KANNAPOLIS — Deacon Bernardino “Wilson” Velez has been assigned by Bishop Peter Jugis as a permanent deacon at St. Joseph Church in Kannapolis, effective May 22.
Deacon Velez and his wife Maritza recently moved from Hazelton, Pa., where he served at Holy Name of Jesus Parish in West Hazelton.
Having grown up in Puerto Rico, he and his wife now live in Landis and are enjoying the milder winter months. He was ordained Nov. 27, 1999, for the Diocese of Scranton, Pa.
Deacon Velez brings with him more than 17 years of experience as a permanent deacon serving at two different parish assignments.
His service as a deacon has been extensive in the area of Hispanic ministry. As Bishop Joseph Bambera of the Diocese of Scranton said of him, “In his parish diaconal assignments, Deacon Velez carried out a vibrant apostolate to the Latino community.” Deacon Velez hopes to do the same in his assignment at St. Joseph Church.
— Catholic News Herald
CHARLOTTE — In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a description of free will begins with the words: "God created man a rational being, conferring on him the dignity of a person who can initiate and control his own actions" (1730).
Freedom, responsibility, salvation, sin – this is all heady stuff for most adults, as it requires the ability to see beyond oneself and the present moment. For teenagers, who have limited life experience and a shorter-term outlook on life, the concept of free will can be even more challenging to understand.
In local author Michelle Buckman’s latest novel, "Turning in Circles," teen sisters Savannah and Charleston, growing up just outside a sleepy coastal town, are at the age when actions and consequences can reverberate well into a future not measured in hours but in years.
The story is told from Savannah’s point of view, reflecting on and recounting events that occurred several years previously. Like most of us, Savannah understands intellectually that free will is a gift from God. She knows that each of us must choose for ourselves the voices we listen to and the actions we take, and that each of us is responsible for our own lives. Whether we choose to listen to and be guided by Holy Spirit is up to us. Our lives however, are intertwined with others, so our choices sometimes help the people around us or, just as often, become a burden for others. For Savannah, the burden is heavy indeed.
“You have to force yourself to let go of certain things,” Buckman said when asked about her hopes for this novel.
“Yes, you can influence people but you can’t change the nature of who they are,” she said. “In the end, what they do is their decision. I hope that (this story) helps some people understand that.”
Some people carry around a great deal of guilt, Buckman said, and "Turning in Circles" is about the realization that we are not guilty of something that someone else has done.
“God has given us this free will to make our choices,” she said.
“Even though we interact, we love and influence the people around us, we cannot force someone to do something against what their nature is telling them to do, and if God’s not going to force them then we can’t force them.”
"Turning in Circles" is listed as Southern fiction and not written specifically for teens, but like all good books it is a great "discussion book." It’s perfect for summer youth groups or parents or godparents and the teens in their lives, Buckman said.
“It’s a great book for discussing with teenagers about their life choices,” she said. “How they let those outside forces influence them - the groups that they’re hanging out with, the friends they choose and how they let them influence, for or against things, they know in their heart are the right thing to do.”
Buckman was born in New York, raised in Canada and now lives near the Carolina coast with her husband and five children. She is the author of seven novels, several of which have won awards both in Catholic fiction and in the secular markets. She is an international speaker, writing instructor, conference speaker and editor.
She is available to lead group discussions for parish youth groups or high school (secular and Catholic) classes. She can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and her website is www.michellebuckman.com.
— Annette K. Tenny, correspondent
Upcoming book signings
Wednesday, July 19: 6-7:30 p.m.
St. Francis Catholic Shop
649 St. Andrews Road
Columbia, S.C.
Tuesday, Aug. 15: 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Gaston County Library – Main Branch
1555 E. Garrison Blvd.
Gastonia, NC 28054
WASHINGTON, D.C. – “It’s Time! Say ‘Yes’ to God’s Plan for Married Love” is the theme of this year’s Natural Family Planning Awareness Week, a national educational campaign of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to celebrate God’s design for married love and the gift of life and to raise awareness of Natural Family Planning methods.
“NFP,” as the U.S. bishops have written, is supportive of Catholic beliefs about married love because it “respects the God-given power to love a new human life into being.” This year’s theme invites a reflection on how “now” could be a very good and acceptable time to learn more about NFP and the Church’s beautiful teachings about marriage and God’s plan for married love. Echoing the words of Pope St. John Paul II: “The moment has come for every parish and every structure of consultation and assistance to the family and to the defense of life to have personnel available who can teach married couples how to use the natural methods. For this reason I particularly recommend that bishops, parish priests and those responsible for pastoral care welcome and promote this valuable service” (“Address to Teachers of Natural Family Planning,” Dec. 7, 1996).
The dates of Natural Family Planning Awareness Week (July 23-29) highlight the anniversary of the papal encyclical “Humanae Vitae” (July 25) which articulates Catholic beliefs about human sexuality, conjugal love and responsible parenthood. The dates also mark the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne (July 26), the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Natural Family Planning is an umbrella term for certain methods used to achieve and avoid pregnancies. These methods are based on observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman’s menstrual cycle. Couples using NFP to avoid pregnancy abstain from intercourse and genital contact during the fertile phase of the woman’s cycle. No drugs, devices, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy.
NFP reflects the dignity of the human person within the context of marriage and family life, promotes openness to life, and recognizes the value of the child. By respecting the love-giving and life-giving natures of marriage, it can enrich the bond between husband and wife.
Locally, the Diocese of Charlotte’s Natural Family Planning program director, Batrice Adcock, recently trained as an instructor with a new method of fertility awareness called FEMM (Fertility Education and Medical Management).
FEMM is a comprehensive women’s health program that teaches women to understand their bodies and how to recognize hormonal and other vital signs of health. FEMM provides support through its free FEMM Health App to track health and reproductive goals.
FEMM also has a strong program for teens that teaches and encourages healthy living. Adcock will be providing workshops around the diocese for teenaged girls and their parents.
She is also completing a certification program through the Theology of the Body Institute (www.tobinstitute.org) and aims to combine FEMM’s program for healthy living, which makes use of fertility awareness, with concepts of the feminine genius and Theology of the Body.
“Feminine genius” is a term attributed to St. John Paul II, who discussed it in depth in his 1988 apostolic letter “Mulieris Dignitatem” (“On the Dignity and Vocation of Women”).
For details, contact Batrice Adcock, MSN, Natural Family Planning Program Director for Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— Catholic News Herald. USCCB contributed.
More online
At www.ccdoc.org/services/family-enrichment/natural-family-planning: Get information in English and Spanish about NFP, including a schedule of free, one-day NFP courses around the diocese; a list of NFP supportive physicians in North Carolina; and detailed information about various NFP methods and other basics.
SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. — One Sister of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., with ties to the Diocese of Charlotte is celebrating her 60th jubilee anniversary this year.
Sister Sharon Richards is a native of Owosso, Mich. Currently, she ministers as a volunteer at St. Alexander School in Palos Heights, Ill.
Sister Sharon, formerly Sister Charlene, entered the Sisters of Providence on Feb. 2, 1957, from Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
She graduated from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College with a bachelor’s degree in education. She also earned a master’s degree in education from Marygrove College in Detroit, Mich.
In the Charlotte diocese, her ministries included teaching at St. Ann School in Charlotte from 1972 to 1973, and at St. Joan of Arc School in Candler from 1973 to 1974.
Sister Sharon has also ministered in Illinois and Maryland.
The Sisters of Providence, a Congregation of nearly 300 women religious, with more than 200 Providence Associates, collaborate with others to create a more just and hope-filled world through prayer, education, service and advocacy. The Sisters of Providence have their motherhouse at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, located just northwest of downtown Terre Haute, Ind. St. Mother Theodore Guerin founded the Sisters of Providence at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in 1840. Today, Sisters of Providence minister in 17 states, the District of Columbia and Asia, through works of love, mercy and justice.
BELMONT — Young men ages 15 to 19 spent the week at Belmont Abbey College learning about vocations.
Quo Vadis Days is a five-day vocations discernment camp for young men held this year June 12-16. The camp included talks by local priests, seminarians, and others on the vocations to the priesthood, marriage, and fatherhood.
Ultimately, the goal of our Quo Vadis Days is to challenge young men to ask the fundamental question “quo vadis” or “where are you going?”, while equipping them with the tools and opportunity to discern God’s will for their life.
— Photos by Lorenzo Pedro and provided by Father John Putnam
