live lives of crime and violence. Your land,which is so beautiful, knows the signs and consequences of this sin. This is whatthe 'Ndrangheta is: the adoration of evil and contempt for the common good,"Pope Francis said. The 'Ndrangheta is a crime syndicate based in Calabria

By Maria WieringCatholic News Service

BALTIMORE (CNS) - The Eucharistconforms Catholics to "thepattern of Christ's self-givinglove" and compels them tosee the dignity of the poorand perform acts of mercy,Baltimore ArchbishopWilliam E. Lori said at theJune 21 opening Mass forthis year's Fortnight for Free-dom. The Mass coincided with

the feast of Corpus Christi. "By entering the dynamic

of Christ's self-giving eu-charistic love, we are im-pelled ... to work for a lovingand just society where thedignity of human life is re-spected from conceptionuntil natural death and allthe stages in between," hesaid in his homily. More than 1,000 people

packed the Basilica of the Na-tional Shrine of the Assump-tion of the Blessed VirginMary for the opening of thethird annual Fortnight forFreedom, two weeks dedi-cated to prayer, educationand advocacy for religiousfreedom. Archbishop Lori is the

chairman of the U.S. Confer-ence of Catholic Bishops' AdHoc Committee for ReligiousLiberty, formed in 2011. In 2012, it published a let-

ter titled "Our First, MostCherished Liberty" andlaunched the Fortnight forFreedom event in responseto government infringementon religious freedom rightsin the United States andabroad. Chief among those per-

ceived threats are the U.S.Department of Health andHuman Services' mandatethat most employers, includ-ing religious employers, pro-vide insurance for artificialbirth control, sterilizationand abortion-causing drugs.

Archbishop Lori and theArchdiocese of Baltimore areamong plaintiffs in 100 law-suits nonprofit and for-profitorganizations and busi-nesses have brought againstthe federal government overthe mandate. In his homily, Archbishop

Lori criticized the mandate,as well as state laws criminal-izing churches that serve im-migrants living in thecountry illegally and "dis-crimination against Catholichumanitarian services be-cause they refuse to provideso-called 'services' that vio-late Catholic teaching." Archbishop Lori acknowl-

edged that in other coun-tries, people are killed forprofessing their faith. In theUnited States, he said, thechallenges to religious free-dom are more subtle yet"very real." "Increasingly, government

at all levels is asserting itselfin the internal life ofchurches, telling them thathouses of worship are fullyreligious, whereas religiousschools and charities thatserve the common good areless so, and therefore lessdeserving of religious free-dom protections," he said. The 2014 fortnight theme

is "The Freedom to Serve" toemphasize the charitableworks of Catholic organiza-tions and individuals. Duringthe Mass, Archbishop Loridistinguished the church'swork from that of non-governmental agencies, asPope Francis has done,adding that Catholics "are tobe more than an NGO" byvirtue of a "eucharisticheart." "We are seeking for the

church and for church insti-tutions no special privi-leges," he said. "We areseeking the freedom toserve, or as Pope Francisonce put it, the freedom toproclaim and live the Gospel

'in its entirety.'" He asked Catholics to keep

"in the forefront of ourhearts" people whom U.S.Catholic humanitarian agen-cies, parishes and individu-als serve. "Let us look at them not

merely as statistics but aspersons created in God'simage and called to enjoyfriendship with God," hesaid. Catholic parishes and or-

ganizations throughout thecountry have planned eventscelebrating religious free-dom and charitable works tocoincide with the fortnight. In addition to participating

in these events, ArchbishopLori urged Catholics in theArchdiocese of Baltimore totake "The Freedom to ServePledge," found at www.arch-balt.org. Among the Mass attendees

were members of the Balti-more-based Little Sisters ofthe Poor, plaintiffs in a well-publicized lawsuit againstthe federal government overthe HHS mandate. The U.S.Supreme Court granted thesisters a temporary injunc-tion in January. In an interview after Mass,

Mother Loraine Marie ClareMaguire, the Little Sisters'provincial superior, urgedCatholics to pray for reli-gious freedom. "Religious freedom is very

important to us and to ourmission of caring for the eld-erly," she told The CatholicReview, Baltimore's arch-diocesan newspaper. "Youcan't do anything withoutprayer, and the Eucharist isthe summit of our prayerlife. It's what brings us to-gether as a community topray." The Fortnight for Freedom

will culminate with a July 4Mass at the Basilica of the Na-tional Shrine of the Immacu-late Conception inWashington.

Archbishop: Catholicsshould be free to servewith 'eucharistic heart'

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C diocesan life 7

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

By Deacon Mark BennettSpiritual Life Director, St. Peter’s Church, Plattsburgh

PLATTSBURGH - “I was hungry and you gave me food,I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a strangerand you welcomed me…” These words from St.Matthew’s Gospel clearly define the social justicemission of our Church. Saint Peter’s parish has a long history of sup-

porting the option for the poor. The center pieceof our social justice outreach is our SoupKitchen. The parish has operated a weekly soupkitchen every Monday for the past 16 years. Ourkitchen is staffed by over 60 volunteers from theparish, as well as volunteers from the local Ro-tary club and SUNY Plattsburgh.

We serve the elderly, the working poor andyoung families throughout the greater Platts-burgh area. We see an average of 73 people perweek and last year we served over 3000 meals.While the soup kitchen is the focal point of our

social justice programs, Saint Peter’s is commit-ted to many other charitable endeavors. Duringthe past 12 months the parish assisted over 200with gas vouchers for medical appointments inPlattsburgh, Albany and Burlington. We werealso able to help over 50 people with medical co-pays and emergency overnight accommodations. The annual preparation and distribution of

Thanksgiving baskets and our partnership withthe Department of Social services “Giving Tree”program are major events for the parish family.Every year our parishioners prepare and donate

over one hundred Thanksgiving baskets to thosein need. They contain all that is required for aThanksgiving dinner. Last year volunteers from the parish purchased

over $10,000 in Christmas gifts which were thendistributed by Social Services. Saint Peter’s par-ticipates in the Interfaith Food Shelf and deliverseight to ten bags of groceries every week to thelocal food pantry. We are currently exploring a ministry to family

members of people who are incarcerated in thecounty jail.Saint Peter’s parish has been truly blessed, and

we strive to share our blessings with those whoare in need. “Amen, I say to you, whatever youdid for one of these least brothers of mine, youdid for me.”

Saint Peter’s option for the poor

Being Christ-led, Christ-fed and Hope-filled communities, we commit ourselvesto building the Kingdom of God on earthas in heaven. Jesus Christ taught with Hiswords and witnessed to God’s plan by hisactions. Words and actions represent thetwo sides of the same coin. One makes animpact in conjunction with the other. The following ideas may help you to

think of creative ways for putting yourfaith into action. You may feel affirmedby seeing that you are already doing tobuild a faith based community. You may also find in your assessment

of your use of your time, talent and treas-ure, motivation to make some differentlifestyle choices.• Find out about volunteer opportuni-

ties in your parish, local community.• Volunteer at a soup kitchen, food

pantry, other program• Join the Knights of Columbus,

Catholic Daughters or other service or-ganization• Start a Catholic Daughters, St. Vincent

De Paul Society or Knights of Columbusin your parish/local community• Be a peacemaker. Seek reconciliation

with a person or group from whom you

have been estranged• Organize a food drive in your com-

munity. Summer months are especiallydifficult for parents with children. Foodpantries needs extra food products• Organize a group to see/hear the

needs in your community…to pray andreflect … and then to act in deliberate andeffective action• Visit the New York State Catholic con-

ference website: www.nyscatholic.org andjoin the Catholic Action Network. Raiseyour voice for public policies that respectthe sanctity of human life, support fami-lies and build the common good.• Establish a service group for the

youth in your community. Teach themhow to be advocates for charity and jus-tice and to use their talents and time tohelp others,• BOGO – Buy One/Get One Free - When

shopping buy items when you can buyone and get one free. Donate the freeitem to a food pantry, soup kitchen•Plant a couple extra rows of vegetables

in your garden and donate the fresh pro-duce to a soup kitchen or food pantry. Ortake it to the back of church and share itwith other members of the congregation.

Ideas for putting ourfaith into action

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C14 World/nation

By Carol ZimmermannCatholic News Service

WASHINGTON (CNS) - In a June 26decision, the U.S. SupremeCourt unanimously ruledthat 35-foot buffer zonesaround abortion clinics -meant to keep demonstra-tors away - violates FirstAmendment rights. The decision, a victory for

pro-life groups, reversed anappellate court decision up-holding a 2007 Massachu-setts law that made it a crimefor anyone other than clinicworkers to stand within theyellow semicircular linespainted 35 feet from en-trances of Planned Parent-hood clinics in Boston,Springfield and Worcester. Eleanor McCullen, lead

plaintiff in the case, Mc-Cullen v. Coakley, said she

should be able to speak andoffer advice to women goingto these clinics. McCullen, a77-year-old who attendsMass at St. Ignatius Church atBoston College said when thecase was brought to theSupreme Court that she hadhelped many women decideagainst abortion. The Supreme Court, in its

opinion written by Chief Jus-tice John Roberts, said thestate law blocked public side-walks that have been tradi-tionally viewed as open forfree speech. It also said thegovernment's ability to limitspeech in those places is"very limited." The law in question was

put in place in an attempt toprevent violent demonstra-tions or protests outsideclinic entrances. It replaced a2000 state law that kept pro-testers from approaching

within 6 feet of a person whowas within 18 feet of an abor-tion clinic -- similar to a 2000law in Colorado that theSupreme Court upheld thatyear. The court's decision "has

affirmed the American tradi-tion of basic constitutionalrights for all," said BostonCardinal Sean P. O'Malley,chairman of the U.S. bishops'Committee on Pro-Life Activ-ities. He said that the now-over-

turned legislation "reflects anominous trend in our soci-ety" because it reveals howabortion supporters seek todeny Americans who "seek toprotect the unborn" theirright to freedom of speechand association as well as the"right to participate in thepublic square and serve thevulnerable in accord with ourmoral convictions."

By Carol GlatzCatholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Despite"grievous attacks" around theworld, peace can alwaysflourish through God's graceand people's loving generos-ity, Pope Francis said. He urged Christians in the

Middle East and elsewhere tocontinue to have hope and to"never falter in their convic-tion that the fire of Pente-cost, the power of love, canhalt the fire of arms, hatredand vengeance." Meeting June 26 with

members of ROACO, a coali-tion of funding agencies co-ordinated by theCongregation for EasternChurches, the pope toldthem he was "grateful that

you continue to 'make peacegrow' through charity." Even though true peace is

a gift from God, he said,"with unity and charity,Christ's disciples strive to bepeacemakers everywhere, inall peoples and communi-ties, and to overcome per-sistent forms ofdiscrimination, starting withthose based on religion." The pope said that "first

among those called to bepeacemakers are our broth-ers and sisters of the Easternchurches, together with theirpastors." "Hoping at times against all

hope," those Christians whoremain in the lands wherethe Gospel was first pro-claimed need the support ofthe universal church, he said.

"Their tears and their an-guish are ours, as well astheir hope!" Pope Francissaid. "We can express thisthrough our solidarity, if it isone which is concrete and ef-fective, capable of ensuringthat the international com-munity upholds the rights ofindividuals and peoples." Pope Francis told the par-

ticipants that his May pil-grimage to Jordan, Israel andthe Palestinian territories"was a great source of conso-lation, but also of encourage-ment and a renewed sense ofresponsibility for the ad-vancement of full unityamong Christians and of dia-logue between religions." He said he hoped his jour-

ney would, "like a good seed,bring forth abundant fruit."

PEORIA, ILL. (CNS) -- The possiblemiracle needed for the be-atification of ArchbishopFulton J. Sheen took an-other step toward papalrecognition June 17 when apanel of theologians met atthe Vatican, the ArchbishopFulton Sheen Foundationannounced. As a normal part of the

sainthood process, the the-ologians met to considerwhether or not the promot-ers of Archbishop Sheen'scause demonstrated thatthe proposed miracle -- thesurvival of a child deliveredstillborn -- occurred afterprayers for the intercessiononly of Archbishop Sheen. In March, a seven-mem-

ber board of physiciansconvoked by the Congrega-tion for Saints' Causesagreed there was no naturalexplanation for why theboy's heart started beating61 minutes after his birth. The child, James Fulton

Engstrom, is now 3 yearsold and developing nor-mally. His mother, BonnieEngstrom, had said she hadno pre-composed prayerasking for help from Arch-bishop Sheen. "I just keptrepeating his name overand over in my head: FultonSheen, Fulton Sheen, FultonSheen." Archbishop Sheen was a

Peoria diocesan priest whogained fame for his 1950stelevision show "Life IsWorth Living" and for his 16years at the helm of the So-ciety for the Propagation ofthe Faith. The archbishopdied Dec. 9, 1979, in NewYork. In a statement June 17

from the Archbishop FultonSheen Foundation, BishopDaniel R. Jenky of Peoriasaid, "With the recommen-dations of the medical ex-perts and now thetheologians, the case will

next be reviewed by thecardinals and bishops" whoare members of the Congre-gation for Saints' Causes. "Finally, the miracle

would be presented to PopeFrancis, who would then of-ficially affirm that God per-formed a miracle throughthe intercession of FultonSheen. There is no timelineas to when these next stepsmight move forward,"Bishop Jenky said. If Pope Francis formally

issues the decree recogniz-ing the miracle, the bishopsaid, "Sheen could then bedeclared 'Blessed' in a cere-mony that could be cele-brated in Peoria, Sheen'shometown." Another miracle would be

needed for ArchbishopSheen's canonization.

ArchbishopSheen closer tobeatification

Supreme Court strikesdown 'buffer zones' atabortion clinics

Pope: Peace can prevaildespite 'grievous attacks'

CNS PHOTOArchbishop Fulton J. Sheen is picturedin an undated file photo. BishopDaniel R. Jenky of Peoria, Ill., presidentof the Archbishop Fulton Sheen Foun-dation, said early March 6 he receivedword that the seven-member boardof medical experts who advise theVatican Congregation for Saints'Causes has unanimously approved amiracle attributed to the intercessionof Archbishop Sheen.

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

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

By Julie MootReligious Education Coordinator, The Catholic Community of Cape Vincent,Chaumont, and Rosiere

God calls us to fulfill ourBaptismal Call as priest,prophet, and king just asJesus did. By becomingJesus to our neighbors, weare making the “least” of ourbrothers the “first” in God’seyes. Our youth group does

many hours of service worknot just for the parish buthave been active in volun-teering time at the UrbanMission in Watertown, serv-ing at benefit dinners to helpthose in need, and havebeen caroling at the seniorhome. We have a social out-reach

team that visits those whoare sick, elderly, in the nurs-ing home, or just need some-one to check on thembecause they are alone. Wemake greeting cards forbirthdays or special occa-sions for them as well asbringing holiday cheer, reli-gious reading materials,cookies, and other treats.Our religious education

program runs annual fooddrives to support the localfood pantries in the commu-nities. The Altar Rosary Society

provides Christmas stock-ings with goodies and homebaked cookies to our shut-ins, elderly, sick, or nursinghome parishioners. As a Parish, we have pro-

vided numerous Sunday

Brunches open to all aftermass; supported the UrbanMission in their capital cam-paign, hosting dollar din-ners, running collections ofclothing and other itemsthey need. The parish has also started

a scholarship program toprovide funds for youth en-abling them to attend CampGuggenheim. We have participated in

mission support for the Mis-sionaries of the Sacred Heartand we have helped supportthe Immaculate Heart CentralFaith Community Serviceprogram in their right to lifeinitiative providing dignityand sanctity of human life inmissions overseas.

Our parish communityspends many hours servingthose in need. There are somany other little things thatindividuals in our parish doto help their neighbor thatare too numerous to mentionbut are just as significant. Itis through this service thatwe see the “face of Jesus” inothers and remember ourBaptismal Call.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5Wherever Msgr. Duprey is

pastor, he makes sure thathis young people learn howto advocate according to thevalues and principles of theGospel. Each year he bringsa group of students to theCatholics St the Capital Dayin Albany. Passing on the legacy of

direct service and advocacyis the responsibility ofevery Christian and eachparish. Along with studentsfrom Immaculate Heart Cen-tral in Watertown the youngpeople from Plattsburgh arelearning the importance ofusing their propheticvoices.Advocacy plays a signifi-

cant part in transformingthe world. Many parishesencourage their parish-ioners to participate in theannual Catholics at the Cap-ital Day. This day highlightsthe Bishops’ legislativeagenda. Based on CatholicSocial teaching and organ-ized by Catholic Charities,the Catholics at the CapitalDay provide the opportu-nity for Catholic from ourparishes to join Catholicsfrom throughout New YorkState is making our voicesheard.

Harvest WalkThe Harvest Walk/Run is

an annual event held in Og-densburg where people ofall ages, walk/run to raisemoney. The funds are dis-tributed to various agencies,food pantries and holidayprograms. The success ofthis fundraiser is due to thecommitment made by themembers of St. Mary’sCathedral, Notre Dame, St.Raphael’s in Heuvelton andSts. Philip and James, Lis-bon. The support of theclergy from all of theparishes plays an importantrole in encouraging theirparishioners to make a dif-ference in their community.Catholic Charities collabo-

rated with Mercy Care of theAdirondacks and theparishes in Watertown totrain 18 nurses for faith

community based healthcare. Board of TrusteesFather Patrick Ratigan, Fa-

ther Scott Seymour, FatherSteve Murray, Father KevinMcEwan, Deacon Mark Ben-nett, Ursuline Sister TeresaByrne, Grey Nun Sister Bar-bara Schiavone and St.Joseph Sister Jennifer Vo-traw, help to shape policyand oversee the mission ofCatholic Charities throughtheir service on the Board ofTrustees. Father Art LaBaffcontinues his support ofCatholic Charities as a mem-ber of the Corporation. All of the members of the

Board of Trustees and theCorporation belong toparishes throughout thediocese. This leadershipsupport from the parishes iswelcomed and essential tothe functioning of CatholicCharities.

GratitudeCatholic Charities is grate-

ful to Bishop Terry LaValleyfor his pastoral leadershipand continued support andencouragement. His com-mitment to building aDiocesan community ofcompassion, charity andjustice creates an environ-ment for the developmentof both direct aid and advo-cacy. Catholic Charities isgrateful to all of theparishes in the Diocese.Many of our clients benefitfrom the soup kitchens,food pantries, thrift stores,holiday outreach programsand other parish services.

Parishes are called toreach out to the hurting, thepoor, and the vulnerable inour midst in concrete acts

of charity. Just as the gospeltells us our lives will be

judged by our response tothe “least of these,” so too

our parishes should bemeasured by our help forthe hungry, the homeless,the troubled and the alien-ated –in our own commu-

nity and beyond.(U.S. Bishops, Communities

of Salt and Light)

Catholic Charities

The youth group of Cape Vincent, Chaumont and Rosiere carries out a variety of service projects during the year, in the parish and thecommunity. The young people have been active in volunteering time at the Urban Mission in Watertown, serving at benefit dinnersto help those in need and have been caroling at the senior home.

Catholics of Cape Vincent,Chaumont, Rosiere reach out

By Kristina DeanStaff Writer

Learning to ride a bike was hard for me. Aclumsy kid, I had no sense of balance and anoverwhelming fear of falling. I was probably dif-ficult to teach. Lots of patience was needed.

I remember my parents bought me a beautiful,BIG purple bicycle. I wanted to ride it badly. Forweeks I had scraped knees and hands. Finally my dad took pity on his clumsy daugh-

ter and offered to help. He’d run behind me,holding up my bicycle with one strong hand. I’dhear his footsteps and feel confident I wouldn’tfall. To this day, that memory is strong in my mind.

My father’s footsteps. His presence, holding meup. Protecting me.A dad’s role in his daughter’s life is so impor-

tant. Every relationship she has with a male willbe measured against it. Part of her sense of self-worth is related to it. If she is blessed enough tohave a good father, as I was, then she can experi-ence a small piece of heaven, as our heavenly Fa-ther’s love is mirrored in her earthly father’s love.My dad, while not perfect, was a great dad. Growing up, he had a difficult relationship with

his own father, who passed away before my par-ents were married. Much of what I learned aboutmy paternal grandfather is from my mother. Mydad didn’t talk about him. Apparently, my grandfather never told my fa-

ther or his siblings that they were loved. Ever. So,when my mother was expecting me, the first-born, my dad vowed to her that he would be dif-ferent. His children would never wonder if theywere loved. He vowed to hug them, play withthem, love them. They would never wonderabout their place as a cherished son or daughter. My dad was a good as his word. I have pictures

of him on the floor, holding me high above hishead, smiling and acting as silly as can be. Thereare pictures with funny hats on his head, with in-flatable bears hanging over his shoulder, hand-kerchief “bunny rabbits” he made talk with funny

voices.Every picture showed his absolute delight in

me. I knew I was loved unconditionally. OurHeavenly Father’s love is much the same way. Itis unmeasurable. He treasures us. We are his joy.I loved my dad so much. Through him, I saw a

small slice of how to love others. He gave me apattern to follow. Through our conversations, Icould see how important his faith was to him.Together, we discussed scripture passages andwhat it would have been like to live when Jesus

was alive. We visualized paradise. We pondered the question of animals going to

heaven (as a little girl, I insisted I wasn’t going togo to heaven if my beloved dog wasn’t going tobe allowed in, either). We were amazed togetherat God’s gift of creating this beautiful world forus. As a meteorologist, my dad’s eyes, which al-

ways contained wonder and awe, were focusedon the heavens. We would gaze at the clouds,and he would quiz me on their type and names.His favorite word was “fascinating.” Years later, when my own children were born, I

saw the same joyful, loving man, now a grandfa-ther, play with his grandchildren. Nothing wastoo silly for him. He would allow his grandsonsto put funny clown noses on him, he’d mess uphis hair and put on a ridiculous face.

Years later, as my father lay dying in the hospi-tal, in pain and knowing things weren’t goingwell, he made my then four-month-old son Alex,giggle a great, big belly laugh. He also laughedout loud in delight. “I made him laugh, I madehim laugh!” he shouted.After his death, at his calling hours, more than

1,200 people came to pay their last respects. Iheard stories of how my father impacted theirlives positively. They said, ‘he listened to mewhen I was upset. He hugged me when I cried.He told such funny stories and jokes. He was sospecial.’’ A nurse from radiology, who’d only known him

a few weeks, gripped my hands tight, telling mewhat a wonderful man he was. I never knew somany people experienced him and the joy he car-ried within.Dad, I didn’t know it then, but what a wonder-

ful example of a father’s love you were. You werea mirror, a reflection of God’s love for his chil-dren, for everyone. You are still teaching me. Al-though I am no longer a little girl learning to rideher bike, I still feel your absolute and uncondi-tional love for me, holding me up, never lettingme fall. Protecting me.God, both spiritual and physical, radiate your

unconditional love for their children.

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C commentary 15

A STORY OF FAITH

Dad: reflection of God’s love for his children

Kristina and her dad at her college graduation

OUR READERS WRITEThanks from CVRTL

Champlain Valley Right to Life wishesto thank the people in our diocese for sogenerously contributing to the RespectLife Sunday Collection.

We sincerely thank Bishop LaValleyand the Respect Life Grant Committeefor selecting our Billboard Project fordiocesan funding. Attached is a photo ofthe billboard which is on Route 22 fromJune 2nd until July 27th.

We also appreciate the donors whohave provided additional funds for ourproject. These donations will enable us

to put a similar billboard on Route 3from July 28th - August 31.

We hope our billboards will capturepeople's attention and that we will beable to provide help for those in need.We will be sending individuals to ournew Plattsburgh Pregnancy Center,Birthright, Catholic Charities, or GabrielProject.

May our billboard be a message ofhope and lead to a greater respect forlife.

KITTY ST. DENISCVRTL SECRETARY

Appreciating priestsYour May 21 article on Priests of the

Diocese was super. It was nice to see somany priests celebrating an anniversary.They deserve a special thanks and all toooften I believe they are taken forgranted. And, it was nice to read aboutmy own classmates at Wadhams Hallwho are celebrating anniversaries andnew Pastoral appointments.

I am so glad I have stayed in touchover the years with former faculty, likeMonsignors Paul Whitmore and PeterRiani.

During my time as a trustee of Wad-hams Hall, I recall various discussions onwhat is the key to vocations to thepriesthood?

The board concluded that it Was " a

mother's prayer."JAMES A. DONOVAN, CLASS OF 1972

LAKE MONROE, FLORIDA

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

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

Our parish communitiesare measured by how theyserve “the least of these” inour parish and beyond itsboundaries – the hungry,the homeless, the sick,

those in prison, the stranger(MT. 25: 31) Our local fami-lies of faith are called to‘hunger and thirst for jus-

tice’ and to be ‘peacemakers’in our own communities(Mt

5:6-9).(U.S. Bishops, Communities

of Salt and Light)

By Sister Donna Franklin, DCDiocesan director, Catholic Charities

The partnership betweenCatholic Charities and theparishes reaches all the wayback to 1917. For over 97years Catholic Charities hasbeen part of the diocesanfamily. Acknowledging theprimacy of the parish in theevangelization mission ofthe Church, Catholic Chari-ties continues to search foropportunities to partnerwith parishes.The Annual Mother’s Day

Appeal brings together theparishes and Catholic Chari-ties in assuring that CatholicCharities can continue itsmission and Catholic iden-tity. Each year all of theparishes provide financialsupport for the works andthe mission of CatholicCharities. This support isessential and deeply appre-ciated.

Partnership in MaloneThere are multiple addi-

tional partnerships existingbetween Catholic Charitiesand various parishes. The Catholic community

in Malone partners withCatholic Charities in multi-ple ways. Catholic Charitiesprograms and services arelocated in one of the parishcommunity’s buildings inthe former St. John Boscoarea. Catholic Charities runs

the area food pantry and theparish helps to provide asalary for the staff personwho coordinates the pantry.

Programs for pregnant andparenting teens, financialassistance, and holiday sup-port programs for individu-als, families and the elderlyexists all with the supportof parishioners and thecommunity.

With Watertown parishesThe parishes in Watertown

support the collaborativeholiday outreach programs.Catholic Charities providesthe parishes with angels fortheir Giving Trees and theparishes respond gener-ously. Holy Family, St. An-thony’s, and St. Patrick’sparishes participate in thisimportant community pro-gram, providing toys andclothing for over 350 HeadStart families.

Holy Family and St.Patrick’s parishes include re-quests for gas and food giftcards. These gift cards pro-vide essential support forfamilies during the wintermonths. The gift cards areused for medical and em-ployment travel. St. Patrick’s parish pro-

vides a welcoming environ-ment for our OmbudsmanProgram’s training sessions.

Altar Rosary SocietiesThe Altar and Rosary Soci-

eties throughout the Dio-cese hold baby showers andprovide the various CatholicCharities offices with cloth-ing, diapers and other infantand toddler items.Each year Catholic Chari-

ties receives a delivery from

the Norfolk altar and RosarySociety’s baby shower.These items support manyfamilies. Recently, the Altar and

Rosary Society of St. Jamesand St. Ann’s in Wells andLake Pleasant did a wonder-ful job of handcrafting bagsand filling them with per-sonal care items. These bagshave been distributedthroughout the diocese andhave been a great resourcefor families.

Catholic DaughtersThe Catholic Daughters of

America provide support toCatholic Charities in manyways. They have providedfinancial support. Recently,the Catholic Daughters fromSaranac Lake visitedCatholic Charities adminis-trative offices in Ogdens-burg. They brought withthem an exquisite array ofbaby items. Diapers, newclothing and beautiful handcrafted items and a check tosupport our services tomother s and babies. A fewyears ago, the CatholicDaughters throughout theState presented a check toeach of the eight CatholicCharities organizations inNew York State.St. Peter’s Parish in

Lowville has been generousin providing space forCatholic Charities Ombuds-man Program meetings. St. Alexander’s Parish in

Morrisonville provided toysand other presents forCatholic Charities’ Christ-mas outreach program inPlattsburgh. St. Alexander’sis a consistent source of re-ferrals to Catholic Charitiesprograms/services.

The Knights of ColumbusThe Knights of Columbus

throughout the Diocese wit-

ness to the two aspects ofChristian service: direct aidand advocacy. The variouscouncils provide financialsupport to Catholic Chari-ties. They advocate for thevulnerable through theirwork in support of the sanc-tity and the dignity ofhuman life. This commit-ment is evident each year asthey attend the Catholics atthe Capital Day in Albany.

St. Vincent de PaulThe St. Vincent De Paul So-

cieties in Ogdensburg andMassena provide essentialservices to individuals andfamilies in need. The Ladiesof Charity in Ogdensburgare always there to help thepeople that Catholic Chari-ties staff refers for clothingassistance. Each year the St. Vincent

DePaul Society makes a sub-stantial donation to CatholicCharities.

St. Peter’s in PlattsburghSt. Peter’s Parish in Platts-

burgh has been a tremen-dous source of support,especially, when disastershave impacted the lives ofmany individuals and fami-lies in Clinton and Essexcounties. Catholic Charitieswas able to begin the disas-ter response as quickly aspossible due to the financialsupport from St. Peter’s.Over 500 people were as-sisted after a serious hurri-cane and flooding. Withoutthe help from St. Peter’sParish our response wouldnot have been as rapid or asbroad.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

Catholic Charities partners with parishes

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C16 commentary

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

Keeping hope for God’s dream of peace After such a long, cold

winter, we wel-come the warmthof summer andthe brighterevenings. Yet, theshadow of aworld comingapart at theseams hangs overus like a darkcloud. There isno peace in theMiddle East, andin parts of Africa. Peace seems like

an impossibledream. In today’s first reading,

Zechariah prophecies acoming Messiah who willbring universal peace andharmony. Of course,Zechariah was ridiculed andthought insane in his time.

It wasn’t any better whenthe Prince of Peace ac-tually came into theland of Israel. In today’s Gospel,

Jesus laments theblindness and rejec-tion of the learnedones—pharisees,scribes, sadducees.Jesus was hurt and an-gered by their hostil-ity. Only the simpleand uneducatedseemed to believe Hiswords and His mightydeeds of healing.

Jesus loved ordinary peo-ple, and He loved children,their innocence and their in-credible openness to thethings of God. They readilybelieve in angels and thebeauty of art and musicmuch more than adults do.

He had come to fulfill thepeople’s dreams of peace.It’s no different in our

times. After all, our coun-try was founded on adream. Otherwise we wouldnot be celebrating theFourth of July this weekend. America’s dream is very

like God’s dream, His Provi-dence. We are all entitled tobe dreamers. We mustnever give up hope thatGod’s dream of peace willcome true. Freedom for all,born and unborn. Why are politicians so

afraid of giving life achance? God gave us achance before we were everborn!!We are also celebrating

Fortnight for Freedom thisJuly 4th. Religious freedomis at risk, the freedom for

the various churches to takecare of the sick and the eld-erly without penalty for liv-ing by the principles of theirfaith. We need to speakout and demand our rightsto believe and to act accord-ing to our faith. Our second reading urges

us to live in the Spirit. Asmembers of Christ, everygood individual actionstrengthens the whole body.We need to faithfully pray

for freedom and peace, torespond with courage to themany frustrations and“downers” in our lives, andinfluence others to do thesame. Of course, we live in the

flesh—from hugs to hotdogs -- but its so easy to letour desires get out of hand. More prayer, more getting

out of ourselves to think ofother people brings light-ness of heart and freedomof Spirit. When we’re scared and

think that it’s just too hard,think of the Lord’s words intoday’s Gospel—“Come tome all you who labor andare heavily burdened and Iwill refresh you” In other words, Jesus says

to us “Here, give it to me.I’ll carry it for a while”.

MonsignorPaul E.Whitmore

14th Sunday in Ordinary TimeReadings

Zechariah 9:9-10Romans 8: 9, 11-13Matthew 11: 25-30

JULY 6

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

By Tony MaglianoNCC columnist

Catholic social teaching isunfortunately the church’sbest kept secret. But because it directly ad-

dresses the world’s mostpressing social justice andpeace issues, Catholic socialteaching instead needs tocome out of hiding and bediscovered, read, preached,proclaimed and lived in ourparishes, schools, universi-ties, media, homes and soci-ety.Five years ago, a very

valuable contribution toCatholic social teaching was

given to the church andworld by Pope EmeritusBenedict XVI.

In service to the poor

His encyclical letter Cari-tas in Veritate (“Charity inTruth”) was given a respect-ful but short hearing, andthen put on the shelf togather dust.Let’s shake off five years

of dust, and really begin toappreciate this gem.Foundational to all just

solutions to the world’s illsis unconditional love. Andas our retired Holy Fatherwrote, “Love – caritas – is anextraordinary force whichleads people to opt forcourageous and generousengagement in the field of

justice and peace. It is aforce that has its origin inGod, Eternal Love and Ab-solute Truth.”Benedict insists that au-

thentic charity or love needsthe assistance of truth.“Without truth, charity de-generates into sentimental-ity. Love becomes an emptyshell, to be filled in an arbi-trary way,” he wrote.He taught that the truth

contained in the values ofChristianity, are “essentialfor building a good societyand for true integral humandevelopment.”He emphasized “the truth

of Christ’s love in society.”And added, that “Develop-ment, social well being, thesearch for a satisfactory so-lution to the grave socio-economic problemsbesetting humanity, all needthis truth. … “Without truth, without

trust and love for what istrue, there is no social con-science and responsibility,and social action ends upserving private interestsand the logic of power, re-sulting in social fragmenta-

tion, especially in a global-ized society at difficulttimes like the present.”Pope Emeritus Benedict’s

insights are right on themark. Because the quest for

love, a love influenced bytruth, is not on the agendaof so many individuals – es-pecially so many individualswho hold political and cor-porate power – social actionis indeed largely serving pri-vate interests and the logicof power. Just consider how income

and wealth over the last 30years have dramatically in-creased for a tiny percent-age of the population, whilethe working-class’ share ofthe economic pie has stag-nated, and various pro-grams to assist the poorhave significantly been cut. While some claim that the

Great Recession is over, thatclaim is of no consolation tocountless human beingswho are struggling withpoverty, hunger, homeless-ness, unemployment andunderemployment. And allof this painful injustice con-

tinues while corporate prof-its are at or near all timehighs, and CEO’s are rackingin astronomical salaries.A greedy, unjust toxic

economic atmosphere issuffocating countless broth-ers and sisters. Social con-science and responsibilityare not in the air. Although the atmosphere

is foul, as disciples of theLord we are called to bemen and women of hope.For just as air pollution

can be reversed, so too, eco-nomic pollution can becleaned up. As Christians,we have the ultimate rem-edy: the Gospel of JesusChrist.For as our retired Holy Fa-

ther wrote: “The Gospel isfundamental for develop-ment, because in theGospel, Christ, in the veryrevelation of the mystery ofthe Father and of his love,fully reveals humanity to it-self.”Christ became human to

show us what true humanityshould reflect: Divine Loveand Absolute Truth.

Fresh look at Pope Benedict’s valuable gift to us

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

…We are convinced that the local parish is the most important ecclesial setting for sharing and acting

on our Catholic social heritage.”(U.S. bishops, Communities of Salt and Light)

Thinking about Lake Placid brings to mind images of theOlympics, lovely resort areas and phenomenal mountainviews. Along with great restaurants and intriguing shop-ping opportunities this area evokes an impressive pictureof idyllic living. Father John Yonkovig and the parish community of St.

Agnes are able to appreciate the positive aspects of theircommunity and see the flip side of the coin. Lake Placid ishome to individuals and families who live on the margins.The struggle to meet their daily needs challenges these lowincome households.St. Agnes Parish hosts a food pantry that feeds 175 to

190 families each month. At Thanksgiving the parish com-munity distributes over 300 full holiday dinners. Theparish is also involved with the Inter-faith thrift Shop. Thisprogram reaches out to individuals and families in need ofclothing and household items.

By Sister Mary Frances Barnes, DCPastoral Associate, Saints Philip and James Church, Lisbon

LISBON - Ss. Philip & Jamesactively serves those whoare poor and vulnerableboth visibly and behind thescenes. The parish has sponsored

two students to make themission trip with the Mis-sion of Hope in Nicaragua.A parent of one of these stu-dents will again make thetrip next summer. Through-out the year the parish col-lects toiletries and neededsupplies for the missiontrips. As a result of a pres-entation from a mission-ori-ented Catholic organization,many of our parishionersmaintain contact and con-tribute generously to spon-sor a child living in povertyin a third world country.The Lisbon Churches to-

gether sponsor a foodpantry that is open twice amonth. Our parish con-

tributes in many ways tocontinue this needed serv-ice to the community of Lis-bon and the surroundingarea. Our Confirmation stu-dents have helped with fooddistribution as well as as-sembling some of theThanksgiving baskets thatare given out each year.Come to our church on anygiven Sunday and you willbe encouraged to take homea re-usable grocery bag andreturn it the following Sun-day with your contributions. On a broader scale, our

parishioners actively partici-pate in the Lights of theRiver project as foundingmembers, board members,volunteering during theevent, fund raising and hav-ing a yearly display. Each year our parish takes

part in the annual HarvestWalk that raises funds forlocal food pantries and or-ganizations helping poor in-dividuals. Students,parents, staff all collect do-nations and make the an-

nual walk in Ogdensburg. Confirmation students

help serve at the fund-rais-ing events for the HarvestWalk held throughout theyear. The Altar/Rosary/Out-

reach Society of the parishalso has a focus for the poorand vulnerable. Their fundraising events support theircontributions to theBishop’s Fund, CatholicCharities, the Food Pantryand to the annual scholar-ship to Lisbon communitystudents in memory of Sr.Joan Casey. The groupcomes together during Ad-vent to make favors andgifts for the elderly andshut-ins of the parish whomthey visit for the holidays. We are grateful for this

year’s focus of the Fortnightfor Freedom that has givenus the chance to reflect onour actions in favor of thosewho are poor and vulnera-ble and look for ways tocontinue and expand thismission.

Daughter of Charity Sister Mary Frances Barnes is shown with young people from Ss. Philip and James Church in Lisbon who tookpart in the 2013 Harvest Walk in Ogdensburg. In front, from left are Sister Mary Fran, Lexi LaFlair, Maddison Vine, Katie Sovie andKoby Jordan; back, Lorraine Hollis, Kane Jordan, Logan Mathews, Connor Hammond and Tucker Jordan.

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

Mary Vasquez and Christina Perez of the Catholic Charities staff in the Watertown of-fice show off their new "Baby Depot" which features items they provide to families inneed.

St. Agnes Parishlives out Catholicsocial teaching

Lisbon parishioners servethe poor and vulnerable

By John MulderigCatholic News Service

There may, no doubt, becircumstances that wouldjustify a film having a run-ning time close to threehours. Some lavish adaptation of

a Dickens novel, perhaps,or a sweeping historicalepic might be expected tosustain prolonged viewerinterest. A set of outsizeHasbro toys come to life,on the other hand, not somuch. Still, that's what audi-

ences will find waiting forthem in the interminable 3-D action sequel "Transform-ers: Age of Extinction"(Paramount). Such self-indulgence on

the part of director MichaelBay is all the more regret-table because his fourth in-stallment in this popularpopcorn franchise is ini-tially somewhat more en-gaging than itspredecessors. The bonduniting small-time inventor,young widower and over-protective dad Cade Yeager(Mark Wahlberg) with histeen daughter, Tessa (NicolaPeltz), for example, gives usslightly more substantialhuman interest than waspreviously evident. The rural setting of the

Texas farm on which Cadeand Tessa -- routinelyjoined by Cade's surfersidekick, Lucas (T.J. Miller) -- live out a cash-strappedbut mutually caring exis-tence, moreover, makes forsome pleasant visuals. Lesswelcome is the wayward re-lationship between Tessaand her clandestineboyfriend, Shane (JackReynor). Once the alien robots

from whom the series takesits title show up, however,it does turn out to be agood thing that Irish-bornShane makes his living as aracecar driver. These me-

chanical beings are capableof changing shape at will,and do so most often byshifting into the guise ofspeedy vehicles. So it helpsthe humans who get mixedup with them -- as Cadedoes by buying a long dis-used truck -- to have somevelocity of their own. For those not fluently fa-

miliar with Transformerslore in all its manifesta-tions, the briefest of expla-nations: the good, i.e.human-friendly, guys arecalled Autobots and are ledby Optimus Prime (voice ofPeter Cullen). Their adver-saries -- and ours -- areknown as Decepticons. Thewhole point of plunkingdown your dozen or so dol-lars at the box office is towatch these guys magicallymorph -- and noisily duke itout. Stacked up against the

endless shape-shifting andcacophonous combat, nei-ther Wahlberg's strongpresence nor an amusingturn by Stanley Tucci asJoshua Joyce, a Steve Jobs-like tech pioneer standsmuch of a chance. Also lostalong the way are scatteredreligious references -- doTransformers have souls? --

and a more sustainedtheme about the dangers ofoverreacting to terrorism. That tendency is embod-

ied by Harold Attinger(Kelsey Grammer), a top-ranking CIA agent forwhom the only good au-tomaton is a dead one. Besides sometimes

ridiculous dialogue, EhrenKruger's script also in-cludes a heavy dose of vul-garity.Together with the be-

nignly treated behavior be-tween Tessa and Shanementioned above, such ver-bal lapses make this sci-fislog an inappropriate onefor those youthful viewerswho might best be able toendure it. The film contains relent-

less, though largely blood-less, violence, an impliedpremarital situation, atleast one use each of pro-fanity and rough languageand numerous crude andcrass terms. The Catholic News Serv-

ice classification is A-III --adults. The Motion PictureAssociation of America rat-ing is PG-13 -- parentsstrongly cautioned. Somematerial may be inappropri-ate for children under 13.

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C entertainment 17

AT THE MOVIES

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION

Pat KnightPat Knight is from Peru,

NY, and attends FranciscanUniversity of Steubenville.A Guggenheim camper

since he was 12, this is hisfirst year on staff!"My prayer is that the

campers learn to spreadmore love than you receiveto those around you,” hesaid.“God's love is infinite - if

you live your life full of lovethen you will always be re-filled."

GUGGENHEIM 2014 - MEET THE STAFF

Visit www.rcdony.org/youth for information aboutCamp Guggenheim and registration forms

THERE’S STILL TIME TO SIGN UP FOR A WEEK AT CAMP!

Matt CongerMy name is Matthew Con-

ger I grew up in Ogdensburgand my home parish isNotre Dame.Currently, I go to school

in Pennsylvania at St.Charles Borromeo Seminary.Some day God willing I willbecome a priest for our dio-cese. I am so excited to be

working at camp this sum-mer to be able to bring thefaith to the campers. I hopeto see you all there thissummer.

Joey IzzoJoey Izzo grew up in Lake

Placid and is currently at-tending Berklee College ofMusic in Boston majoring inMusic Production and Engi-neering. He is an experienced com-

poser and pianist.Camp Guggenheim has

been an important part ofhis life for many years, hav-ing been a camper for sev-eral seasons. This is his second year on

staff and he feels veryblessed to return to the bestjob in the world for anothersummer.

CNS PHOTO/ANDREW COOPER, PARAMOUNT PICTURESMark Wahlberg and Jack Reynor star in scene from movie 'Transformers: Age of Ex-tinction'

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

Encouragement, Faithful-ness and Respect are thecore values of our DiocesanEnvisioning process. Theydescribe how welive out our faith.Our Sacred Purposefinds its roots in aChrist-led, Christ-fed, Hope-filled so-cial contract. This prophetic

Diocesan vision offinding your homein Christ, renewingfaith, nurturinghope and discover-ing love correlateswell with the themefor the 2014 Fort-night for Freedom (June 21to July 4): Service of thePoor. The Vatican II document

on Religious Freedom, Dig-nitatis Humanae, providesthat “the social nature of thehuman person and the verynature of religion afford thefoundation of the right ofthe human person freely tohold meetings and to estab-lish educational, cultural,charitable and social organi-zations, under the impulseof their own religioussense.” (DH, 4) Religious liberty provides

each of us with the right to

pray and worship as wechoose. We possess theright to develop programsand services that address

the needs of indi-viduals and familieson the local, na-tional and interna-tional levels. Weexercise our free-dom when we wit-ness to the Gospelvalues of charity,justice, inclusion,mercy, compassionand respect. Religious liberty

enables us to buildintentional commu-nities that promote

the sanctity and dignity ofall persons. Created in theimage and likeness of God,each person has the right tofood, housing, education,gainful employment, afford-able health care and inclu-sion in the life of thecommunity.Our identities as Catholics

and as Americans define ourbehaviors. Thomas Paine,one of our Founding Fatherswrote, “We have it in ourpower, to begin the worldover again.” (CommonSense)Jesus already gave usthe tools to achieve thisgoal. The Beatitudes are the

blueprint for authenticChristian living. Welcomingthe disaffected, advocatingfor the marginalized andrecognizing the giftednessof all persons flow from un-derstanding the lessons pro-vided in the Beatitudes. Jesus intentionally fo-

cused on the poor, the mar-ginalized and thedisaffected. He spoke to thewoman at the well. Jesusreached out to the lepers.He opened his heart to thesick, the abandoned andthose lacking social status.Living a life based on theBeatitudes is a commitmentto be prophetic.Finding and raising our

prophetic voices can changethe world. Making a choiceto support peacemaking,protection of human rightsand justice for all citizens ofthe world takes courage andprayerful, deliberate action.Respecting the dignity of allhuman life takes under-standing, compassion and awillingness to listen. Being prophetic means

having the vision to see theneeds of our sisters andbrothers and working to ad-dress those needs and ac-cepting the responsibility ofworking to change unjust

social structures. Beingprophetic calls us to ac-knowledge our common hu-manity. Through thatacknowledgement we com-mit ourselves to changingthe world.

During this year’s Fortnight for Freedom, I urge allparishes, families and

individuals to do something, big or small, to serve our

sisters and brothers.

Being prophetic compelsus to restore the social con-tract based on each person’sfreedom to live with dignity.We know these truths. As

long as one child remains acaptive in the human traf-ficking trade, we are all cap-tives. As long as one womanor man experiences ex-ploitation due to unfairwages, we are all exploited.As long as the gap betweenthe rich and the poor con-tinues to widen, we are allshackled by the suffering ofour brothers and sisters.Until every citizen of ourworld lives in peace andsafety we are all in danger.

Religious liberty must allowus to work for the “Libertyfor all captives” (Isaiah 58).During this year’s Fort-

night for Freedom, I urge allparishes, families and indi-viduals to do something, bigor small, to serve our sistersand brothers. Help a familymember or a neighbor. Be apeacemaker by seeking rec-onciliation with someonefrom whom you have beenestranged. Organize anextra food collection for alocal soup kitchen or foodpantry. Develop a creativeproject that brings peopletogether to build up yourlocal community. Advocatefor immigration reform andpolicies that support thesanctity and dignity ofhuman life at all stages andwork against injustices inthe workplace.The prophet Micah sum-

marizes well the propheticcall and responsibility of re-ligious freedom, “Act justly,love tenderly and walkhumbly with your God.”(6:8)Together we must exerciseour religious freedom tochange the world with muchencouragement, faithfulnessand deep respect becausewe are Christ-led, Christ-fedand Hope-filled.

FOLLOW ME

Fortnight for Freedom: freedom to serve

Bishop Terry R. LaValley’s column“Follow Me” received an honorablemention in the category “Best Regu-lar Column by a Bishop or Arch-bishop” in the 2014 Catholic pressawards of the Catholic Press Associ-ation of the United States andCanada.The awards were presented June

19 during the Catholic Media Con-ference in Charlotte, North Carolina.The judges comments follow:Bishop LaValley uses events from

his pastoral life to enhance hiscolumns. The reader comes to know him as a pastoralleader. His attributions to Pope Francis remind us of theuniversality of the Church. And in each concluding para-graph, he invites the faithful to join him -- in thanksgiving,in prayer and at Mass.

BishopTerry R.LaValley

Bishop’s columnis honored by CPA

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C18 around the diocese

ADULT SUMMER RETREATSaranac Lake -A summer retreat in theAdirondacks has been plannedDate: Aug. 22-24Schedule: begins with supper on Fri and

concludes supper on Sun.Place: Guggenheim LodgeSpeakers: Paul Gibaldi, wilderness

guide for 25 years, nature photographer,and Sister Bethany Fitzgerald, SSJ, spiri-tual director and adult faith educator. Cost: $150 Register no later than Au-

gust 20. (Limited to 10 adults - firstcome basis) Registration fee of $25 isdue with registration.Features: There will be times to reflect,

pray and to share with each other thespiritual wisdom revealed to us byGod.Mass will be offered by Fr. Paul Kellyon Sun. afternoon before dinner.Contact: call 315-212-6592 or email sr-

beth@cit-tele.com.

INORABRASS CONCERTPlattsburgh – Inorabrass concerts to beheld.Schedule: Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. Waitsfield

Union Church, Waitsfield Village, VT;Aug. 24 at 3 p.m. St. John the BaptistChurch, Plattsburgh.Features: InoraBrass, named for the

Goddess of Mountain Snow, celebratesthe parallel between the majesty ofbrass music and the natural beauty ofVermont and Northern New York. Freeadmission, donations welcome!Contact: In VT contact: (802) 595-0601

InoraBrass@gmail.com; In NY contact:(518) 846-3211destinobrass@twcny.rr.com

LOST SHEEP QUILT SHOPEllenburg Center –The Lost Sheep QuiltShop at Our Lady of Adirondacks Houseof Prayer is hosting several programsduring the upcoming weeks.Take 4 Placement Class: July 12 from 9

a.m. to 3, cost - $15. This class uses 4 fatquarters plus backing material. Sew Together: any Tuesday from 10

a.m. to 3. This is a quilting group de-signed to share ideas, help fellow quil-ters, teach beginners. Bring your ownprojects to sew. Place: The Lost Sheep Quilt Shop, Our

Lady of the Adirondacks House of Prayer(The shop is open Tues. - Sat, 10 a.m.-4p.m. Evenings and other times by ap-pointment.)

Contact: 518-594-3253 Website: th-elostsheepquiltshop.weebly.com; th-elostsheepquiltshop@gmail.com

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

Chapel, downstairsTime: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m Contact: call 518-561-5083 or email

Sjohnsadoration@aol.com

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

HEALING MINISTRY Morrisonville - The Catholic Communityof St. Alexander's and St. Joseph's holdsLiving Waters Healing MinistryDate: First Thursday each monthTime: 6:30 p.m.Place: St. Alexander’s ChurchFeatures: Mass, Anointing of the Sick,

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, in-dividual prayer.

LATIN MASSConstable - A Tridentine (Latin) Mass iscelebrated each Friday at 5:30 p.m. be-ginning July 4 with Fr. Howard Venetteas the celebrant. Mass will also be cele-brated every first Saturday at 9 a.m.Place: St. Francis of Assisi Church

HOLY HOURAdams/Henderson – Parish holy hour sto be held.

Schedule: July 2, 6:30 – St. Cecilia; July10, 5:30pm – Queen of Heaven; July 24,5:30pm – Queen of Heaven; Aug 6,6:30pm – St. Cecilia; Aug 28, 5:30pm –Queen of Heaven; Sept 3, 6:30pm - St.Cecilia; Sept 25, 5:30pm – Queen ofHeavenFeatures: Praying for vocations and the

needs of our Church.

EUCHARISTIC ADORATIONWatertown - Holy Family Church is hold-ing holy hours of Eucharistic Adoration for VocationsSchedule: Monday through Friday fol-

lowing the 9 a.m. Mass at Holy FamilyChurch (9:30 - 10:30 a.m.),Contact 348-6260.

DIVINE MERCY DEVOTIONSHouseville – Divine Mercy Devotions forthe month of June to be held.Date: July 6Time: 3 p.m.Place: St. Hedwig’s ChurchFeatures: Vespers (Evening Prayer), Ex-

position of the Most Blessed Sacrament,The Divine Mercy Chaplet and Benedic-tion. Contact 348-6260.

BRUNCHNorfolk – The Knights of Columbus willbe sponsoring a brunch.Date: July 13Time: 8:30 a.m. to NoonPlace: Visitation Parish CenterCost: Adults, $7; Children under 12, $4;

Under 5, Free; Family, $18; Take-outs

FEAST DAY OF SS PETER AND PAULSouth Colton- Msgr. Robert H. Aucoin,pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Colton andSt. Mary Parish in Potsdam, will be cele-brant of a vigil Mass of the Feast Day ofSS Peter and PaulDate: June 28Time: 6 p.m.Place: St. Paul's OratoryFeatures: Procession to the Sacred Heart

Shrine after Mass. An Ice Cream Socialwill follow; bring a lawn chair.

INDEPENDENCE DAY BREAKFASTNorwood – First annual St. Andrew’sParish Independence Day Breakfast and50/50 raffle.Date: July 4Time: 8 a.m. to 11:30Cost: Adult, $6-advance, $7 at the door;

age 6-12, $4-advance, $5 at the door.

BIBLE STUDYOgdensburg – St. Mary’s Cathedral ishold an eight session program “A QuickJourney Through The Bible.”Date: Starting June 25 for 8 WeeksPlace: Bishop Brzana HallFeatures:Deacon Dave Sandburg will be

presenting the program created by JeffCavins, a renowned bible scholar andformer Baptist pastor,Contact: www.saintmaryscathedral.

net/bible-study.

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

tion at 8 p.m. Place: Deacon Winter Chapel

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

LATIN MASSPotsdam – A Tridentine (Latin) Mass iscelebrated each Sunday Time: 11:30 p.m.Place: St. Mary's Church

BUILDING STRONG FAMILIESNorfolk – A workshop to be held, “Build-ing Strong Families: Marriage, Sex, andthe Church.Date: July 26Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.Place: Church of the Visitation Parish

CenterCost: $20 (Includes lunch)Features: Dr. Angela Franks-- author,

professor, speaker, television host—brings vast experience to this topic.Using the wisdom of the Church, Dr.Franks will consider current issues thatthreaten marriage, including commit-ment-phobia, hook-up culture, pornog-raphy, definition of marriage, andunintended consequences of contracep-tion. The day will include prayer, discus-sion, and practical guidance forstrengthening marriages. Registration: Register at

rcdony.org/BSFContact: Angelo/Suzanne Pietropaoli ,

apietropaoli@rcdony.org, or at 518-483-0459.

PRAYER RALLYOgdensburg –The third annual prayerrally to show support for life, traditionalmarriage and other Catholic Values hasbeen planned.Date: Aug. 3Time: 2 p.m. to 4Place: St. Mary’s Cathedral

Features: There will be speakers, includ-ing Bishop LaValley, a prayer service andrecitation of the Rosary. We will alsohave a small ceremony at the Monu-ment of the Unborn on the grounds ofthe Cathedral. A reception will be heldafterward, place to be announced.

JOURNEY TO EASTERN EUROPEFather Amyot will be leading a pilgrim-age visiting the land of St. John Paul II. Date: November 3- 14Cost: Only $3129 from Montreal

(Air/land price is $2449 plus $680 gov-ernment taxes/airline fuel surcharges)Visiting: Warsaw, Krakow, Budapest, Vi-enna, PragueFeatures: First Class/Select Hotels, most

meals with comprehensive sightseeingContact: For a brochure and more infor-

mation contact: Fr. Andrew Amyot at(315) 384-2064or mail: P.O. Box 637, Norfolk, NY 13667e-mail: fraamyot2@twcny.rr.com Spaceis limited! Call today!

10 DAY ADVENT PILGRIMAGEFather Donald Robinson, pastor St. An-thony’s and St. Patrick’s in Watertown,will be hosting a pilgrimage to the HolyLand. Date: Dec. 1-10, 2014Cost: $2997Features: Haifa, Tiberias, Nazareth,

Bethlehem, Jerusalem.Contact: 782-1190 for brochure

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

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

e-mail news@northcountrycatholic.org.

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

ADIRONDACK

CLINTON

FRANKLIN

JEFFERSON

LEWIS

ST. LAWRENCEDIOCESAN EVENTS

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C news 19

OBITUARIESAuSable Forks – William David Cordick,61; Funeral June 23, 2014 at Holy NameChurch; burial in parish cemetery.

AuSable Forks – Mark S. “Dan” Cross, 59;Funeral Services June 19, 2014 at HolyName Church; burial in parish cemetery.

AuSable Forks - David A. Smith, 49; Fu-neral Services June 16, 2014 at HolyName Church; burial in ClintonvilleMethodist Cemetery, Clintonville.

AuSable Forks – Joseph F. Shambo, 87;Funeral Services June 26, 2014 atThwaits-Zaumetzer Funeral Home; burialin Holy Name Cemetery.

Black River - Marjorie Delight "Dee"(Davison) Schneider, 76; Funeral ServicesJune 17, 2014 at St. Paul's Church; burialBlack River Cemetery.

Canton - Gerald M. Bessette Sr., 81; Fu-neral June 23, 2014 at St. Mary's Church;burial in St. Mary's Cemetery.

Canton - Doris E. (Viancour) Dominie,101; Funeral Services June 24, 2014 atO'Leary Funeral Home; burial in St.Mary's Cemetery.

Clayton – Michael R. Forcier, 58; FuneralServices June 25, 2014 at St. Mary’sChurch; burial in St. Philip Neri Cemetery,Westport.

Clayton - Michael F. Knill, 51; FuneralServices July 1, 2014 at St. Mary's Church.

Croghan - Maketa Rodgers, 66; MemorialServices June 18, 2014 at the AdirondackFuneral Home.

Hogansburg – Michael G. “Minnows”Sunday, “Ohserase”, 77; Funeral ServicesJune 26, 2014 at St. Regis Church.

Lake Placid – Ellis H. Smith, 65; FuneralServices June 26, 2014 at the M.B. ClarkInc. Funeral Home; burial in St. AgnesCemetery.

Louisville - Laurie A. (Kerr) Hollander, 50;Funeral June 23, 2014 at St. LawrenceChurch; burial in parish cemetery.

Lowville - Olga (Samsa) Iszyani, 91; Fu-neral Services June 18, 2014 at St. Peter'sChurch; burial in Lowville Rural Ceme-tery.

Lyon Mountain – Helen J. (Pivetta)Tolosky, 84; Funeral Services June 22,2014 at St. Bernard’s Church; burial in

parish cemetery.

Massena – Frederic E. Charter, 82; FuneralServices June 28, 2014 at the DonaldsonFuneral Home; burial in Carville Ceme-tery, Helena.

Massena - David E. Fish, 59; Funeral Serv-ices June 19, 2014 at Church of the Sa-cred Heart; burial in Calvary Cemetery.

Massena - Catherine (Whalen) Portolese,83; Funeral Services June 17, 2014 atChurch of the Sacred Heart.

Massena - Shirley A. (Forbes) Premo, 84;Funeral June 20, 2014 at St. Mary'sChurch; burial in Calvary Cemetery.

Mooers – Violet R. Rascoe, 88; FuneralServices June 23, 2014 at Hamilton Fu-neral Home; burial in St. Bernard’s Ceme-tery, Saranac Lake.

Mooers Forks – Victor Joseph Decoste,80; Funeral June 21, 2014 at St. Ann’sChurch; burial in St. Ann’s Cemetery.

Norfolk - Gerald P. Fleury, 75; FuneralServices June 19, 2014 at Church of theVisitation; burial in Visitation Cemetery.

Norfolk - Eileen J. (Villnave) Murray, 94;Funeral Services June 18, 2014 at Churchof the Visitation; burial in VisitationCemetery.

North Lawrence - Earle G. Hastings, 75;Funeral Services June 21, 2014 at St.Lawrence Church; burial in FairviewCemetery, Dickinson.

Ogdensburg - June F. (Conroy) Amo, 89;Funeral Services June 16, 2014 at St.Mary's Cathedral; burial in St. Mary'sCemetery.

Ogdensburg - Thomas P. Murray, 57; Fu-neral Services June 23, 2014 at NotreDame Church; burial in Notre DameCemetery.

Peru – Pearl “Betsy” M. (Gregg) Luce, 88;Funeral Services June 19, 2014 at St. Au-gustine’s Church; burial in PeasleevilleCemetery.

Plattsburgh - Sonya (Horvath) Haggerty,77; Funeral Services June 21, 2014 at St.Peter's Church; burial in St. Peter's Ceme-tery.

Plattsburgh – Dr. Orlando J. Martelo, 78;Funeral Services June 21, 2014 at St.John’s Church.

Port Henry - Stephen J. Montagnola, 88;Funeral Services June 20, 2014 at St.Patrick's Church; burial in St. Patrick'sCemetery.

Potsdam - Thomas C. Mauchly, 82; Fu-neral Services June 23, 2014 at St. Mary'sChurch.

Redford - Raymond A. Archambault, 88;Funeral Services June 21, 2014 at Churchof the Assumption; burial in WhisperingMaples Memorial Mausoleum, Platts-burgh.

Redford – George W. Waldron, 84; FuneralServices June 26, 2014 at St. Mary’sChurch; burial in Assumption of Mary’sCemetery.

Saranac Lake - Alice M. (Douglas)Bourquin, 74, Funeral Services June 18,2014 at the Fortune-Keough FuneralHome; burial in North Elba Cemetery.

Tupper Lake - Holly J. Walsh Gardner, 51;Funeral Services June 25, 2014 at St.Alphonsus Church; burial in St. Joseph'sCemetery.

Watertown - Bernard J. Beck, 83; FuneralServices June 21, 2014 June 21, 2014 atCummings Funeral Service Inc.,; burial inSt. Mary's Cemetery.

Watertown - Victor D. Fralonardo, 98; Fu-neral Services June 19, 2014 at St. An-thony's Church; burial in GlenwoodCemetery.

Watertown - William J. Flynn Jr., 86; Fu-neral Services June 21, 2014 at SacredHeart Church.

Watertown – Margaret “Peggy” AnnMartin, 65; Funeral Services June 28,2014 at St. Patrick’s Church; burial inGlenwood Cemetery.

Watertown - Clelia M. (Frattali) Navarra,90; Funeral Services June 16, 2014 atHoly Family Church; burial in GlenwoodMausoleum.

Watertown - Joan Richey, 83; FuneralServices June 19, 2014 at Holy FamilyChurch; burial in Glenwood Cemetery.

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

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

By Molly McKee RyanDiocesan mission office

You could call in Christmas in July. The summer months are here, finally. Logically it starts.

The fun begins. We plan and anticipate such wonderfulgatherings as graduations, weddings, festivals and re-unions. It is so easy to make plans for a barbecue or a poolparty. Maybe we take it for granted a little bit. Summer willbe fun. It always is. But just like at Christmas, it’s a time to reflect, be grateful

and give of yourself unconditionally if you can. It’s not always that easy for those in the Missions. The

children in places like Peru, Nicaragua and Ecuador do nothave the luxury of knowing that tomorrow will even includea meal, a warm bed to sleep in or even necessary medica-tions. Just like at Christmas. The Mission office does what it can to help those in need. Every summer the Missionary Cooperation Campaign in-

troduces parishioners to a real – life missionary who repre-sents a mission cause from a faraway place. The missionary makes the needs of the missions more

real and more personal, as the faithful become personallyinvolved in learning about the missions and in respondingto their needs. It has been an appeal that has been worth cultivating and

nourishing in the Diocese of Ogdensburg. This summer, the Missionary Cooperation Appeal is

planned for the East Side of our Diocese during July-August.The Missionary Projects of the Diocese of Ogdensburg Ap-

peal will be taken up in the St. Lawrence, Jefferson andLewis Deaneries on the weekend of July 26-27. This appeal will be used to provide continued financial

support of our former mission in Mollendo, Peru, to sup-port the U.S. Bishop’s annual appeal for Latin America andto help any other missionary projects throughout the worldthat the Diocese of Ogdensburg might deem appropriate aspart of its evangelization effort. Please consider contribut-ing with your prayers and sacrifices.So, just like at Christmas, the Society for the Propagation

of the Faith too has plans to give and celebrate. Please consider giving this summer to our appeals that

will be held in your parish here but will help those far awayand in need.

Please remember “The Society for the Propagation of the Faith”when writing or changing your Will.

This summer wewill help peoplewho are in need

NORTHCOUNTRYCATHOLIC

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When Pope Francis calls for“a church that is poor and forthe poor,” I think he’dapprove of the churchhe’d find in the Dioceseof Ogdensburg.As we join in the na-

tional observance ofthe third annual Fort-night for Freedom -with its theme “Free-dom to Serve” - our dio-cese is taking stock ofhow we have beenserving the poor andwhat more we can do.In the pages of this

special issue of theNorth Country Catholic, weread about the efforts ofparishes and schools across

the diocese to tackle poverty inour region.

We know that we arebarely scratching thesurface in telling thestory of the generosityof Catholics of theNorth Country.But, we also need to

accept that there ismore that each of uscan do to take care ofthe least of our broth-ers and sisters.The statistics of

poverty are staggering.In this wealthiest

country in the world,one out of every five childrengoes to bed hungry.How can we bear that?

In New York State, nearly 35percent of our children live inworking families who are inpoverty.In our part of the state, the

growing job market won’t befound in high paying industrialpositions. It’s in the serviceand tourist industry with jobsthat tend to be low paying andlacking in benefits.Across New York State, the

percentage of persons living inpoverty is 14.9%; in St.Lawrence County, the rate is18.5% and, in Franklin Countyit’s 17.6%.That’s a lot of poverty in our

midst.Pope Francis, of course, isn’t

the only pope to put the needs

of the poor in front of us. Backin 1979, St. John Paul came toYankee Stadium and offered amessage Catholics can’t affordto forget: “The poor of theUnited States and of the worldare your brothers and sisters inChrist. You must never be con-tent to leave them just thecrumbs from the feast. Youmust take of your substance,and not just of your abun-dance, in is order to help them.And you must treat them likeguests at your family table.”The stories in this week’s

NCC offer many suggestionsfor the dollars of our suste-nance to go. What a perfectway to honor our call to loveGod and our neighbor.

I would like to share withyou some ideas I’ve learnedconcerning our CatholicChurch’s efforts to serve thepoor. Recently, my friend, Fa-ther Phil Allen, encouraged meto read a book by RobertCalderisi, “Earthly Mission: TheCatholic Church and World De-velopment.” Calderisi, a lay-man, is an economist andwriter. He has been involvedwith the World Bank and hasalso traveled throughout theworld, interviewing many todiscover something of theCatholic effort to help develop-ment throughout the world.I was deeply impressed with

this book so I want to sharesome of these ideas with you.Calderisi mentions several ofthe Catholic lay movementsthat have been successful inhelping the poor and needy.He makes it clear that prayer isan important part of each ofthese groups. One of the groups that he

mentions is the Community ofSant’Egidio. I remember at-tending one of the daily prayerservices of this group when Iwas in Rome. It is held eachday at the Church of SantaMaria in Trastavere. Prayer isan important part of this pro-gram. They sponsor soup

kitchens, educational pro-grams, interfaith meetings anda continuing program to endthe death penalty throughoutthe world. Their work demon-strates the strength of theirCatholic faith in action.Calderisi points out that

there has been a waning in theCatholic Church’s social mis-sion. He notes that there hasbeen a trend in our Church toassociate “Catholic” with a nar-row range of moral issues –even retrenchment – ratherthan the openness and reform-ing zeal the Church stood forafter the Vatican Council.He quotes Cardinal Turkson

of Ghana: “The Church’s socialmission should remain central,and not just for priests, broth-ers and religious sisters – in asense, this is the vocation ofthe laity. If Christians don’tpromote social change, whowill?The Second Vatican Council

established a spirit that there

is no difference between serv-ice and being Christian. OurCatholic Church must be con-cerned with solving these ur-gent problems of people. Inthese present days, this willnecessitate working with otherfaith communities and the pri-vate sector; people of all faiths,little faith and even no faith atall are capable of devotingthemselves to the welfare ofothers, impelled by pure hu-manity. Calderisi makes a point here

that the Church must manageits wealth more effectively, giv-ing a better opportunity tohelp where needed.There is hope. There is a

new pastoral spirit in the state-ments and action of Pope Fran-cis. He has given an image of aChurch of the Poor – a Churchfor the Poor. This would be animportant time for our bishopsto make a statement concern-ing development, poverty andthe environment. Such a state-ment and program would putnew life and new focus for theparishes of our diocese. Nowis the time for Catholics to berecognized for our readiness todeal with the needs of our peo-ple – all people – especially thepoor and needy. Our Masses, our liturgies, our

preaching must result instrong action by our people.As Church, we must lead all togo out and live their faithboldly as we bring help tothose in need. We must berecognized as true disciples ofJesus – as people of faith whobelieve in a loving, caring God. Calderisi quotes an Indian

priest: “Amidst globalization,competition and privatization,our faith must inspire us to re-ally serve the poorest of thepoor. In spite of all the criti-cism she received, MotherTeresa was a genius in recog-nizing this forgotten dimen-sion and restoring dignity tothe poor.”Finally, he quoted Father

Bernard Lecomte, from wayback in 1965: The Christian iscalled to join others (includingpeople without labels) in fight-ing poverty not as Crusaders,but in this present age pursu-ing scientific and technicalprogress, our hearts open tothe Gospel, demonstrating ourcommitments to somethinggreater than ourselves.”The question is - are we

ready to continue and rein-force our Catholic and per-sonal commitment to followJesus’ lead to help the poorand needy?

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

REV. JOSEPH A. MORGANVice President

SR. JENNIFER VOTRAW, SSJSecretary-TreasurerMARY LOU KILIAN

Editor/General Manager

BISHOP TERRYR. LAVALLEYPresident

Showing love for God... and neighbor

Mary LouKilian

Church of the poor – church for the poorA PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE

EDITOR’S NOTE

J U L Y 2 , 2 0 1 4N O R T H C O U N T R Y C A T H O L I C20 Back pew

By Sister Ellen Rose Coughlin, SSJSuperintendent of Schools

OGDENSBURG - Michele Bom-bard, a teacher at TrinityCatholic School in Massena,has been named the 2014Outstanding Catholic SchoolTeacher for the Diocese ofOgdensburg.She was honored June 20

during a luncheon hosted byBishop Terry LaValley at theBishop’s residence. Ms. Bombard began her

teaching career in 1987 atTrinity Catholic. In her appli-cation for the position atTrinity Ms. Bombard wrote, “Iwelcome the opportunity toteach in a school in the Dio-cese of Ogdensburg. It is theperfect place for me to begina career as a dedicatedteacher. I believe that the car-ing, Christian environmentof a Catholic school inspiresboth students and teachersto work to full potential in allacademic areas and to growin faith.”For 28 years, Ms. Bombard

has remained at TrinityCatholic leading hundreds ofstudents to Christ and life-long learning.Ms. Bombard currently

teaches fifth and sixth gradeELA and Social Studies. In

past years, she has taughtMath, ELA, Social Studies andReligion in a self-containedfifth grade classroom. In addition to her teaching

responsibilities, Ms. Bom-bard has demonstrated hercapacity for leadership. Sheis a presenter at that annualDiocesan New Teacher Orien-

tation program and regularlyshares her expertise with themembers of the Trinity fac-ulty. Since 2012 she has served

as the assistant principal atTrinity. She also plays an in-tegral role in the life of herparish serving as a wonder-ful role model for her stu-dents.Ms. Bombard graduated

from SUNY Potsdam with aBA in History/Education. Shehas a Master’s Degree in Ele-mentary Education and ispermanently certified in N-6elementary education with aSocial Studies extension forgrades 7-9. She regularly participates

in continued professional de-velopment workshops andtraining sessions which in-clude but are not limited tothe incorporation of technol-ogy across the curriculum,mentoring of new teachersand leadership skills throughCognitive Coaching.In nominating Ms. Bom-

bard, Kathleen Behrens,Trinity Catholic principal,stated: “Michele Bombardpossesses all the qualitiesone looks for in an effectiveand outstanding teacher. . . .She has selflessly served stu-dents, colleagues, parentsand parishioners; not caringabout money, promotions oradulation. “Michele chose a teaching

vocation, not a career, onlywanting to share the hopeand love of Christ in the bestway she knows how – as aCatholic school teacher,” Mrs.Behrens wrote.Ms. Bombard was joined at

the bishop’s luncheon byMrs. Behrens, St. Joseph Sis-ter Shirley Anne Brown, as-sistant superintendent forcurriculum and instruction;Pam Ballantine, assistant di-rector of Catholic Educationfor Christian Formation andCatholic Schools, Joan Rufaand St. Joseph Sister MaryEamon, former principals atTrinity Catholic and St.Joseph Sister Ellen RoseCoughlin, director of educa-tion and superintendent ofschools for the Diocese ofOgdensburg.

PHOTO BY VALERIE MATHEWSMichele Bombard, a teacher at Trinity Catholic School in Massena for the past 28 years, was honored as the 2014 Outstanding CatholicSchool Teacher for the Diocese of Ogdensburg. She is pictured above at a June 20 luncheon at the Bishop’s House in Ogdensburg with Bishop TerryR. LaValley, members of the diocesan education office and the Trinity principals with whom she has worked. From left are Bishop LaValley, St.Joseph Sister Shirley Anne Brown, assistant superintendent of schools; Joan Rufa and St. Joseph Sister Mary Eamon Lyng, former principals; Ms.Bombard, St. Joseph Sister Ellen Rose Coughlin, director of education and superintendent of schools; and Kathleen Behrens, current Trinity principal.

Teacher of the YearMichele Bombard named the 2014 Outstanding Catholic School Teacher for the diocese CATHOLIC

NORTH COUNTRYNORTH COUNTRYThe Diocese of Ogdensburg Volume 69, Number 10

JULY 2, 2014

INSIDETHIS ISSUESupreme Court strikesdown ‘buffer zones’ atabortion clinics l PAGE 14

Meet Pat, Matt and Joeyof the Guggenheimstaff l PAGE 17

IN SERVICE TO THE POOR

CLOSER TO BEATIFICATION

Welcome

NCC summer scheduleNEXT ISSUE TO BE DATED JULY 16

Catholic schoolteacher of theyear honored

F U L L S T O R Y, PAG E 2 0

FULL STORY, PAGE 14

PHOTO, PAGE 12

Two priests from the Heralds of

Good News Mother Theresa

Province in India have arrived to

serve in Massena and Malone

PHOTO SUPPLIEDThis summer dozens of students from Immaculate Heart Central Junior and Senior High in Watertown will again be donatinghundreds of hours of their time and talent during IHC’s 4th Annual Summer Mission, “Building Blocks 2014.” Sponsored byIHC’s Faith Community Service Program together with Watertown’s First Presbyterian Church, IHC students consistently providethe bulk of the “Youth Power” during this weeklong summer service event. From July 28 to Aug. 1 these students will be help-ing to scrape, paint and restore the homes of local families in need. Mikayla Kolb is shown above during last year’s BuildingBlocks Week. Articles and photos of Catholic efforts to help people in need across the country is the focus of this Week’s NorthCountry Catholic.

Michele Bombard of TrinityCatholic School in Massena

Fortnight forFreedom: thefreedom to serveThe theme of this year's

Fortnight for Freedom, tak-ing place from June 21 toJuly 4, will focus on thefreedom to serve the poorand vulnerable in accordwith human dignity andthe Church's teaching. This is the third year that

that United States Confer-ence of Catholic Bishopshas called upon diocesesto observe a Fortnight forFreedom to highlight the

importance of religious lib-erty in the United States. To highlight the “free-

dom to serve,”the NorthCountry Catholic has part-nered with Catholic Chari-ties to publish this specialissue focusing on numer-ous ways that parishes,schools and Catholic or-ganizations in the Dioceseof Ogdensburg serve thepoor in the North Countryand around the world.