ROME — Seminarian Michael J. Carlson was conferred the ministry of acolyte Feb. 26 during Mass in the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception at the Pontifical North American College.
Bishop David Kagan of Bismarck, N.D., an alumnus of the Pontifical North American College, celebrated the Mass. During his homily, he reminded Carlson and the 62 other second-year seminarians that their new responsibility of serving at the altar, their second-to-last step before being ordained priests, is one to be shouldered with a spirit of humility.
“Remember that your service is never to be about you ... for the people of God whom you will serve look to you to model fidelity, devotion and humble joy in your service to Almighty God, and what a privilege you have in this vocation,” he said.
As part of the rite, the bishop placed the paten, which contains the hosts for the celebration of Mass, in the hands of each candidate and said, “Take this vessel with bread for the celebration of the Eucharist. Make your life worthy of your service at the table of the Lord and of His Church.”
The seminarians will have two more years of theological studies and spiritual formation before being considered for ordination to the priesthood.
The Pontifical North American College serves as the American seminary in Rome. Founded in 1859 by Blessed Pius IX, the college has formed more than 5,000 priests near the heart of the Church for service in dioceses around the United States, Canada and Australia.
— Pontifical North American College
GREENSBORO — Anyone who teaches the faith to others – including parents, catechists, other teachers and parish staff, and clergy – is invited to a Marian-themed catechetical conference coming up Saturday, March 25.
The one-day conference at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center, entitled “Forming Disciples After the Heart of Mary: Catechesis for Discipleship and Evangelization,” is being organized by the Education Vicariate of the Diocese of Charlotte. It will feature speakers from both the diocese and the Denver-based Augustine Institute, which aims to teach the faith and equip Catholics for the New Evangelization.
Conference-goers can participate in any of four program tracks: adult faith formation, catechists and educators, parish evangelization, and a Spanish-language track.
The Adult Faith Formation track will include topics such as “The Baptismal Catechumenate as the Model for Adult Faith Formation” and “Effective Pastoral Leadership for Adult Faith Formation.”
The Catechists and Educators track will include topics such as “Our Hearts were Burning Within Us: A Biblical Paradigm for Evangelization and Catechesis,” “Key Catechetical Methods for the New Evangelization” and “Being Imitators of Christ: The Spirituality of the Catechist.”
The Parish Evangelization track will include topics such as “Becoming a Church of Missionary Disciples,” “Building & Sustaining a Parish Evangelization Team,” “How to Effectively Lead Small Discipleship Groups” and “Parish Evangelization/Outreach Strategies.”
In the Spanish-language track, topics include: “Ser imitadores de Cristo: la espiritualidad del catequista,” “Proclamando las escrituras: haciendo eco a la palabra de Dios,” “Integrando las tradiciones culturales en la catequesis” and “Convirtiéndonos en una iglesia de discípulos misioneros.”
The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mass will be celebrated by Monsignor Mauricio West, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, at 9 a.m.
The keynote address for the conference, entitled “The New Evangelization – The Extraordinary Mission of Our Time,” will be given by Lucas Pollice of the Augustine Institute. Pollice is the director of program development and associate professor of theology and catechetics at the Augustine Institute.
Other speakers include: Michelle Nilsson, associate director of evangelization and catechesis with the Diocese of Madison, Wis.; Scott Sollom, professor of theology at Franciscan University and coordinator of Campus RCIA; and Martha Toon, director of faith formation in Olathe, Kan., and a catechist with the School Of Faith Institute; Father Fidel Melo, Vicar of Hispanic Ministry for the Charlotte diocese; and Deacon Mark Mejias from Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro.
The registration fee is $25 per person and includes lunch and coffee breaks. Vendors and other amenities will be available throughout the conference.
For more information or to register, go to www.charlottediocese.org/ev/dcc
Questions? Call the Education Vicariate office at 704-370-3244.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
HICKORY — The Development Office of Diocese of Charlotte will host a Diocesan Stewardship Conference Saturday, March 25, at St. Aloysius Church in Hickory.
Anyone interested in embracing stewardship as a way of life will benefit from attending the conference, which aims to provide inspiration, information and motivation for promoting stewardship in all areas of parish life.
The conference will feature two tracks: one for beginners and another for those who have been practicing stewardship in their parishes for a number of years. Each track will offer workshops, presentations and discussions around stewardship, and innovative parish programs.
Father Patrick Sheedy, pastor of Blessed Trinity Church in Ocala, Fla., will be the keynote speaker. Blessed Trinity has been a “total stewardship” parish since 1992. Under Father Sheedy’s leadership, the parish has grown spiritually, has experienced a significant increase in parishioner involvement and giving, maintained Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, and has become involved in numerous outreach projects locally, nationally and internationally.
Pre-registration is $16, on-site registration is $20, and includes conference materials, lunch and snack.
For details and registration information, go to www.charlottediocese.org/development. Questions about the conference can be directed to Kerry Ann Tornesello, associate development director, at 704-370-3302 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— Catholic News Herald
The season of Lent is marked by many traditions among Catholics in the United States. Symbolized by its ubiquitous card board box, CRS Rice Bowl has been a tradition for generations of Catholics.
Beginning in 1975 as a response to a growing famine in Africa, CRS Rice Bowl today shines a light on the Catholic community’s commitment to poor and vulnerable families – our brothers and sisters. Their lives are improving in meaningful, measurable ways through the humanitarian programs and services provided by Catholic Relief Services and the Church around the world.
This year, CRS Rice Bowl provides a path for Catholics in the United States to build, what Pope Francis calls “a culture of encounter.” By following the daily Lenten calendar, sharing the weekly stories of hope, and making the meatless meals, participants will follow a personal journey that leads to us seeing ourselves in the faces of our neighbors, cultivating a spirit of global solidarity and encountering God’s love anew.
Pope Francis told Catholic leaders that the “ability to see yourselves in the faces of others, this daily proximity to their share of troubles and their little acts of heroism: this is what enables you to practice the commandment of love, not on the basis of ideas or concepts, but rather on the basis of genuine interpersonal encounter.”
“We do not love concepts or ideas,” the pope said. “We love people.”
“CRS Rice Bowl is about people and the hope we have for each other. It’s about our ability to encounter our neighbors no matter where they live, to love them as God loves us,” said Joan Rosenhauer, executive vice president of U.S. Operations for CRS. “At a time when there is so much conflict in the world, this Lenten program gives people of all ages a way to respond to human suffering with compassion and action. To learn the names and stories of our brothers and sisters, to include them in our prayers, to contribute our Lenten sacrifices so they can live better, healthier lives; this is the way we deepen our faith, building a culture of encounter and holding up the dignity of each and every one of us.”
For more than 40 years, CRS Rice Bowl has provided an inspired collection of resources for families, parishes and Catholic schools to incorporate into their Lenten season. With CRS Rice Bowl, each week of Lent is a new opportunity to meet a family from a different country overseas, hear their personal stories, learn about their culture and experience a meatless meal they serve at home. Each Lenten story illustrates a principal of Catholic social teaching – an essential element of Catholic faith that says every human being is created in the image of God and redeemed by Jesus Christ, and therefore is invaluable and worthy of respect as a member of the human family.
“We want to meet people where they are in their day-to-day lives, in schools, in parishes and on the go. CRS Rice Bowl is an easy to use tool that helps people deepen their Lenten journey by participating in our Lenten traditions – prayer, fasting and alms giving – in a time and way that suits them best. For some families this means following the Lenten calendar at home, for others it means downloading the App, or making the Lenten recipes, or watching the Lenten stories of hope on their tablets – any way people choose is a good way to make this Lent a season to encounter ourselves, our neighbors and our God and serve the poor around the world,” said Beth Martin, program director for U.S. Operations.
CRS Rice Bowl is global in its reach, bringing tangible goods and services to people in need around the world. Twenty-five percent of all contributions stay in local dioceses to support hunger and poverty prevention programs such as community gardens, food pantries, soup kitchens, support groups and job centers. The remaining 75 percent goes to support CRS’ humanitarian and development pro-grams overseas, providing life-saving assistance and hope to impoverished and vulnerable communities.
Resources available online
Catholic Relief Services has a lot of resources for you and your family this Lenten season. Besides the traditional CRS Rice Bowl cardboard bowl kit you can download online, there is a free mobile app, daily Lenten reflections, “Stories of Hope” from people who have been aided by CRS, a video series exploring the meaning of Lent, and meatless recipes from the countries featured each Lent. All materials are available in English and Spanish.
FAMILY LENTEN KITS
Fasting from meat on Fridays during Lent helps us “acquire a mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2043). Fasting is meant to free us. It helps us feel our physical hunger, and in turn, our spiritual hunger for the infinite love found only in God. When you’ve cleaned your plate, put the money you saved by not buying meat – an average of $3 per person per meal – into your CRS Rice Bowl to feed our brothers and sisters in need around the world. It takes just $1 per day ($40) to provide a family with food for one month.
Go to www.crsricebowl.org/families for prayer resources and activities to use during dinner, in the car on the way to school or whenever you have just a few moments to gather together, pause and pray. Download a family kit to make your own CRS Rice Bowl, print Lenten-themed placemats, activity sheets and coloring pages, a Lenten calendar, prayer cards and more.
FREE MOBILE APP
Bring Lent into your life anytime, anywhere with CRS’ free Rice Bowl app for both Android and Apple devices. It features videos, recipes, reflections and a collection of “Stories of Hope” from people around the world helped by CRS. Join the conversation on social media, receive daily Lenten reflections on your device, set and track progress towards a personal Lenten goal, and use a variety of simple, meatless recipes to prepare and share on Fridays throughout Lent.
Go to www.crsricebowl.org or download the free app from the iTunes or Google Play stores.
STORIES OF HOPE
For each of the six weeks of Lent, download a recipe and read a story from a different country, focusing on a family or individual – lives that are being changed for the better by a CRS program. Each story illustrates a principle of Catholic Social Teaching and makes the connection between the gift of service and our faith – the “what” with the “why” of charity.
Go to www.crsricebowl.org/stories-of-hope/week-1.
DAILY REFLECTIONS
CRS Rice Bowl will offer daily reflections for each day of Lent, from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday. Go to www.crsricebowl.org/daily-reflections.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS DIGITAL RETREAT
One-minute video reflections immerse you in Jesus’ walk to Calvary.
VIDEO SERIES: ‘HOW TO PRACTICE LENT’
So, what is Lent? A series of videos featuring Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, Jesuit Father James Martin, Christopher West, Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles, CRS staffer Thomas Awaipo, Kerry Weber of America Magazine, CRS President/CEO Dr. Carolyn Woo and others seek to answer this question from different angles. Go to www.crsricebowl.org/about/how-to-practice-lent to watch the entire series.
How to give
If your parish or school participates in the CRS Rice Bowl campaign, giving guidelines are provided. You can also give directly to CRS Rice Bowl securely online at www.crsricebowl.org; by phone at 1-877-435-7277; or mail to CRS Rice Bowl, P.O. Box 17090, Baltimore, MD 21297-0303.
MOUNT HOLLY — Preserving history was important to the late Carlton Heil, a Queen of Apostles Church member of Irish descent. In his later years he helped take care of St. Joseph and Mary Church, one of North Carolina’s oldest Catholic churches built by Irish settlers back in 1843.
Adjacent to the historic wooden church is the grave of Father T.J. Cronin, the founding pastor, who died shortly before the church was completed. St. Joseph and Mary Church is one of the two oldest standing Catholic churches in North Carolina.
When Heil passed away last fall, he left a bequest of $2,000 to help care for the beloved old church where Father Cronin lived and died.
“Given in the true spirit of stewardship, the gift will go to help maintain Father Cronin’s original dream for the Irish community,” said Ray-Eric Correira, director of planned giving for the Diocese of Charlotte.
The historic church is currently maintained by the diocese with help from local residents and groups such as the Ancient Order of Hibernians, who gather for Mass at the church every year on St. Patrick’s Day and other important feast days connected to Irish heritage.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians is an Irish Catholic fraternal organization which is open to practicing Catholics of Irish decent. Their goals are to foster the history, culture and traditions of the Irish people, support the Church and its clergy, and defend life.
Joe Dougherty, president of the N.C. state board of the AOH, knew Heil and saw first-hand his devotion to the upkeep of the old church.
“I knew Carl and worked with him for six years or so,” Dougherty said. “For the past six years, the two divisions of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Ladies AOH had a Mass celebrated at St. Joseph’s on March 17, in honor of St. Patrick and the Irish immigrants that built the church.”
As Heil was the caretaker of St. Joseph’s, he was the person the order worked with to organize the annual Mass, Dougherty said.
“Carl would come to the church each time to open the church and help in any way he could. He cared so much about St. Joseph’s and its upkeep. He would stay until the last person left, but did not make anyone rush. He would answer any questions about the church that was asked of him, and he knew everything.”
“More and more people are making gifts to the Church in their estates – some making gifts in the thousands, others in the millions. We are grateful for gifts of any amount to help support the Church,” said Jim Kelley, diocesan devel-opment director.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Pictured: St. Joseph and Mary Church in Mount Holly is one of the oldest Catholic churches in N.C. The Ancient Order of Hibernians coordinate an annual St. Patrick’s Day Mass there every March 17.
