‘His resurrection is His answer to our cry for help’
‘His resurrection is His answer to our cry for help’CHARLOTTE — “The risen Christ says apply my victory to each one, and baptize them.”
This was the message proclaimed by Bishop Peter Jugis April 15 as he celebrated the Easter vigil Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral, which was filled with young and old at dusk to greet the Light of the World.
The liturgy began with the blessing of the Paschal fire and lighting of the Paschal candle at the Marian grotto outside the cathedral. Then hundreds of faithful processed behind Bishop Jugis – candles in hand – into the darkened cathedral to hear the Exsultet chanted.
After the Scripture readings and psalms, the cathedral’s lights were turned on and bells were rung as the faithful sang the Gloria.
“The resurrection of Jesus from the dead – easily the greatest of all the miracles that Jesus performed, raising Himself from the dead,” Bishop Jugis said in his homily. “The Gospel readings give us the eyewitness accounts of those who saw Jesus nailed on to the cross. And then saw Him die on the cross, breathe His last, and then saw Him buried.”
And then the Gospels go on to give the eyewitness accounts who saw the risen Christ with their own eyes, who not only saw Him but spoke with Him, carried on conversations with Him, touched Him with their own hands and ate with Him, Bishop Jugis said.
“The resurrection is real. The eyewitness accounts that we have verify Jesus is risen from the dead. Jesus came to our rescue and He saved us,” he continued in his homily. “We all know what it means to help someone, to come to someone’s rescue. When someone has been hurt or injured or maybe in distress of any kind. Possibly you’ve had that experience of coming to someone’s rescue.”
Jesus came to our rescue when the whole human race was crying out “Help us, help us. We’re lost. Rescue us from all this sin. Save us. Rescue us,” Bishop Jugis said.
“He did rescue us, and that is what we are celebrating this evening. He rescued us with His resurrection. He broke the stranglehold that sin and death had upon us, and He gave us new life. His resurrection is His answer to our cry for help. And here it is, the resurrection of Jesus and His promise of our own future resurrection from the dead.”
Christ’s victory over sin and death, through His resurrection, then is transmitted to each one of us through the grace He gives us in baptism.
“Why do we baptize? The answer really is quite simple: the risen Christ told us to. The risen Christ tells His disciples to go forth and teach all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Bishop Jugis continued.
“The risen Jesus, having won the victory, then tells His disciples to apply this victory to the whole human race: Baptize them through those blessed waters which shall contain His grace.”
“A real cleansing from sin takes place through the grace of baptism,” he said before welcoming one catechumen at the vigil Mass, giving him the sacraments of initiation – baptism, confirmation and Holy Communion.
as we draw close to Him this evening, and may we remain close to Him throughout these holy days that are upon us.”
— Catholic News Herald Photos by John Cosmas, correspondent.
‘Mary shows us the way’
BELMONT — “Mary shows us the way… Keep looking towards Him, Don’t take your eyes off of Him.”
Those were the words of Bishop Peter Jugis to more than 1,000 youth and their chaperones at the 13th annual Bishop’s Lenten Youth Pilgrimage April 1 at Belmont Abbey College.
“She is totally for Jesus. There is no 50 percent. There is no 75 percent. She is 100 percent for Jesus. She gives everything to Him. Isn’t that what all Catholics should do – be totally for Jesus?” Bishop Jugis said to them during his Holy Hour homily.
His annual youth event, the Bishop’s Lenten Youth Pilgrimage – a component of the annual Eucharistic Congress – shares the annual September Eucharistic Congress theme which is based on the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary spoken in the Gospel of Luke 1:46: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.”
Bishop Jugis shared with the youth that the Diocese of Charlotte is celebrating a special “Year of Mary” in honor of the centennial anniversary of the Blessed Virgin Mary appearing to three children in Fatima, Portugal.
He pointed out during his Holy Hour homily that when looking at the Gospels, “Mary is always looking at her Son with great love. Who better than Mary to teach us to give everything to Jesus?” he said.
“She is someone who was totally, completely, with every ounce of her being consecrated to Him. She is a great model and a great one to show us how to do it, how to follow her example.
“We should ask her to help us to have purity of mind and heart, so that our mind and heart are given over completely to Jesus’ service. Whether we are at home, at school, or in extracurricular activities, remember that we are totally for Jesus and Mary is showing us how.”
Bishop Jugis said that we should ask Mary to help us and show us how to be more humble, just as she was, and as she is, because she called herself the lowly servant of God.
“Imagine that? The Mother of God calling herself a humble, lowly servant!” he exclaimed.
Youth from more than 45 parishes attended the day-long event. They enjoyed live music from musician and songwriter Kevin Heider, and a vocations fair.
Jimmy Mitchell, a Catholic speaker, composer and musician, served as emcee and speaker for the high school men’s track.
Eucharistic Adoration, confession and a Eucharistic Procession around the historic Belmont Abbey College campus were also highlights of the annual pilgrimage.
Juan Diego, an eighth-grader from Holy Family Church in Clemmons, attended the event for the first time.
“I like it a lot,” he said. “It’s my first time. I think Belmont Abbey is a beautiful church.”
Cameron, a ninth-grade parishioner at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury, shared, “It’s a nice experience being at Belmont Abbey campus and being with the monks, priests and other youth our age.”
Some middle school and high school youths from St. Helen Mission in Spencer Mountain were waiting patiently in the long line for confession during the day. “We enjoyed Mass,” they said.
Chris Beal, diocesan regional faith formation coordinator, helped coordinate the Bishop’s Lenten Youth Pilgrimage.
“Every year it has grown and grown,” Beal explained. “This year we have over 1,000 people represented. There are about 800 kids, 150 chaperones and 75 college volunteers from Belmont Abbey College.
“One of the best moments for me was seeing a line a mile long for the opportunity to go to confession during this Lenten season," he said. "We had at least 10 priests that spent their day for the most part hearing confessions! We had lines around the corner to hear confessions.”
Before the conclusion of his homily, Bishop Jugis reiterated Mary’s important role in growing closer to Christ.
“She will show you the path to follow, and it is very simple,” he said. “To become more like Jesus she’ll show you the way, and that is the rosary. In the rosary, as you are reflecting in the mysteries and the events in the life of Jesus, she is leading you to Him, to grow closer to Him.
“And that is the way she does it. By giving yourself totally to her, she takes you right to Him.”
— SueAnn Howell and Rico DeSilva, Catholic News Herald
HUNTERSVILLE — Parishioners of St. Mark Church experienced a spirit-filled parish Lenten mission March 13-15. Led by volunteer coordinator Jean Whelan, more than 1,000 people came each night to hear the message of Divine Mercy given by Father Christopher Alar (pictured) and Father Michael Gaitley from the Marians of the Immaculate Conception.
Additionally, several hundred people came to Mass each morning when Father Alar gave an extended homily on Monday and Tuesday, and Father Gaitley on Wednesday.
Father Gaitley is director of evangelization for the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception and director of formation for the Marian Missionaries of Divine Mercy; and Father Alar is director of the Association of Marian Helpers.
This was the first time they led a joint Lenten mission. There was a large selection of books and DVDs for purchase, but the parish mission completely sold out of Father Gaitley’s book “33 Days to Merciful Love,” a do-it-yourself retreat preparation for Consecration to Divine Mercy.
Only in its second year, the consecration began March 21 and ends on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 23. All proceeds from books sales were given to the Marian Missionaries of Divine Mercy.
— Photo provided by Amy G. Burger
HENDERSONVILLE — A diverse group of 20 couples from the Charlotte area, Denver, Shelby, Asheville, Greensboro and even as far as Greenville, S.C., participated in a 25-hr. “Marriage Getaway” at the Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville Feb. 4-5. The Catholic couples retreat was the first of its kind in the Diocese of Charlotte.
“We had each age category covered, with multiple couples in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and I think one even in their 80s,” said Richard Caron, part of the organizing team who also attended the retreat with his wife.
The weekend retreat was sponsored by Regnum Christi of Greater Charlotte-Triad-Upstate SC, a Catholic lay movement. The first part of the retreat ended with Eucharistic Adoration, and couples had the opportunity to spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament afterwards. The next day, they attended Sunday Mass, more talks in the afternoon and a final blessing and departure.
Legionary of Christ Father Martin Connor was the retreat master. Three married couples from the Archdiocese of Atlanta also helped lead the event.
On the present needs of marriage couples, Caron noted, “Look at the struggles many couples are having based on what the secular world is promoting, such as individuals to be selfish, including ‘if you are not happy, get a divorce.’ Instead, for example, give and do everything for your husband or wife and ask for nothing in return. The evenings and getaway offer suggestions and tools on how to build a stronger (Catholic) marriage.”
Paul and Sofia Salerno were married Aug. 27, 2016, by Father Connor. The Salernos are in their early 20s, but have been committed to their faith and marriage since their wedding day. “We may only be 25 and newlyweds, but it was greatly recommended that we attend the retreat,” Sofia Salerno said.
She shared her major takeaway from the event: “Father Connor told us, in one of the talks, to look at our spouse and to realize that this person will hurt us, disappoint us, and because of that we need true love through Christ which will then help us to forgive and love our spouse.”
Cindy Burk, who has been married 47 years and was one the retreat organizers, said it is imperative for couples of any age to find their down time.
“Whatever our ages are or however long we’ve been married, we all need to step away from the distractions of life (job, kids, the house, etc.) and come into the quiet to reflect on where we have been and what comes next.”
Burk added, “The major takeaway from the 25-Hour Retreat is the importance of me being a continual ‘student’ of my spouse. The more spiritually attuned I am, the more I will be aware, see and hear the person in front of me and the God within. Marriage is a three-way partnership, and the more intentional I am in prayer, in sharing of myself and in forgiving, the more real our love will be to this world.”
Caron said he plans to promote more events of this kind in the area. “We have had three other evening events in the last nine months that the major topic was on building and strengthening marriages. We advertised in parish bulletins, Catholic groups in the diocese and word of mouth/personal invitations from Regnum Christi members.”
He said he next two “couples night out” events will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 28, at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro, and a “Marriage Event” for the greater Charlotte area from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Gas-tonia.
— Rico De Silva, Hispanic Communications Reporter
CHARLOTTE — After a nationwide search, the board of directors of MiraVia has selected Debbie Capen, former assistant director of the organization, to lead MiraVia in wake of the retirement of longtime executive director Jeannie Wray.
MiraVia, which began as Room At The Inn in 1994, helps abortion-vulnerable women choose life and build independent, healthy lives for themselves and their children. MiraVia offers life skills classes, material assistance and moral support to the women who come to them for help – free of charge. Since its founding, MiraVia has helped nearly 7,000 women and their children at its outreach facility in Charlotte.
In 2012, it opened a 10,000-square-foot maternity home next to Belmont Abbey College which can house up to 15 young women with an unplanned pregnancy who want to complete their college education and care for their babies. To date, MiraVia has provided this free housing to 13 mothers and 10 children.
Jordan Raniszeski, president of the MiraVia board of directors, shared the news of Capen’s selection on MiraVia’s website.
“Debbie’s experiences as the former chairperson of Charlotte Right to Life, and time spent working with organizations like North Carolina Right to Life, Silent No More and 40 Days for Life, as well as her nine years of experience at MiraVia, make her uniquely suited to lead our organization,” he said.
Capen recalls how she first became involved in the work of MiraVia.
“In 2001 my husband Jon and I were invited to our first MiraVia banquet (then Room At The Inn), and I was profoundly touched by the beauty and passion of the mission,” she said. “That night, I felt a strong call to do more to help women choose life for their babies. It was then that Jon and I began seeking out more meaningful ways to volunteer and help advance the culture of life.”
When she joined MiraVia in 2008 as its assistant director, it was an opportunity to live out her Catholic faith through service, she said.
“Each day has been a blessing. Over the past nine years, I have seen first-hand what can be accomplished when people of faith work together to help the most vulnerable members of our society. Each mother and child we serve is a living testament to the love of God.
“It is an honor to be a part of MiraVia and I look forward to carrying on its life-saving mission,” she said.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter