CHARLOTTE — Catholic Relief Services saved Thomas Awiapo from starvation. Once a poor orphan growing up in rural Ghana, now he travels around the United States every year during Lent sharing his story and thanking CRS supporters for the gift of a hot meal and schooling that they provide through the CRS Rice Bowl campaign.
“I come here to share my story continuously because it touches minds and hearts in a way that moves people to act,” Awiapo explains. “It gives me the opportunity to put a face on the work of CRS around the world and to look people in the face to say thank you for their prayers and support.”
Awiapo visited Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville on Ash Wednesday, March 6. He attended Mass with the students and staff then gave a presentation to the whole school. He then traveled to Immaculate Heart of Mary School in High Point to share his message with them. He also visited St. Matthew School in Charlotte and the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center on March 7.
“My story helps many Americans to appreciate the blessings in their lives and the call to share those blessings,” Awiapo says.
Awiapo and his three brothers were orphaned when he was just 10 years old.
“We cried for food, we went to bed hungry… Only sometimes at night we had a little dinner to share with all four of us.” He said that the amount of food for dinner was so little that they sat in a circle looking at it, thinking about how little amount of food it was.
“We would look at it and cry,” Awiapo says.
His two youngest brothers died of malnutrition – the youngest dying in his arms. “He was so skinny and bony. That has never left my mind,” he says.
His oldest brother fled, leaving him alone. He scrounged for food alone, doing odd jobs.
One day he smelled food being cooked at CRS’ St. Francis Xavier School in his village. The hot lunches and daily snacks were enough to attract him to attend school. He went on to graduate and earn scholarships to attend college in the United States.
“I was caught, joyfully caught, and I am glad that they did catch me. I am sitting here today with a master’s in public administration. The whole credit goes to Catholic Relief Services,” he notes.
Awiapo now works with CRS Ghana, teaching communities the value of good governance and the value of education. He often returns to his old school, which has been completely refurbished thanks to CRS.
He says that “the little snack” that CRS provided “tricked him into going to school” – and “this trick saved my life.”
Catholic support for CRS, he says, “is just part of living our faith, creating a just world, changing lives of individuals, families and communities through our prayers and contributions. CRS offers Catholics the opportunity to live their faith in solidarity with the poor.”
“It was wonderful to begin Lent this year listening to presentations by Thomas Awiapo,” says Joseph Purello, Catholic Charities’ director of social concerns and advocacy. “His story begins with one of survival in the face of misery and hardship, yet it becomes a compelling message of hope, faith, and gratitude that challenges his audience to encounter Christ at home in our families, and in each member of the whole human family.
“Almost 800 students in three of our diocesan schools heard his message of how Catholic Relief Services provided life-saving assistance, and how he now is able to do the same for children in Ghana. What a powerful witness to the Church’s ministry of caritas!”
To learn about CRS Rice Bowl and donate this Lent, go to www.crsricebowl.org.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter. Catholic Relief Services contributed.
RALEIGH — Bills introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly would broaden the state's power to investigate child sexual abuse crimes and raise the statute of limitations on claims of past abuse.
The proposals, labeled the Sexual Assault Fast reporting and Enforcement Child Act, or SAFE Child Act, gained early support from a Republican and Democrat lawmakers.
Several legislators appeared alongside child welfare advocates at a March 7 news conference in Raleigh led by North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein.
"It doesn't matter whether you're a parent or a policymaker, nothing is more important than keeping children safe from sexual abuse," Stein said. "It's critical that we protect kids wherever they are or spend time, whether that's in their home or at summer camp or an afterschool activity or online."
With the proposed legislation, Stein said, "More children who were abused will see justice, and more abusers will see prison time."
Following Stein's news conference, the Diocese of Raleigh posted a statement on its website stating, "The Diocese of Raleigh looks forward to reviewing the proposed act recently announced by Attorney General Stein and supports efforts to further protect North Carolina's children from sexual abuse."
"Bishop (Luis) Zarama and the diocese support additional measures that would further clarify or expedite reports of suspected abuse and aid survivors in healing," the statement continued.
The legislation would extend the statute of limitations on misdemeanor child sexual abuse cases from two years after the alleged assault occurred to 10 years. Felony abuse cases already have no time limit on prosecution.
The statute of limitations on civil lawsuits related to claims of past child sexual abuse would extend to when the alleged victim reaches the age of 45 (in the House version) or age of 50 (in the Senate version). Under current law, the statute of limitations on civil lawsuits generally expires when the victim turns 21.
Noting that victims often don't come forward until years -- sometimes even decades -- later, Stein said, "We fully anticipate that more charges will be brought and more civil claims will be brought, because we know a great deal more about the psychological impact of abuse of children."
The proposed legislation would also empower the attorney general to convene an investigative grand jury to examine child sexual abuse claims -- a power currently not available in North Carolina.
The legislation would also mandate that all "high risk" sex offenders register their computer's IP address in addition to their physical address on the North Carolina sex offender registry.
Another provision would require any adult or institution that suspects child abuse to report it to local police -- not just to the North Carolina Department of Social Services as current law mandates. Failure to report abuse would be a misdemeanor.
Both the Charlotte and Raleigh dioceses already report all allegations of child sexual abuse to DSS as well as to the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, which then routes the report to the appropriate local law enforcement agency to investigate.
Since 2003, the Raleigh Diocese has trained more than 24,000 staff and volunteers in recognizing and reporting child abuse and neglect and have received national criminal background checks.
In the Diocese of Charlotte, more than 48,900 people have received training and nearly 57,000 background checks have been processed since 2002.
Reports of child abuse are declining in North Carolina – down 5.5 percent from 2013 to 2017, according to the latest data available from the Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 2017, 7,392 North Carolina children were victims of abuse or neglect, 19.5 percent of whom were sexually abused.
Deana Joy, executive director of Children’s Advocacy Centers of North Carolina, expressed support for Stein and the proposed legislation.
“We still have a long way to go to bring about drastic change in our state with regards to child abuse. It is our hope that this legislation, while a tremendous starting point, will more importantly begin a con-versation that will lead to streamlined centralization of reporting and statewide adult-based preven-tion efforts. There is nothing in our state that is more valuable than its children.”
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor
Father Frank O’Rourke, pastor of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte, receives the Vineyard of Hope Award from Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s executive director, Dr. Gerard Carter. (Photos provided by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte)CHARLOTTE — Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte welcomed a record number of 450 people to its 16th Annual Vineyard of Hope fundraising gala Feb. 28 at the Crowne Plaza ballroom.
The annual gathering is an opportunity to raise funds for critical services needed in the community, to celebrate the life-changing work that has been accomplished over the past year and to honor someone in the community who has made a difference with the Fruit of the Vine Award.
Father Frank O’Rourke, pastor of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte and one of the first priests ordained in the early days of the Diocese of Charlotte, was this year’s Fruit of the Vine Award recipient.
“Award recipients are chosen because of their tireless work and how they live out their faith through care and dedication to our neighbors in need. Recipients truly serve as the hands and feet of God in the Charlotte community,” said Dr. Gerard Carter, executive director of Catholic Charities.
Father O’Rourke was recognized for his 40-plus years of leadership, dedication and compassionate service, especially to the poor and the marginalized in the community.
Carter admitted that Father O’Rourke humbly and repeatedly declined when he informed him about receiving the Fruit of the Vine Award.
“I finally said to him, ‘I’m sorry but it’s not about you,’” Carter said, drawing laughter from all those in attendance.
Over the course of his life and especially as a pastor, Father O’Rourke has been “an exceptional supporter and encourager of parish ministries dedicated to the poor and marginalized, outreaches to those who mourn, the dying, the uninsured, mothers facing unplanned or difficult pregnancies, the imprisoned, refugees, immigrants, the unborn, persons with disabilities, those who lack clothing and those who hunger,” Carter said.
After a brief video honoring Father O’Rourke, he took to the stage amid thunderous applause to accept the award.
“I am certainly honored, humbled to receive this award,” he said. “As I thought about ‘Vineyard of Hope,’ I would say that Catholic Charities is just that: a vineyard of hope that speaks to people in their most needy times and renews people in hope.”
He pointed out that one of the Eucharistic Prayers at Mass speaks of being renewed in hope.
“I couldn’t help but think today, the Fruit of the Vine Award – us priests, we pray that every day: ‘fruit of the vine, work of human hands.’ The work of Catholic Charities is the hands of the Church reaching out,” he said.
That outreach is without prejudice, he continued, “meaning that it isn’t just Catholic people that we are called to minister to. We are called to reach out to all of God’s people.
“Catholic Charities does that in a particular way.”
In fact, Catholic Charities reports that thanks to the generosity of donors last year:
- 249,498 pounds of food and personal items were distributed to 6,503 people
- 134 refugees were welcomed and resettled
- 491 refugees received ongoing assistance
- 145 refugees secured employment through job placement services
- 339 legal immigration services helped establish permanent residence and reunite families
- 933 mental health counseling services helped people get through difficult times
- 65 families received burial assistance to provide a dignified burial for a loved one
- 59 residents participated in the Transition Out of Poverty program
- 67 volunteers provided 5,308 hours of service
Because of the record number of attendees, organizers of this year’s 16th Annual Vineyard of Hope gala said they hoped to top last year’s fundraising amount of $117,000 in Catholic Charities’ efforts to strengthen families, build communities and reduce poverty in the Charlotte region.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior Reporter
CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte Finance Office, in partnership with ParishSOFT, will offer a two-day finance conference Tuesday-Wednesday, March 19-20, at the Catholic Conference Center in Hickory.
ParishSOFT is the standard accounting platform used by all diocesan parishes and parish based schools. The program incorporates key internal controls designed to achieve diocesan objectives of accurate, complete, timely and transparent financial reporting.
The diocesan Finance Office sponsors annual workshops designed to educate parish and schools financial staff on new accounting and tax requirements, implementing best practices, software training and diocesan financial matters. The diocesan Finance Office also performs internal audits of parish and school financial activities to determine whether parish assets are properly safeguarded, whether parish accounting procedures are appropriate and in compliance with diocesan and civil requirements.
This is the first time the diocese has sponsored a two-day conference and the first time partnering with ParishSOFT.
Finance staff and volunteers from all 92 parishes and missions, as well as Catholic schools, are encouraged to attend.
The conference will be both educational and a time of retreat, offering workshops along with time for spiritual reflection.
Father Richard Sutter, parochial administrator of St. John the Evangelist Church in Waynesville, will give a Lenten reflection March 19. The theme of his talk will be “Let Us Climb Together!” His reflection is based on Psalm 121:1-2 and Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s “The Cross and the Beatitudes.”
Monsignor Mauricio West, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese, will offer Mass March 20 during the conference.
General sessions over the two days will include: Ledger and Payable Reports and Analyzing Financial Statements; Projects – Organize for Effective Reporting; Overview of Family Suite, Ministry Management and My Own Church; Update from the Diocesan Finance Office; and Church Manager Advanced Options.
Workshops will include: What You Need to Know About Bank Reconciliation; Importing and Exporting in Accounting; How to Build Your Budget; Ledger Report Writer – Getting the Custom Statements You Need; Accounting Tips and Tricks; and Effectively Recording Credit Card Transactions.
Bill Weldon, chief financial officer of the diocese, announced plans for the financial conference last fall.
In a letter to pastors announcing the conference, he said, “This is a unique opportunity for parish finance personnel to come together to grow in faith, to learn and to relax. How wonderful it would be if every parish was represented!”
Advance registration for the finance conference is required. The cost to attend varies from $50 to $175 per person, depending on the number of days a participant attends and if overnight lodging is needed.
The diocesan finance office is offering financial assistance for attendees from parishes without the financial resources to cover the cost of attending.
For more information and to register, contact Mason Beaumont at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 704-370-3396.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior Reporter