Capuchin Franciscan Father Martin Schratz stands outside the “Cenacle,” a new house for spiritual direction adjacent to Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville. HENDERSONVILLE — Immaculate Conception Church celebrated the opening of the “Cenacle,” a building which houses the parish’s growing Spiritual Direction Ministry. An open house was hosted Aug. 7 at the building, which is located at 718 Oakland St., one block away from the church.
The building had been most recently occupied by Ave Maria Resource Center and had also been the location where St. Gerard’s House and Grotto began. It was recently renovated after the closure of Ave Maria Resource Center.
The impetus for the Cenacle was to house the new and growing Spiritual Direction Ministry recently established at the Hendersonville parish. Four certified lay spiritual directors are currently serving the parish and the region.
The Cenacle is primarily a house of prayer for all who come. It will be used for spiritual direction, as well as for parish ministries such as Individual and Family Counseling, Healing Prayer, Unbound Prayer, Small Group Prayer Sessions and Called and Gifted Interviews.
It will offer much needed small group meeting space for the growing number of ministries at Immaculate Conception Church.
Woodley Murphy serves as the spiritual director for the “Cenacle” house in Hendersonville.
— Woodley Murphy, Special to the Catholic News Herald
Visitors at a recent open house tour the St. Ephram Room at the Cenacle. (Photos provided by Immaculate Conception Church)
‘This experience is deeply enriching my priesthood, imbuing within me a spirit of the catholicity of the Church.’
CHARLOTTE — Father Joseph Matlak, 31, is celebrating his one-year anniversary of ordination as a priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. He has recently been named administrator of the St. Basil Ukrainian Greek Catholic Mission and chaplain of Holy Trinity Middle School.
Father Matlak has a unique priesthood, as he has permission to celebrate Holy Mass (also called Divine Liturgy) in three rites: the Byzantine rite and the two forms of the Latin rite. He celebrates Mass in the Extraordinary Form (Latin Mass) at St. Thomas Aquinas Church and in the Ordinary Form (Novus Ordo) at the middle school.
He is also married, as Eastern Rite Catholic married men may be considered for ordination at their bishop’s discretion. Father Matlak and his wife Katie Ann were married in 2014.
Father Matlak expressed that he is grateful to Bishop Peter Jugis and the entire Diocese of Charlotte for “their unparalleled cordiality and hospitality. I have been received as though being one of their own, who works and strives together with them for the same goal, the glory of God and the good of His people!”
Recently we asked Father Matlak to share his vocation story with the Catholic News Herald:
CNH: Can you share some information on your background?
FATHER MATLAK: I was born on March 2, 1985, in Dunstable (Bedfordshire), England, but spent much of my childhood growing up in London Colney and Saint Albans (Hertfordshire), England. I am a cradle Catholic, born of a Ukrainian father and a Portuguese mother, both of whom were devout and practicing Catholics.
CNH: When did you realize you had a call to the priesthood?
FATHER MATLAK: I share one thing in common with St. John Paul II. We wanted to become actors before we thought about the priesthood. Nevertheless, throughout my teenage years, I always enjoyed reading theology, and I remember wanting to study theology at the university level since the age of 12.
A significant event in my early teenage years was when my father became very ill. He died in the early hours of the morning, while I was holding him in my arms and feeling his last gasps of breath upon my face. If I may be permitted to say, it was a very good and holy death. He had received the sacraments, and his family surrounded him – mourning, yes – but, most importantly, praying.
After his death, I gave myself to studying and understanding the teachings of the Catholic Church. I thoroughly enjoyed my secondary religion classes, beginning with the Gospels and then philosophy and ethics. The turning point occurred when I was 16 years old. I went on a long summer vacation to the Portuguese island of Madeira, where my mother was born and grew up. Her native village is situated high up in the mountains, and our house was within walking distance of a convent of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. I often descended those hundreds of steps, in order to visit the chapel.
I recall one day going to pray before the Lord, when, as I was leaving, I heard a high-pitched female voice that summoned my attention (and probably the rest of the village, too). It was Sister Rosa, the only one with permission to speak with guests. She asked me to come back and have a chat with her. During the course of that conversation, she advised me to return home and ask my mother’s permission to enter the seminary. I was certainly not going to upset her by saying “no” directly, and so I smiled and went on my way.
On the very next day, my aunt and I visited Funchal, the capital city of Madeira. I asked her to take me to the cathedral for daily Mass, and we stumbled in upon a priestly ordination. We remained long enough to obtain the first blessing from one of the newly ordained priests.
For the next few weeks, as I was returning to England from the summer vacation, I felt very bothered by the idea that God might be calling me to the priesthood after all. I tried my very best to ignore it, but could not quite shake the thought.
One evening, I attended Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in a neighboring parish. A devout Catholic laywoman gave me one of her books to read. I was mesmerized by a chapter describing the journey of the soul, and, in particular, by one paragraph that outlined the importance of following a vocation from God. She wrote that people could do a thousand good things in life, but that they would never bear as much fruit as they would if they were to follow their vocations.
Very shortly thereafter, I was sitting in history class, staring at the crucifix on the wall behind the teacher’s desk. In my head, I began saying “Fine, I’ll do it – just leave me alone!” From that very moment onwards, I felt enormous interior peace.
For the next two years, I encountered either discouragement or outright opposition from some of my teachers, but my family supported and encouraged me. One family member asked me, “Who is going to take care of your mother?” But I remember my mother replying, “You must go, if God is calling!”
After secondary school, I pursued undergraduate studies in ancient history at King’s College London, where I took a special interest in Byzantine history and theology. There I encountered many Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics, who helped me to appreciate and learn about that part of my heritage that was kept from me – and I have been discovering more and more people with a similar story.
That time in my life was also pivotal in the decision to discern my priestly vocation within the context of the Eastern Churches.
CNH: Where did you attend seminary?
FATHER MATLAK: I resided at St. Josaphat Seminary in Washington, D.C., while pursuing seminary studies in philosophy and theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
CNH: Where/when were you were ordained and by whom?
FATHER MATLAK: I was ordained at St. Josaphat Cathedral in Parma, Ohio, on Oct. 1, 2015, by Bishop Bohdan Danylo, the bishop of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma.
CNH: Can you explain what it means to be tri-ritual, to be able to celebrate the Mass in three rites?
FATHER MATLAK: I am a canonically a priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the largest of the Eastern Churches in full communion with the Church of Rome. I have also received faculties from the Congregation of the Eastern Churches to celebrate in the Latin rite. This means that I have permission to celebrate in both the Byzantine rite and Latin rite, of which there are two forms – the Ordinary Form and the Extraordinary Form (Missal of 1962). As a result, I find myself celebrating the Liturgy/Mass in three different rites or forms, depending upon the place and situation. This experience is deeply enriching my priesthood, imbuing within me a spirit of the catholicity of the Church.
CNH: What do you enjoy most about your priestly ministry?
FATHER MATLAK: In the priesthood, no two days are ever the same. Like any adventure, there are difficult climbs to endure, and there are pleasant valleys to admire. I am happiest at the altar of God and in that most happy ministry of the confessional. I am happy teaching in the classroom, and being there to guide a person who wants to learn more about the Church and her faith. I enjoy the fraternity among priests, whose hearts burn for the salvation of souls, as does mine.
CNH: What it is like to be a married priest?
FATHER MATLAK: According to the tradition of the Eastern Churches, a candidate for major orders has to be married before ordination to the diaconate. It is not that “priests can get married,” as is commonly assumed, but rather that married men are ordained to the priesthood.
In Eastern Christianity, monasticism is a vocation held in very high esteem. Those who discern celibacy commonly seek out a monastic community. However, after having met my wife in church, I realized that God was calling me to marry, and specifically to marry her. Thereafter, the bishop decides whether or not to ordain a married man. I may never have been ordained, and so the important thing was to discern whether or not I was called to marriage first.
My wife had not grown up in the Eastern Churches, although she was aware of them through her experience at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Ironically, she never thought she would be married to a priest. She recalls at one point emphatically telling the wife of a priest that she would never do so! As it turned out, she became my biggest champion, often encouraging me whenever I wanted to doubt that I even had a priestly vocation. (I have found that this is a common story among the wives of our priests and deacons.)
The most important thing to understand is that this is a divine vocation. It is not enough simply to “find a wife” before ordination, but rather to find the right person to marry. In our case, we both began praying for our future spouses at around the same time, and specifically to the Mother of God. While not being a priest herself, the wife of the priest certainly shares to some extent in the priestly life and ministry of her husband. She is traditionally an esteemed and revered member of the parish, and very often takes on positions of leadership and service in accordance with her abilities and talents. Therefore, it is no wonder that the wife of a priest has traditionally been given a title (Pani Dobrodyka, Pani Matka, Matushka, Presbytera, Khouria).
The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches is clear that a priestly family is called to shine forth as an example of virtue among the Christian faithful. People look to us, in order to see how we pray, how we honor and respect one another, how we raise our children, how we serve those around us, how we image the divine plan for marriage and the family. It is impossible for me to preach something from the pulpit, and then to be unfaithful to it during the rest of the week. My own homily serves as my conscience!
As with any marriage, this is a school of martyrdom (witness) and sanctification, and, as such, it is a vocation that is simultaneously joyful and challenging. But most importantly, it is a place where divine grace is very powerfully present, because it helps us put off the “old man” of pride and selfishness, and put on the “new man” of selflessness and service.
CNH: What is something people would be surprised to know about you?
FATHER MATLAK: I wanted to be an actor. I learned to play the guitar. I earned my black belt in Shotokan karate at the age of 11. I learned ballroom dancing.
CNH: Your one-year anniversary of ordination is this month. What is the biggest lesson you have learned during your first year of priesthood?
FATHER MATLAK: After the consecration in the Byzantine Rite of Ordination, the bishop breaks a particle of the Host and places it in the hands of the newly ordained priest. He then instructs the new priest to look after it with his life, for one day God will demand an account of the portion of the Church entrusted to him. The new priest then goes to the back of the altar, bows his head upon it, and meditates upon this awesome responsibility until time for Holy Communion.
The priestly vocation is masterfully designed to break a man of his pride and selfishness. Divine grace heals what is lacking within the priest, so as to mold him into the likeness of the image of God and of Christ the High Priest.
CNH: What advice would you give to a man discerning a vocation to the priesthood?
FATHER MATLAK: If you think God might be calling you to the priesthood, you will only discover the divine purpose for your life if you focus entirely upon God and the kingdom of heaven. Do not overly delay in pursuing this glorious vocation, because so many distractions and temptations are capable of making us abandon the path that God has designed especially for us. There are so many souls out there in need of a priest. Give, give, give, and you will receive a hundredfold in return!
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
Pictured: At his ordination Oct. 1, 2015, Father Joseph Matlak receives the Liturgikon, the official English translation of the Divine Liturgies, from Bishop Bohdan Danylo, the bishop of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat, during Divine Liturgy (Mass) at St. Josaphat Cathedral in Parma, Ohio. (Photos provided by Deacon Matthew Hanes)
'The true battlefield is within the human heart ... Storm and loot your hearts, not the streets, if you want true change for the good'
'The true battlefield is within the human heart ... Storm and loot your hearts, not the streets, if you want true change for the good'CHARLOTTE — After two nights of violence in Charlotte, Bishop Peter J. Jugis called on “the half-million Catholic men, women and children of the Diocese of Charlotte” to join him in prayers for “peace and justice” for all victims of violence and for law enforcement personnel who have been victims of “unjust violence.”
“Let us pray for all men and women of good will to be instruments of harmony and the always-shining light of Christ in our neighborhoods, workplaces, schools and public places,” Bishop Jugis said in a statement Sept. 22.
The protests began late Sept. 20 following the fatal police shooting of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott, an African-American, outside an apartment complex on Old Concord Road. In their statement, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Officer Brentley Vinson, who also is an African-American, perceived an “imminent deadly threat” and shot Scott. Scott later died at a local hospital.
Family members insisted that Scott was unarmed and was reading a book while waiting in the parking lot to pick up his son from a nearby school bus stop. Police said they recovered a weapon from the scene, not a book.
Vinson has been placed on administrative leave while police conduct an investigation that includes eyewitness interviews and review of police video footage.
When Scott family members took to social media to criticize police the evening of Sept. 20, people began to gather at the site of the shooting. By 11 p.m., the protest had swelled to about 1,000 people.
When some protesters began throwing rocks and smashing the windows of several police cars, police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, but people continued to protest and block roadways. Police arrested one person. More than a dozen police officers were slightly injured in the melee.
At St. Thomas Aquinas Church, just a few blocks from the scene of the police shooting and the first day of protests, about 150 people gathered to pray for peace Sept. 21.
During Wednesday evening Eucharistic Adoration and benediction, Father Patrick Winslow, pastor, offered prayers for police and for people who have suffered injustice, as well as prayers for his neighborhood and the city of Charlotte.
“Last evening we were all taken by surprise when two events collided here in Charlotte – you could even say, in our own backyard,” Father Winslow said. “One, the national ongoing concern about racism in law enforcement and, two, the incident of an African-American man who lost his life in an altercation with local police.”
“In times such as these, it is good to recall that light shines in the darkness, and it must shine through you,” Father Winslow urged parishioners. “Knowing the genuine spirit of our parishioners, I am confident that you will embrace a path of peace, prayer and charity.”
Referring to the Gospel according to St. John, Father Winslow said, “Retrospectively reflecting upon the events of Christ’s cross, His death and resurrection, he observes that the ‘light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.’
“This bold declaration refers to the triumph of the cross of Christ where the friction of human injustice set ablaze the Light of God in an otherwise dark world.”
“Since then,” Father Winslow continued, “history has made it clear that the true battlefield upon which the light vanquishes that darkness is not between nations, it is not between races, nor is it in the streets of Charlotte or any U.S. city.
“The true battlefield is within the human heart – within each of us. This is where injustice must be defeated. This is where prejudice and unjust discrimination live. This is the place from which fear and darkness enter the world. And likewise, it is the place where it can be vanquished.”
“I beg you, storm and loot your hearts, not the streets, if you want true change for the good,” he said. “Vanquish the enemy within and then you will truly help your neighbor.”
Protests turned violent for a second night Sept. 21 in uptown Charlotte, about 10 miles away from the site of the fatal police shooting.
Protester Justin Carr was shot and later died, several other people were injured, and a few businesses vandalized and looted. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police again used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
State leaders declared a state of emergency Sept. 21, triggering the North Carolina National Guard and the State Highway Patrol to assist local law enforcement in responding to the violence, and city leaders put in place a midnight curfew that was not lifted until Sept. 25.
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor
Pictured at top: Father Patrick Winslow, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, leads benediction during a prayer service Sept. 21, following a night of protests in the Charlotte parish's neighborhood that were sparked by a fatal police shooting.
Statement from The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte
After two nights of violence in the city of Charlotte I call upon the half-million Catholic men, women and children of the Diocese of Charlotte to join me in prayer.
Let us pray for peace and for justice, not only for the victims of violence in Charlotte, but for all of the victims throughout our country.
Let us pray for the members of our law enforcement organizations who have been victims of unjust violence.
Let us pray for all men and women of good will to be instruments of harmony and the always-shining light of Christ in our neighborhoods, work places, schools and public spaces.
Sisters of Mercy speak out against Charlotte violence
BELMONT — The Sisters of Mercy - South Central Community also spoke out against the violence in Charlotte Sept. 21, issuing a statement calling for everyone to follow the Golden Rule.
“We invite everyone to join us in praying for a world that is merciful, loving and without violence and inequities,” said Mercy Sister Jane Hotstream, president of the community of sisters located just west of Charlotte. “It is time for each of us to examine our hearts deeply and to find our way to treating all our neighbors as we wish to be treated.”
“Our hearts are broken by the violence and racism that continue to plague not only our local communities but our world as a whole,” Sister Jane said in the statement.
“The Sisters of Mercy believe it’s necessary to examine the root causes of these issues and seek systemic change," the statement continued. "As long as some of God’s people are denied basic human dignity and suffer from poverty, a lack of resources, and opportunities such as health care, education and fulfilling work, we will all continue to struggle with division and strife.”
— Catholic News Herald
CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte’s Lay Ministry office is sponsoring a study pilgrimage to the Holy Land Feb. 10-19, 2017. The 10-day trip is the first of its kind offered by the diocese. Dr. Frank Villaronga, diocesan director of the Lay Ministry program and Father Fidel Melo, vicar of Hispanic Ministry, will lead the pilgrimage.
The study pilgrimage is open to anyone. People who have completed the Lay Ministry program or a similar formation program are encouraged to attend. Villaronga is creating specific reflections to correspond to Scripture and the holy sites and cities on the pilgrimage route.
Pilgrims will visit Galilee, Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, Tabgha, Magdala, Tabor, Nazareth, Cana, Mount Carmel, Caesarea Maritima, Bethlehem, Jericho, Masada, the Dead Sea, Mount Zion, Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, St. Anne’s Church and Ein Karem.
“The pilgrimage begins before we get on the airplane,” Villaronga said. “I am creating some reflection materials so people can prepare ahead of time by reflecting on some of the passages mentioning the places we will be going.”
One example is a reflection Villaronga is preparing on St. Elijah and Mount Carmel. The pilgrims will also visit the Mount of Beatitudes, so he is creating a scripture reflection for that, too.
“There is not going to be heavy studying, but some kind of reflection,” he said. “I would like to possibly have people meet in small groups to reflect together (on what they experience). People won’t have to worry about reading a lot ahead of time because I will have the materials prepared for them.”
The pilgrimage will primarily be in English, but Spanish-speaking pilgrims are also encouraged to attend as Father Melo and a bilingual guide will provide information in Spanish during the pilgrimage.
“One of the things I like about this particular pilgrimage is we have something called ‘Share the Bread,’ where we break up into groups of four to five and have dinner in the homes of Christians there. It is really nice because you get to talk to the people who live there and find out what the reality of living there and to share a meal,” Villaronga said.
He hopes to take between 20 and 30 people to the Holy Land on this inaugural Lay Ministry Study Pilgrimage.
A deposit of $500 per person is due by Oct. 28 to hold a spot on the pilgrimage. Full payment is due Nov. 8. Cost for the pilgrimage including airfare starts at $3,295. Land-only fees start at $2,295.
For details, contact Villaronga at 704-370-3274 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
CHARLOTTE — Justin Carr's future looked bright. He had just celebrated his 26th birthday, started a new job, and was getting ready to settle down with his high school sweetheart and start a family.
But all that ended the night of Sept. 21, when a bullet shattered his skull. The next day, he was dead.
Carr's death marked the most violent episode in nearly a week of protests in Charlotte that erupted after another man, Keith Lamont Scott, was shot and killed by police Sept. 20 in an apartment complex parking lot.
Demanding justice in the police shooting, protesters marched through uptown Charlotte Wednesday evening and confronted police in riot gear. Carr was among them.
"I need to make a stand," he told his mother when he called her from the scene. He said he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his grandmother, who had marched during the civil rights era.
Less than an hour later, Vivian Carr learned her son was in the hospital, clinging to life.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have charged Rayquan Borum, 21, in Carr's death.
Pictured at top: The family of Justin Carr speaks out about his death during a prayer service Sept. 23 at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte. From left are Ellis Carr, brother; mother Vivian Carr; and brother Kenneth Johnston.
Vivian Carr recounted her last memories of her son during a special prayer service Sept. 23 at Our Lady of Consolation Church, where the Carr family has worshipped for three generations.
The prayer service was organized by Father Carl Del Giudice, pastor, to give people a chance to share their feelings about the protests and the tragedy that had struck their parish family. Father Del Giudice gave Carr last rites before he died, and is ministering to the Carr family throughout the tragedy.
Justin Carr (Photo courtesy of Facebook)"I know that my son died for a cause," Vivian Carr told a standing-room-only crowd gathered in the church on Statesville Avenue.
"I just want to thank everybody for coming out and thanks for all of the love and support that everybody's given," she continued. "It's very, very, very hard for me. This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. But through everybody's love, support and my strength in God, I'm able to carry through this."
Carr's two brothers praised him for standing up for people's rights and they defended his reputation from what they called false social media reports.
Struggling to find words through his tears, Ellis Carr said, "They took my best friend. He was the best big brother ever."
During the prayer service, people spoke of their fear of getting stopped by police or their sons getting racially profiled.
"I am scared," said one woman who has one son and four grandchildren. "I'm asking all of you to hug your sons, keep them close, make sure that they are extra (careful) when they leave home, because we don't know."
Others begged people to get involved in the community, uniting to turn their anger into economic and political change.
With black Americans' spending power, one speaker said, "our dollars can talk. If they don't understand anything else, they don't understand our marching, they don't understand our protesting, I promise you they'll understand dollars."
Father Del Giudice acknowledged people's anger and fear, but he encouraged them to lift each other up and bring their Catholic faith into the world, "uplifting and elevating others to do better, and honoring and recognizing who we are."
Deacon Curtiss Todd similarly challenged people to "think and talk and act just like Jesus."
He recounted his own experiences with racism while growing up in segregated Winston-Salem, including one incident at the local country club pool, which at one time was for white people only. He recounted how a little boy was allowed to bring his dog into the pool, but when a black employee accidentally fell into the pool that same day, "they immediately closed the pool, drained it, scrubbed it, disinfected it, before they would let people back in to it. What’s the lesson I learned? That many whites see blacks as less than animals."
Hatred, though, comes from the devil, who seeks to divide us, Deacon Todd said. Instead, people should look to Jesus as their example.
"Develop a personal relationship with Jesus," he said. "Rely on God."
"When we develop that personal relationship with Jesus, we begin to think, talk and act just like Him. We have that relationship where we know what He would do in a certain situation," he said. "It doesn't mean turn the other cheek, let somebody walk all over you. It means, yes, you can protest but you have to protest within the range that God gives you."
Vivian Carr echoed his advice. "I stand here today to say, especially to the young people: if you're going out, go in peace. Don't go down there acting crazy."
"I know you're angry. Of course, I'm angry, too," she said. "But I have God with me."
Carr's pregnant girlfriend Tanae Ray was the last person to speak at the prayer service. In her emotional remarks, Ray described how they had been close friends for years before they began dating in the ninth grade. Their relationship had been "on and off" over the years, but recently he had asked to marry her.
Over the past few weeks, she said, "he was just so excited, the happiest I've ever seen him."
When Carr told her Wednesday that he was going to the protest, she didn't think he was serious. She said she regretted not stopping him from going. "I feel like I could have prevented it."
"If I had known these were his last days I would have cherished it," she continued through her tears.
"Now I'm carrying his son. Everybody's saying, 'It's going to be OK.' But it's not. I need Justin. Ain't nobody can take his place – no brothers, uncles, cousins. I need him, and I don't have him," she wept. "How do I live without my best friend? How do I stay strong? He was everything to me.
"They say time heals all wounds. I just hope that's the case with me. But I just don't feel I can make it without him."
After his death, Carr's heart, lungs and liver were donated to enable other people to live, Vivian Carr said.
"His heart beats on," she said. "He's already helped save three other lives."
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor
How you can help
- A GoFundMe account, “Justice for Justin,” has been created to help the Carr family with unexpected expenses.
- Cards and well-wishes may also be sent to Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church, 1235 Badger Ct., Charlotte, NC 28206.
