GREENSBORO — St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro held a parish-wide retreat in January led by well-known theologian, author and speaker Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio (known on TV and radio as “Dr. Italy”).
The two-day event began Friday evening with a covered dish dinner, followed by D’Ambrosio’s keynote address, “How To Get More Out of Mass.” He challenged his audience to think about how Jesus is really present in the Eucharist and he offered real world, practical ways to “unlock the power of His presence so as to make each Mass a life-changing experience.”
Saturday began with a pancake breakfast hosted by the parish’s Knights of Columbus Council 13236. The day’s discussions were divided into adult sessions given by D’Ambrosio, and teen sessions given by D’Ambrosio’s twin sons, Anthony and Marcellino. Both young men are youth ministers, worship musicians and evangelizers. Grade school sessions, taught by parish staff, were also available.
Pictured: Anthony and Marcellino D’Ambrosio perform with members of St. Paul Church’s Youth Choir during the concluding Mass at a two-day retreat designed for the whole family. (Annette K. Tenny | Catholic News Herald)
D’Ambrosio started off by discussing “The Family as Domestic Church.” While this is a familiar theme to many Catholics, D’Ambrosio deepened the discussion with stories of the ups and downs of his own Catholic upbringing. As a father of five, he was also able to relate his and his wife’s experiences in the trials and joys of creating their own domestic church.
While parents and grandparents were getting tips on how to build their family church, the teens were listening to the D’Ambrosio twins share their faith challenges. Titled “Let Me Live: The Story of How God Walked Into My Grave and Called Me Up Into His Resurrection,” the young men spoke passionately about their personal conversions and the need to be open to the call of Holy Spirit. Developing a close relationship with Jesus Christ, they said, requires not just one act but countless actions each day. Life in Christ, they told their young audience is anything but passive.
In another session, D’Ambrosio encouraged parents and grandparents to keep lines of communication open and to talk to their kids about many subjects, not just religion.
It’s imperative to restore the “centrality of the table,” he said. Family relationships harden, he told them without frequent communication. Bring back the family dinner, at least one night a week. Make sure everyone contributes to the conversation, no matter the subject. Nourish yourself with scripture and sacraments and you will be able to nourish your family when the opportunity presents itself. Above all, he reminded the attendees, remain humble and have a sense of humor.
“Pray for your family, pray for what they need,” he said, “not for what you want.”
D’Ambrosio said he hoped retreat participants would walk away with two things: excitement and inspiration that there is “more than what they’ve experienced so far in their Catholic life,” and “…one practical suggestion where they can change the pattern of their life.” Whether it’s the way they pray, the way they approach the Eucharist or confession, he said he hoped they left with a practical way to change the way they live their faith.
In other programs during the retreat, Anthony and Marcellino D’Ambrosio and the parish’s youth ministry encouraged teens to see the saints through a new lens, as well as to see how God is already working in their lives.
The retreat at St. Paul Parish was a pleasure, D’Ambrosio said, as he and his sons don’t often travel and minister together. The parish asked specifically for all of them.
“The twins’ ministry has evolved into parish consultation, writing and producing film and digital evangelization content,” he noted.
They also have a music worship ministry and with a younger brother and other band members, travel to conferences.
D’Ambrosio’s ministry is evolving as well. After many years of parish, radio and television evangelization, he’s feeling called to write more but also to produce podcasts and short video teaching, on You Tube, for example.
“I’m looking forward to working with the twins on new projects and new ways of evangelizing,” he said.
— Annette K. Tenny, correspondent
CHARLOTTE — Faithful around the Diocese of Charlotte celebrated the Feast of the Purification with Masses on Feb. 2, commemorating the purification of the Blessed Mother.
Although not required due to her sinless nature, the ceremony, required under Mosaic law, prescribed a woman wait 40 days after childbirth before returning to the Temple.
The feast day is also known as the Feast of Candles or Candlemas, which celebrates the words of the Temple priest Simeon, who in the Gospel of Luke, prophesized that Christ is a light of revelation for the Gentiles and the glory of the people of Israel.
The Church traditionally commemorates Simeon’s words with the blessing of candles on this day. Father Brian Becker, parochial vicar at St. Mark Parish in Huntersville, continued this tradition with a traditional Latin blessing of candles after the 12:30 p.m. Latin Mass.
That same evening, at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, Father Christopher Bond, parochial vicar at St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte, and assisted by St. Matthew Deacon Gary Schreiber, blessed candles before the 8 p.m. First Friday Mass which attracted more than 60 faithful.
The Mass, which began with a candlelight procession, was part of the Vigil of the Two Hearts monthly devotion organized by C-PLAN (Catholic Pro-Life Action Network of Charlotte) to offer penance for the sins of abortion, strengthening of families and praying for the conversion of the nation.
For more information about the Vigil of the Two Hearts visit www.prolifecharlotte.org/two-hearts or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— Mike FitzGerald, correspondent
CANDLEMAS IN MOCKSVILLE
MOCKSVILLE — Parishioners from St Francis of Assisi Church in Mocksville gathered for the Blessing of Candles, Procession and Mass by candlelight on Candlemas Day Feb. 2.
Holy Mass was offered by the pastor, Father Eric Kowalski.
After Mass, parishioners continued the festivities with food and fellowship in the parish hall.
— Photos provided by St. Francis of Assisi parish
CHARLOTTE — Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s Respect Life Program announces the winner of its annual Respect Life Essay Contest is Lewis Nazarian, an 11th-grader at Charlotte Catholic High School.
The essay prompt given to high school students from around the diocese was: “How in today’s society are we best able to say ‘Yes’ to life and ‘No’ to death?”
Jessica Grabowski, Catholic Charities Respect Life Program Director, was able to present the award to Nazarian after Mass at Charlotte Catholic High School last week.
“Thank you to Principal Kurt Telford, Father Jason Barone and all the staff at Charlotte Catholic High School for supporting this event and planning the special award presentation,” Grabowski said. “In addition, a special thank you to Saint Benedict Press/Tan Books for sponsoring gifts for the finalists this year.”
Look for more information later this summer for next year’s Respect Life Essay Contest and visit www.cccdoc.org/respectlife for news and announcements from Catholic Charities’ Respect Life Program.
Say Yes
Being pro-life is more than just a label. It is more than just going to the occasional pro-life conference. It is more than just attending a march. Being pro-life is about living pro-life. But what exactly does living pro-life entail? I can tell you for certain it is not throwing a Twitter post online proclaiming that you love babies. It is not walking around school proclaiming that “I am pro-life and a good Christian because I am attending the March for Life.” No, living pro-life cannot be achieved with just words. St. Francis of Assisi has been quoted telling us to “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” While the validity of this quotation’s attribution is debated, the message holds true. In order to truly evangelize, you must act instead of just speak.
A friend of mine did something that truly exemplifies this evangelization in modern society. On a Saturday, she went out to a Planned Parenthood, put in her earbuds, and sang and danced in front of the abortion clinic. Not once did she speak to or even make eye contact with the people walking in and out. But, in her innocent act of dancing and singing, she reminded these pregnant women of what life truly is. She told me that throughout the day, of the 20 to 30 people who walked up the path, around 10 of them turned around. Because of her seemingly small act of evangelization, 10 lives were saved that day.
My friend Mariah helped me to realize that in today’s society, you need to get your face out of your phone in order to say yes to life. You need to get out into the world, showing people that your life is worth living.
Those who believe that abortion, the death penalty, and euthanasia are acceptable are not likely to listen to you in a verbal argument or debate. Instead, to say no to death and to help them say no, show your love for life and show the importance of life throughout your day. Be a caring person and go out and show your love for your classmates, coworkers and strangers on the street. Say thank you to anyone and everyone who helps you in any way. Show your respect for their work and their life. If you want to say yes to life and no to death, don’t just say it, show it.
ARDEN — Thanks to the generosity of the Walnut Cove Members Association, the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Barnabas Church in Arden was recently awarded a $6,000 grant to start a diaper bank in conjunction with its food pantry. The diaper bank is aimed at helping provide an adequate supply of diapers to needy families with small children.
Diapers are an issue for many low-income families because they are expensive and required in large numbers. Further, the need is magnified because diapers cannot be purchased with food stamps and there are no other federal, state or local safety-net programs allocating funds for the purchase of diapers. Western North Carolina does not have a major diaper bank, and diapers are only available in limited quantities through local food pantries and churches.
With this grant, the St. Vincent De Paul Society will have the resources to augment the limited local supply and support the diaper needs of at least 10 needy children in the western North Carolina community for an entire year.
WCMA is a philanthropic group comprised of property owners at the Cliffs at Walnut Cove in Arden who are interested in supporting local western North Carolina charities. WCMA raises money through member dues, donations and an annual “Weekend of Giving” fundraising event. At the end of each year, these funds are distributed to a variety of local charitable organizations in which members are actively involved. Since its inception in 2007, WCMA has awarded 270 grants, totaling more than $930,000, to a diverse range of nonprofits.
This year St. Barnabas Church’s St. Vincent De Paul diaper bank program was one of 32 grant requests selected for funding.
— Robert May