HAYESVILLE — Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s eighth Bishop Begley Conference on Appalachia (BBCA) was recently held at Hayesville First United Methodist Church.
The conference brought together an ecumenical audience of more than 40 people to address food insecurity in far western North Carolina through learning, prayer and the distribution of small grants. The keynote presenter was Dixie Shaw, program director of Hunger and Relief Services of Catholic Charities Maine. Shaw spoke about numerous creative ways she has marshalled resources to fight food insecurity in northern Maine’s Aroostook County, and the web of partnerships she has developed to ally with Catholic Charities in this work. For example, through the Catholic Charities Maine “Farm for Me” program, the agency provides 24 food pantries in Aroostook County with fresh vegetables thanks to food grown on the program’s six acres, partnerships with local farmers, and a partnership with a local micro-processing company which flash-freezes the harvest surplus for distribution during winter months.
Other sessions at the Bishop Begley Conference on Appalachia provided a reflection on the parish-based food pantry at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Franklin which has assisted those in need in Macon County for 17 years; looked more in depth at the extent of food insecurity in the 16 counties of far western North Carolina through data provided by Asheville-based Manna Food Bank; and offered advocacy tips to address food insecurity through the shaping of public policy.
Manna Food Bank is a non-profit that works with 229 community-based agencies and food assistance programs in 16 western North Carolina counties, including the food pantries operated by Catholic Charities in Asheville and St. Francis of Assisi Church in Franklin.
Sobering information was shared at the conference, such as: 13,000 people each week seek food assistance in western North Carolina, and just over 42 percent of these people are children or seniors; an estimated four out of five households assisted by Manna partnering agencies live on less than $20,000 a year; and nationally, North Carolina ranks 11th in the nation in childhood food insecurity with 26.7 percent of children struggling to have access to three meals a day (2014 Map the Meal Gap Study).
Also at the conference, Catholic Charities Far West Growing Opportunities Grants totaling $16,000 were distributed to seven non-profit organizations and ministries combating food insecurity in the four counties of Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Swain. Funded projects included three food pantries, three community gardens, and a non-profit assisting people facing both low income and diabetes to receive health appropriate food assistance.
Go to www.ccdoc.org/fwncto find more information about this conference, resources on food insecurity, and the Catholic Charities Far West Growing Opportunities Grant Program and this year’s grant recipients.
Joseph Purello, Special to the Catholic News Herald. Joseph Purello is the director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s Office of Social Concerns and Advocacy.
CHARLOTTE — In a humble brick building 60 years ago, 175 families gathered to celebrate the first Mass at St. Gabriel Church. The property had been purchased for just $100 and was a mile outside of Charlotte’s 1957 city limits. Consecrated to the service of God and named after the Archangel Gabriel, the parish has seen remarkable growth and changes in its six decades.
Within just 20 years, the parish population swelled to 1,400 families and was the largest in North Carolina. A church expansion, and later a significantly bigger church and other campus buildings, accommodated the growth. Today, more than 3,330 families call St. Gabriel home, with seven Sunday Masses, more than 80 ministries, and 1,050 children in its faith formation program.
On a beautiful evening last month, the parish celebrated its 60th anniversary with a special Mass and food truck picnic. The Sept. 23 liturgy featured all five of St. Gabriel’s choirs, including its adult and youth choirs, New Spirit Ensemble, Alegria Hispanic choir and handbell choir. Joyous hymns in English and Spanish reflected the diversity of the parish and underscored that St. Gabriel Parish belongs to all.
Homilist Deacon Michael Goad noted, “How far we have come and yet as a church how much there is for us yet to do in our Father’s vineyard. To whom much is given, much is required. Whether you’ve just joined St. Gabriel or whether you’re a founding member, this is your church, this house of God is your home. May the Holy Spirit continue to lead and guide us. May we be worthy of our calling as a people of God and of God’s continued blessings upon us. And may Almighty God complete the work He has begun in each one of us and in those we seek to serve.”
After Mass, parishioners young and old enjoyed a food truck picnic in the church’s courtyard with many staying well past sunset. Father Gabriel Carvajal-Salazar, parochial vicar, and Alegria choir leader Manuel Esquivel entertained with accordion and guitar, and “selfies with the Archangel Gabriel” were popular for all ages.
“A truly glorious celebration” and “We should do this again!” were sentiments echoed by many.
In reflecting on the parish’s 60th anniversary, Father Frank O’Rourke, pastor, shared, “How blessed we are to join as a community of faith in celebrating our parish’s 60th anniversary. Under the patronage of the Archangel Gabriel, we – and those who came before us – are invited to be messengers of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
“With gratitude, we reflect on our humble beginnings in a small brick building, where a cafeteria table served as the altar for the 175 families who gathered for Mass. Today, we are a vibrant parish of 3,335 families with numerous ministries that connect us and help us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
“What a legacy we share! I know you join me in giving thanks to the Lord for the generosity of Spirit evident in all who worship, serve and seek to grow in faith in our parish of St. Gabriel. Truly, the Holy Spirit continues to gather the faithful here!
“May we keep the flame of faith alive in our hearts as we answer the call to ‘go out to all the world to tell the Good News’ (Mark 16:15). We count ourselves blessed in the legacy that is ours. May we, too, ‘proclaim the greatness of the Lord’ (Luke 1:46) in this, our time.”
— Darby McClatchy, special to the Catholic News Herald. Darby McClatchy is the communications coordinator at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte.
HUNTERSVILLE — A 14-year-old with “the voice of an angel” and a choir of youth aged 9 to 14 are softening hearts with their pro-life message one song at a time. They are the face of the D3 Foundation’s efforts to share Christian art and music focused on God’s love for all, especially the most vulnerable among us such as the pre-born, the sick, the poor and the elderly.
The youth are lending their talents to pro-life songs and videos, hoping to change hearts and minds about abortion. Their first song, “Let Me Live,” was recorded last summer and includes a video. Their latest song, “We Stand,” is also now available.
The D3 Foundation was created six months ago, a labor of love of Doug Abell Sr. He is a retired psychiatric nurse and a parishioner of St. Mark Church. Since retiring and moving to North Carolina, he and his wife joined the parish’s Respect Life Ministry and have regularly prayed outside local abortion facilities.
Abell named the non-profit outreach D3 in honor of the three generations of his family – himself, his son and his grandson, all named Doug – volunteering to spread the Gospel message of life through the work of the foundation.
“What we are trying to do is promote Christian ideas…mostly by our youth,” Abell explains. “When people see these (songs and videos) we want them to feel something. We want them to think and we want them to change their minds.
“We basically want to change hearts and minds on what abortion is…We’re not condemning anyone. We just want to change hearts and minds.”
Abell and the foundation seek students interested in using their God-given gifts to write, sing, draw and perform in Christian art and music productions to be shared with the community. Projects are funded through donations of time, talent and treasure of individual and community sponsors.
All proceeds received by the D3 Foundation from these projects are reinvested in its three-fold mission to support the production of Christian art and music projects; support teachers at Catholic schools in need of financial assistance for personal or professional development; and offer tuition assistance for students and their families who desire a Catholic education.
Abell says the idea to express ways to convert hearts on abortion came from promptings of the Holy Spirit. “I kept seeing children I thought were aborted children. I wrote a book of poetry on that called “The House Behind the Trees, Poems for the Aborted Child.”
He believes his poems sound like songs, so he thought it would be good to have children sing them. He wrote the lyrics and one day when he was at Mass at St. Mark Church thinking about who could sing the songs, he heard Rebekah Martinez cantoring at Mass. He asked his wife who she was.
“It was almost like on cue, Rebekah started singing. She has a great voice and it’s only getting better,” he says. “At that moment at Mass I thought, ‘You were sent from heaven!’”
Martinez, 14, is happy to volunteer to be part of the pro-life efforts of the foundation.
“It’s a really great thing we are doing,” she says. “It’s amazing that so many people want to do this for the same reason. We all want to save babies, to save their lives. We all want this to end. We want to do this together.”
Sisters Bella and Bree Spaedy, 13 and 11, are lending their voices on the recordings. Bella says she is part of this outreach to “use my voice to spread awareness about the terrible evil of abortion.” And Bree says she also wants “to do my part in helping to stop abortion.”
Other backup singers include Elizabeth and Mollie Obermiller, 14 and 12.
Elizabeth says, “I wanted to be a part of this because it’s important that I speak out against abortion. It’s sad and wrong that people who never got the chance to live could have contributed to the world in amazing and beautiful ways.
Mollie explains that she wanted to be part of D3 Foundation’s projects because people need to hear the pro-life message in this beautiful way.
“I hope when people hear us sing these songs, they are encouraged to pray to end abortion. One small organization like D3 Foundation can make a difference.”
Fifteen young people from the parish are currently signed up to volunteer their talents for upcoming projects to bring about a “civilization of love,” as promoted by St. John Paul II.
“We’re looking for kids who are artists too. We are looking for good pro-life art,” he explains.
D3 Foundation’s initial single, “Let Me Live,” launched on iTunes and Amazon. The “Let Me Live” video is on YouTube and the D3 Foundation website. A second single, “We Stand,” is now available.
Martinez, lead vocalist on the songs, says she hopes that when people hear it, they get the good out of it.
“I want people to listen and see the video and I want them to think and know that it can change someone’s life. It can save someone’s life.”
For more information, to donate or to listen to the pro-life songs, go to www.d3foundationnc.org.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
HAYESVILLE — On Sept. 27, Pope Francis helped to launched a two-year worldwide campaign of Caritas Internationalis in support of migrants and refugees. ln the U.S. the campaign is being implemented by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities USA.
Campaign organizers hope to raise awareness among Catholics about migrants and refugees and have targeted the week of Oct. 7-13 for prayer and action to raise awareness of this campaign of Caritas Internationalis.
In the Diocese of Charlotte, Catholic Charities promoted the upcoming campaign at the Bishop Begley Conference on Appalachia Sept. 23 in Hayesville. Pictured are (from) Dixie Shaw of Catholic Charities Maine, Nicholas Haskell of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte, Netta McFaddin of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte, Jane Stenson of Catholic Charities USA, and Joseph Purello of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte.
There are numerous ways to participate in this campaign, especially remembering migrants and refugees in prayer in a special, more focused way Oct. 7-13.
Go to www.sharejourney.org to learn more, including ideas on how to implement the campaign in your personal and family life and in your parish, and find prayer resources and statements by campaign organizers.
Resources are available in English and Spanish.
— Photo provided by Joe Purello
Share the Journey campaign urges Catholics to connect with migrants
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A prayer here, a share on social media there, a voice of support in a letter to the editor, even a get-to-know-others potluck.
Supporting refugees and migrants can take many forms, and Pope Francis is hoping Catholics around the world will act over the next two years to encounter people on the move.
In the U.S., the church's leading organizations have developed a series of activities, including prayers, that families, parishes, schools and individuals can undertake during the Share the Journey campaign the pope is set to open Sept. 27 at the Vatican.
Share the Journey is an initiative of Caritas Internationalis, the global network of Catholic chari-table agencies. It is meant to urge Catholics to understand and get to know refugees and mi-grants who have fled poverty, hunger, violence, persecution and the effects of climate change in their homeland.
In addition to Pope Francis' formal announcement at his weekly general audience, key church representatives, including Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila, Philippines, president of Cari-tas Internationalis, were to conduct a media conference the same day.
U.S. partners in the effort are the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and its Migration and Refugee Services, Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities USA.
The effort will give Catholics the opportunity to learn and explore Catholic social teaching on refugees and migrants, said Joan Rosenhauer, executive vice president of U.S. operations for CRS.
"Catholic social teaching has clear messages of caring for strangers, the importance of hearing their stories and understanding their needs," she said.
Much of the effort will be focused on sharing stories about migrants and refugees, the struggles they face and why they chose to seek a better life elsewhere, said Kristin Witte, coordinator of domestic Catholic educational engagement at CRS, which is the U.S. bishops' overseas relief and development agency.
"The hope is that through the stories that are presented, the images presented, that people will be moved from their place of comfort to a place of encounter. That's what the church is calling us to. That's what the pope is calling us to," she said.
The campaign began across the U.S. with special Masses, prayer vigils and events involving local migrants and refugees. The Diocese of Venice, Florida, introduced a photo exhibition and slideshow highlighting the issue. A video about the adult child of migrant workers who now serves as program director for Catholic Charities Guadalupe Social Services in Immokalee, Flori-da, also debuted.
The coalition of Catholic organizations has developed a toolkit in English and Spanish that in-cludes prayers, suggestions for activities for families, prayer groups, classrooms and clergy, and utilizing social media with references to #sharejourney.
"We're giving people clear direct ideas, not just in their neighborhood but to mobilize communi-ties. To create an environment or an opportunity for action is critical especially at this time," Wit-te said.
Mark Priceman, communications for the bishops' Migration and Refugee Services, said the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that about 22 million people are on the move around the world, making the Christian community's awareness and response to their situation critical.
The number of refugees to be admitted to the U.S. was capped at 50,000 by President Donald Trump for fiscal year 2017, which was to end Sept. 30. It is less than half of the ceiling of 110,000 set by President Barack Obama. A presidential determination on the number of refugees to be accepted for fiscal year 2018 was due by Sept. 30.
Since 1996, the number of refugees admitted has fluctuated between 70,000 and 90,000 annual-ly. The number of refugees to be accepted each year is determined by the president under the Refugee Act, which was signed into law in 1980 by President Jimmy Carter. The act amended earlier law, created a permanent and systematic procedure to admit refugees, and established a process for reviewing and adjusting the refugee ceiling to meet emergencies.
Share the Journey looks to mobilize people quickly. Soon after the opening, the campaign is call-ing for a week of prayer and action for migrants and refugees Oct. 7-13.
Special prayers at Masses, prayer vigils, simulation exercises, school announcements, lesson plans and speaking events are among the activities suggested as ways to learn about people on the move.
Similar activities will be taking place worldwide throughout the campaign, Rosenhauer said.
"It is a reflection of the Holy Father's leadership, but it's also a reflection of the commitment of leaders around the church around the world," she explained.
Nearly three dozen cardinals, archbishops and bishops as of Sept. 25 have pledged to participate in the campaign, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami addressed the concepts of the Share the Journey cam-paign in an op-ed column Aug. 28 in the Sun Sentinel in Broward County, Florida.
"'Share the Journey' invites us to see through the eyes of others rather than turning a blind eye," he wrote. "As Pope Francis says, 'Not just to see but to look. Not just to hear but to listen. Not just to meet and pass by but to stop. And don't just say, 'What a shame, poor people,' but to al-low ourselves to be moved by pity.'"
The campaign will take advantage of specially designated days throughout the year to raise awareness, including the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12; Lent; the church's observance of National Migration Week in January; World Refugee Day June 20 and the September 2018 United Nations meeting to consider two global compacts on refugees and migration.
There also is an advocacy component to Share the Journey, Rosenhauer said, giving U.S. Catho-lics the opportunity to take what they learn about migrants and refugees and approach federal policymakers to better allocate international assistance to address the factors that cause people to flee.
Together with Catholics worldwide, the U.S. organizers said they hope the campaign will begin to ease the burdens under which migrants and refugees live.
"We're mobilizing the worldwide Catholic Church to serve," Witte said. "There are so many net-works that the Catholic Church already has that we can infuse an opportunity allow them to live their baptismal call and to stand up for the most vulnerable."
— Dennis Sadowski, Catholic News Service
CHARLOTTE — Several parishes in the diocese have turned to a uniquely Catholic Vacation Bible School alternative and aren’t looking back.
“Growing with the Saints really packages our Catholic faith in a way that is memorable for these kids. It teaches them in a way that really sticks with them,” said Danielle Mathis, director of summer catechesis programs at St. Ann Church in Charlotte.
For the past six years, children at St. Ann Church have been exploring their faith through Catholic Kidz Camps. These uniquely all-Catholic Vacation Bible School curricula were developed by Growing with the Saints Inc., a family-company based in Indiana, said marketing manager Susan Lawson. They were developed by Lawson’s sister, Melissa Kaiser, a mother of seven who wanted to fill a need for Catholic-specific vacation Bible school.
“Our goal was to make a Catholic VBS with all the same wonderful elements, and really teach our faith, evangelize and bring home Catholic teaching through the children,” Lawson said. “These are comprehensive, quality, Scripture-based programs that talk about the saints by name and the Eucharist, in the music, in the skits – all throughout.”
Pictured: Children at St. Eugene Church participate in Adoration during “Tracking Mary" camp. (Photo provided by Tracy Jedd.)
While many parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte use Totus Tuus as their summer Catholic youth program, some have been using Protestant Vacation Bible School lessons which teach general Christian lessons like “God loves” and “Jesus forgives” but are not tailored to the Catholic faith.
St. Ann Church, St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton and St. Eugene Church in Asheville are among the more than 1,000 parishes nationwide using Catholic Kidz Camp programs.
“If these programs can reach our children, they can be the best evangelizers. If this material can get in the children’s hands, we can try to bring parents back as active participants in their faith,” Lawson said. “We want people to fall in love with their faith again.”
After using Protestant-based camps, catechetical leaders at St. Ann Church decided they wanted their camps to provide solid Catholic catechesis, build the faith community and use the gifts of the parish’s teens. Mathis said they explored Totus Tuus, but it didn’t meet their goals.
That’s when they found Growing with the Saints programs, which is simple for adult and teen volunteers to lead the lessons and it didn’t take “tailoring” to fit with the faith lessons important to the parish, Mathis said.
“The children who participate, the teens who volunteer, and their parents grow in richness through these programs,” Mathis said. “It embraces Catholic tradition. It’s deep, but easy to grasp programs and materials.”
The coordinator of Faith Formation and Edge at St. Eugene Church in Asheville, Tracy Jedd, also found Catholic Kidz Camp’s programs while searching online. She used the latest program, “Tracking Mary,” for this past summer’s camp. The parish had been among those using a Protestant-based VBS for many years.
“I was excited when I saw it,” Jedd said. “It was well-written. I didn’t have to change anything out of it like the others programs I’ve used. It was so refreshing to get it and be able to use it right out of the box.”
She said she didn’t need to change much, but it was easy to adapt. St. Eugene used a large group, then smaller group format, instead of individual classes.
“The Marian program spoke to me and we just had the Our Lady of Fatima statue come through our parish, so it was a cool tie-in for the kids,” Jedd said.
It’s definitely Catholic, she said, and she liked that the program gave the children a chance for Eucharistic Adoration. Jedd said she was apprehensive at first that the children would cooperate.
“I was going to have them do something different, but something told me to set up for Adoration. We did it spur of the moment, and the kids responded to it wonderfully,” Jedd said.
“They were quiet. I used it as a teaching moment, so they knew what Adoration was and what they’re supposed to do. I told them they could come up and kneel. I was expecting maybe a couple would. The whole altar, the kids were wrapped around it, on their knees.”
Jedd said she really felt the Holy Spirit present throughout the week and especially during the children’s Adoration time.
Catholic Kidz Camp goes beyond the “throwaway” lessons good for only one use during a week-long camp. Lessons could be pulled from “Tracking Mary” and used in May or October in honor of Mary, for example.
“We’ll keep it around and use it as we can,” Jedd said.
St. Dorothy Church found the program while looking for Marian content to use to supplement the VBS plans for the Fatima anniversary, said Director of Religious Education Meg Barrett. “It was really solid. Really Catholic and really fun, for us and for the kids.”
They hope to try one of the other programs next year, Barrett said.
Five other Growing with the Saints camps have been developed since 2012: “Vatican Express” featuring St. Jerome; “Assorted Saints and the Virtues of Faith, Hope and Love”; “Parade Around the Our Father” featuring St. Joseph of Cupertino; “Set Sail with the Holy Trinity” featuring St. Patrick; and “Parachute with the Angels and St. Catherine Laboure.”
St. Ann Church has taught all six camps and will continue to rotate through the camps and look to try others as they’re developed in the future, Mathis said. St. Eugene will definitely use another of the Growing with the Saints programs next summer, Jedd said.
To a parish considering using a Growing with the Saints program, Mathis encourages them to investigate the resources available.
“The creators of these have poured their heart and soul into the material,” Mathis said. “They’re fulfilling a niche that was needed.”
— Kimberly Bender, online reporter
Learn more
At www.growingwiththesaints.com: Learn more about these Catholic-based Vacation Bible School and catechetical programs