CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter Jugis stressed two words in his homily for Ash Wednesday: repent and atone. This Year of Mercy is the perfect time to perform works of mercy to atone for sin, he said during Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte Feb. 10 to mark the start of Lent.
"Two words I would like to leave with you this afternoon as we celebrate Ash Wednesday: the first word being 'repent,' which is the message of Ash Wednesday," Bishop Jugis said. "We heard in the first reading, 'Return to the Lord your God.' In other words, repent and do penance for your sins."
"Repentance is so important, of course, because when it happens the Lord gives us a new heart and a new spirit. That's ultimately what He wishes of us: to be recreated constantly, daily, to receive that new heart which His grace always creates within us. For Him to do that in us requires repentance," he said. "We must repent."
All of the cathedral's Ash Wednesday Masses, like many such services across the Diocese of Charlotte, were standing-room only. Clergy, including Bishop Jugis, emphasized the importance of repentance in seeking God's mercy. Receiving ashes on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday, they said, is a tangible, external sign of repentance and an interior conversion of heart that is taking place.
"The Lord expects that there will be a match-up between what is demonstrated externally in the ashes, and is what is taking place internally in the heart, that repentance actually is taking place," Bishop Jugis noted.
"About six weeks ago on Jan. 1 -- from this very pulpit -- I proposed a worthy New Year's resolution that we all might want to follow: holiness. Certainly, repentance from our sins and asking forgiveness for our sins is an integral part of holiness," he said.
Bishop Jugis said that if we really want to be holy, as Jesus asks of us, we have to be busy and serious about that work of repenting of our sins.
"Remember what Jesus said as He hung upon the cross? 'Father, forgive them.' Beautiful words which transcend all time and all place! He is saying in His crucifixion, His suffering, His death and His resurrection that all of that is taking place for the forgiveness of sins. And from that suffering, from that agony, He pronounces forgiveness for us. Forgiveness for the human race."
Bishop Jugis stressed that it is important during this season of Lent to keep our eyes on the crucified Lord. And remember those words that He spoke out of love for us: "Father, forgive them."
"That forgiveness is yours when you turn to Him. So let us go to confession to receive that grace of forgiveness," he said.
The second word Bishop Jugis asked the faithful to remember during Lent is "atone."
"Not only do we repent of our sins but then we must atone for our sins, the Lord asks of us. What a beautiful year we have in the Jubilee Year of Mercy, to dedicate ourselves to works of mercy which are a most beautiful way to atone for our sins!" he said. "To atone for every way we have been disobedient to God's will. To atone for all the ways we have been selfish, self-centered in a sinful way -- to perform those works of mercy -- to atone."
Bishop Jugis listed works of mercy we can all engage in this Lent: feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and the imprisoned, burying the dead, counseling the doubtful, instructing the ignorant, admonishing sinners, comforting the afflicted, forgiving offenses and bearing wrongs patiently.
"All these beautiful works of mercy show how we can atone for all we have done wrong," he said. "Let us now ask God to bless us as we begin this most important season of repentance."
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
CHARLOTTE — Richard A. Lucey, retired general counsel for the Diocese of Charlotte, passed away on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016.
The visitation and prayer service will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6, at McEwen Funeral Service-Pineville Chapel, 10500 Park Road in Charlotte.
The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Road in Charlotte. A reception will follow the Mass.
He was born Oct. 28, 1941, in Springfield, Mass., the son of the late John F. and Margaret A. Lucey. Upon graduation from Fairfield University in Connecticut, he went on to earn a Juris Doctorate at Fordham University Law School in New York. Just after law school, he worked in New York City and in 1970 accepted a transfer to Charlotte, a place he and his family would call home.
After pursuing a private law practice, he was asked to serve as the general counsel for the Diocese of Charlotte beginning in 1992, a position he held until retiring in January. After his retirement, he continued to serve the diocese until June.
He also spent much of his time and service as a court-appointed attorney in juvenile court. In 2013, he was honored by the Mecklenburg County Bar with a Distinguished Service Award for his three decades of service to families in juvenile court: http://bit.ly/2cNpn2u
The Lucey family became active members of St. Vincent De Paul Church in 1970. He was also a cantor and dedicated member of the parish choir. His passions included golfing, gardening, the Red Sox, the Carolina Panthers and Notre Dame football.
Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his sister Peggy and sister-in-law Nancy.
He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Mary Jo; their six children, Kathy (Joe), Kevin (Amanda), Jim (Hayley), Danny, Margaret and Kelly (Alexis); grandchildren,
Christopher, Stephen, Brian, Laura, Davis, James, Mary Elizabeth, Sean and Amos; and his siblings Jack, Mary (Charlie), Bill (Norma) and brother-in-law Eamon.
At the request of the family, please send cards of condolence to the Diocese of Charlotte Office of the Chancery, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory can be sent to St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Road, Charlotte, NC 28210.
Online condolences may be left at www.McEwenPinevilleChapel.com.
— Catholic News Herald
Related: Mecklenburg County Bar honors diocesan attorney
Capuchin Franciscan Father Martin Schratz and the Rev. Greg Williams of Grace Lutheran Church signed a covenant of shared understanding May 12 at Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville. (Photo provided by Margaret Cavagnaro)HENDERSONVILLE — Catholics and Lutherans of Hendersonville recently took a step toward greater Christian unity – signing a new covenant bonding two local churches, Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church and Grace Lutheran Church.
The local covenant, signed May 12 at Immaculate Conception Church by Capuchin Franciscan Father Martin Schratz, pastor, and Pastor Greg Williams of Grace Lutheran, follows the statewide covenant between the Catholic Dioceses of Charlotte and Raleigh and the North Carolina Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. The statewide covenant was established in 1991 and reaffirmed in 2007 by Bishop Peter Jugis, Raleigh Bishop Michael Burbidge, and Bishop Leonard H. Bolick of the Lutheran Synod of North Carolina.
The covenant is based on Jesus' prayer in John 17:21 "that all may be one as you, Father, are in me and I in you: I pray that they may be one in us, so that the world may know that you have sent me."
Said Father Schratz, "We have spent too much time looking at what divides us. Now is the time to give example to the world, and even to our local community, that we share much more in common. What a great Christian witness we can be."
"While we remain two distinct families of faith for the foreseeable future, I am excited about this covenant. Martin Luther never intended to begin a new church body, only to correct some practices at that time for which he could find no support in Scripture. This covenant identifies some concrete ways to put our unity in Christ into practice locally. I look forward to the strengthened witness of our working together intentionally," said Williams.
The local covenant lays out seven objectives that emphasize praying together for Christian unity; education of their respective church groups about faith beliefs they hold in common; celebration of joint observances such as at Thanksgiving and Christian Unity services; shared Scripture study; and working together to oppose injustices and alleviate suffering in the local community.
Catholics and Lutherans have been separated for almost 500 years. However, during the past 50 years, great strides have been taken to bring about reconciliation. In 1999, the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church signed the "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" in Augsburg, Germany, proclaiming that "we are saved by God's grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, and we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works."
In 2013, the LWF and the Vatican produced a 93-page report, "From Conflict to Communion," which stresses the concepts of repentance, thanksgiving and common commitment to unity with the main focus being on Jesus Christ. It stated that the struggles and issues of the 16th century are over and that Catholics and Lutherans should go forward in a spirit of unity, "not to tell a different history, but to tell history differently. We must emphasize the beautiful faith and traditions that we share and not focus on those issues that separate us. We must let ourselves be transformed by the Holy Spirit and commit ourselves to seek visible unity and to jointly discover the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ in our time. We must also witness together God's mercy in proclamation and service to the world."
— Dr. Colin Thomas, special to the Catholic News Herald. Dr. Colin Thomas, a lay leader from Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville, was among those who coordinated the signing of the Catholic-Lutheran covenant between the parish and Grace Lutheran Church.
Gift will support nutrition in three regional food pantries
CHARLOTTE — Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Walmart State Giving Program for its WellnessWorks program. The grant funds will be used across Catholic Charities’ three regional food pantries in Charlotte, Asheville and Winston-Salem to provide people in need with fresh fruits and vegetables, proteins, dairy and items that qualify as low sodium or no added sugar. The agency will also provide nutritional guidance and information services to clients, assisting them with dietary needs. More than 13,000 people will be served through this grant.
The grant award was presented to Sharon Davis, Catholic Charities’ social work and program assurance director.
“For families struggling to keep food on the table, it’s hard to have enough nutritious food,” Davis said. “With this grant, we are able to increase our inventory of nutritionally sound foods so that our clients will be able to improve their diet.”
WellnessWorks is Catholic Charities’ program that is nutrition focused by providing healthy food and opportunities for clients to receive nutrition education and materials to enable them to make changes in their diet, shopping habits and food preparation.
“Many clients tell us that they often eat unhealthy food, but that they have no other viable options. WellnessWorks acts to change this,” Davis noted.
The mission of the Walmart Foundation is to create opportunities so people can live better, enriched lives. The foundation aims to positively impact the communities in which they serve, through grants and volunteer opportunities, to meet the needs of the under-served by directing charitable giving toward the core areas of focus: opportunity, sustainability and community.
“We are thankful for this funding from the Walmart Foundation and their partnership with us to serve our community,” Davis said.
Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte serves the poor and vulnerable regardless of race, ethnicity or religion. The agency provides a variety of services: adoption and pregnancy support, counseling, family outreach, refugee resettlement, immigration services, food pantries, economic development, disaster relief, respect life, social concerns education and advocacy.
— Kathleen Durkin, Communications Specialist
MONROE — St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks, endured physical and emotional suffering during her young life. She survived a smallpox epidemic that killed her immediate family, but suffered terrible facial scars. Raised by her uncle, the chief of her tribe, she was ridiculed and ostracized for her conversion to Catholicism at 19. Named the first Native American saint, she has become known as a powerful intercessor for young women.
Her feast day of July 14 was selected for a special retreat for young women of the diocese. Held at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, the one-day retreat was a chance for more than 80 young women to talk about their challenges in life, share their experiences, reaffirm their dignity as children of God, and deepen their faith. The parish ordered a special statue of the saint, and it arrived just in time for the event.
Father Benjamin Roberts, pastor, said he felt it was important to celebrate St. Kateri’s feast day with this retreat because he is aware of the many problems that young women suffer from in today’s culture. Those issues range from eating disorders, hypersexualization and pressure to have premarital sex, physical or emotional abuse, cutting and self-injury, and even attempted suicide.
More than 80 middle and high school aged girls from seven parishes came to the retreat, which featured talks by religious, clergy and laity, as well as Mass and time for reflection and fellowship.
“God has determined your identity as a beloved daughter,” Father Roberts told them. “No one else gets that choice – not your parents, not your friends, not the nice people at school, not the mean people at school.
“Advertisers don’t get to determine your identity. The world doesn’t get to determine your identity. Almighty God from all eternity has determined your identity and made it present and real for you at a particular moment at your baptism. So what God had planned from all eternity, He gave to you at a particular time and called you by name.”
Catholic convert Katie Holder also spoke to the young women about their physical and spiritual well-being.
In her work as a dietician, Holder treats people with eating disorders and she herself struggled with anorexia in her teens and early 20s. She is now a mother of three, with her fourth child due soon.
A parishioner of Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro, Holder and her family stay close to the sacraments, which she encouraged the young women to do – especially amid the pressure which society places on them to look perfect. She also encouraged them to stop comparing themselves to others.
“God designed you specifically how you are supposed to be,” she told them. “God doesn’t care what our outside looks like but what our inside, what our hearts look like.”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter