‘I leave my life in Your hands’
CHARLOTTE — Wednesday, May 27, was a happy day for Miriam Veloz, a member of St. Gabriel Church who has served for many years as coordinator of various ministries.
On that day Veloz, through a virtual medical appointment, was told that she was completely free of COVID-19 – the virus that almost ended her life and the same virus that, as of June 3, has killed 106,181 people in the United States, 944 of them in North Carolina.
It all began in early April, when another member of her family developed a flu-like illness. That person went to the doctor, was tested for the coronavirus and got a prescription, but they were not told to quarantine themselves from the rest of the family. However, eight days later their COVID-19 test result came in – and it was positive.
By that point, efforts to disinfect the house and isolate the person were pointless. Over the next several days, one by one, every member of the household showed symptoms of COVID-19. Most were only mildly sickened, but not Veloz.
“I felt down, very tired, my appetite was gone,” she says. Her doctor gave her a prescription pain reliever and an antibiotic, but her symptoms only worsened.
On April 14, she began having trouble breathing and her husband took her to the emergency room, where she lost consciousness.
She was hospitalized in the COVID-19 wing of the hospital and put on a ventilator.
“I remember fighting for my life,” she recalls. “In the face of death I thought that I could not leave yet, that my husband, my daughter and my granddaughter needed me.”
She also remembers when, resigned to what seemed like a near death, she gave her life over to God. She prayed, “I leave my life in Your hands. Do what You want with me, I give You my life, my body.”
That prayer of surrendering to God’s will “let me rest,” she says.
Veloz remained semi-conscious for the next 10 days. Each time the doctors tried to remove the breathing equipment, she was unable to breathe on her own, recalls Veloz’s daughter, who was allowed to visit her in the hospital.
On April 25 Veloz woke up and found herself unable to move much of her body. It was difficult for her to talk, because of the tubes that had been placed down her windpipe. The virus also had caused her blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar levels to rise.
Veloz continues to recuperate slowly, thanks to physical, occupational and speech rehabilitation therapy that she has been receiving.
The first week of May, she was able to leave the hospital to continue her rehabilitation at home, where she remained quarantined until she could be completely discharged.
Her problems are not over, though. Medical bills for her hospitalization are now coming in, and she does not have the strength to face the payments.
“I have received help from my friends, from the church, but right now I am not working,” she says. “Everything will be solved, I know that everything will be fine with the help of God; but I don’t want to make any payment agreement right now because I don’t know if I will be able to honor them in the future.”
Throughout her ordeal, Veloz has kept faith.
The first thing she hopes to do, when she feels strong enough and health precautions allow, is “visit St. Gabriel Church to thank God for this new opportunity in my life.”
“For now,” she says,” I am joining in the virtual rosary that some friends pray, and I hope that I can do something productive soon.”
After having gone through this experience, Veloz recommends that everyone be careful and follow public health precautions.
“You never know if whoever is next to you is a carrier of the virus, and you can catch it. The pandemic affects everyone. Everybody must be responsible for themselves and for their family. We have to take care of each other,” she says.
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected thousands of families in western North Carolina, particularly in the Hispanic and African-American communities.
In Mecklenburg County alone, these demographic groups rank first and second in the number of coronavirus cases, with 38.5 percent and 27.6 percent respectively, although the fatality rate is much higher in the white and African American population than among Latinos.
— César Hurtado, reportero
20-year relationship continues to bear fruit even amid the pandemic
GREENSBORO — In less than a week, members of St. Paul the Apostle Parish raised $11,000 for Niño Jesús, their sister parish in Manta, Ecuador. The parishioners had recently heard how their Ecuadorian counterparts were suffering as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and knew they had to help.
“Father Joseph Mack, our pastor, was the first one to say we need to take up some kind of collection, and we asked if we could do a drive-through,” said Gregg Hauser, a member of the sister parish committee at St. Paul the Apostle Church. “I’m not surprised Father was the first one to come out with the idea. He’s a very charitable man, and something needed to be done.”
With planning and manpower assistance from the parish’s Knights of Columbus Council 13236, they held a drive-through fundraiser Sunday, May 10. Most of the funds – $8,400 from 181 families – came in that day in just one hour.
The church continued to receive checks for Niño Jesús following the Mother’s Day collection, to reach the grand total of $11,000. One envelope labeled “sister parish” contained 10 $100 bills from an anonymous donor.
This effort came about a month after the parish collected an overwhelming 8,000 pounds of goods for the parish’s food pantry in just one hour on Palm Sunday.
“That’s one of the strengths of this parish,” Father Mack said. “When there’s a need, you tell them, and the need’s met.”
Residents of Manta are under a stay-at-home order and are permitted to leave for essential needs but must return by 2 p.m. With very few people working, the need is great. Niño Jesús distributes local food donations consisting of rice and fish via a ticket system to 600 families per week. If there is additional food left over on the two distribution days, they give it to those who aren’t in the program. These families form a line at 4:30 a.m. hoping there will be enough for them. Food is delivered to those in the program who lack transportation and live in remote areas.
The monetary donation from St. Paul the Apostle Parish will allow Niño Jesús to continue to provide this critical sustenance after local donations run out.
Five priests living in Manta, led by Father Roque Botton Bisognin, serve an estimated 60,000 people at 20 surrounding chapels and churches.
The sister parish relationship between St. Paul and Niño Jesús began in 2000. Its mission is to establish with one another “a long-term spiritual, cultural and personal relationship” that embraces the Eucharist as the center of their lives and expands opportunities for personal growth, commitment and involvement in communities.
Parishioners of St. Paul sponsored the education of 160 young people in 2019 with 26 currently attending college. They travel to Niño Jesús every other summer, and their Ecuadorian brothers and sisters in Christ visit Greensboro during the summers in between.
Hauser has visited the parish in Ecuador three times.
“It expands our faith,” he said. “Our brothers and sisters are in Ecuador. When we visit, we get much more from them than the other way around. It’s just who Catholics are. We feel responsible.”
— Annie Ferguson, correspondent
Pictured: Members of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro participate in a drive-through donation effort for their sister parish in Manta, Ecuador. The money they donated bought rice for hundreds of families in Manta. Families line up as early as 4:30 a.m. to receive bags of food from church workers. (Photos provided by St. Paul the Apostle Parish)
Show GalleryCHARLOTTE — Restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have prompted the Diocese of Charlotte to make adjustments to its annual vocation discernment camps this summer.Belmont Abbey College is unavailable for both summer vocations camps this year, so the “Quo Vadis Days” men’s vocation discernment camp will be held later and at a different location: July 6-10 at the new St. Joseph College Seminary in Belmont. The women’s “Duc In Altum” camp has been canceled.
Space is very limited at the college seminary for Quo Vadis Days, so although the registration deadline is June 29, young men aged 17-19 are encouraged to apply as soon as possible for the five-day vocation discernment camp.
The goal of 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. The camp includes talks by local priests, seminarians and others on the vocations to the priesthood, marriage and fatherhood.
The cost to attend is $150, which covers all lodging, meals and retreat materials. Financial aid is available. Contact the Office of Vocations at 704-370-3353 for details.
For more information and to register, go to www.charlottediocese.org/vocations/quo-vadis-days.
For questions about registration, contact Sister Mary Raphael at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 704-370-3402. For questions about the camp itself, contact Father Jason Barone at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 704-370-3351.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
CHARLOTTE — The Legion of Mary and Teams of Our Lady are two apostolates with a presence in the Diocese of Charlotte that encourage participants to grow in love of Christ through the example and intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
While the Legion of Mary focuses on one’s personal growth in holiness and serving others in the community, Teams of Our Lady is a married couples movement in which both husband and wife grow together in their faith.
The Legion of Mary is a nearly 100-year-old international lay apostolate whose primary purpose is to lead people to Christ through His Blessed Virgin Mother so they can benefit from the love and mercy of God.
“Specifically, the Legion of Mary seeks to lead the people we encounter in our works to a greater knowledge and faith in God and to increase the faith and holiness of our own members through prayer and service to Our Lord,” explains member Eve Smith.
It is open to all Catholics with a desire to serve Our Lord Jesus Christ through the intercession of Mary. Catholics 18 or older can join adult praesidia. Catholics younger than 18 can join junior Legion of Mary praesidia.
Teams of Our Lady is an international lay movement in the Church designed to enrich married couples’ spirituality and strengthen their marriages. Teams provide a proven method of increasing and improving prayer life, which will help couples grow closer to God and to each other.
Under the patronage of Mary, members strive to follow and imitate her “yes” to God through prayer, Scripture and the sacraments. Members understand Mary is the perfect disciple and follower of Christ who takes everything and everyone to her Son.
The Magnificat – Mary’s proclamation of God’s greatness – is prayed daily by Teams couples in communion with fellow Teams members worldwide.
A team is comprised of five to seven couples whose marriage is recognized in the eyes of the Church. The team meets once a month at each other’s homes or in a church meeting room or outside, if necessary.
Mary Ann and Jim Kirchner of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte joined Teams of Our Lady in 2000 when it was brought to the parish by Mary Pat and Vince Arosetegui when the couple moved from Va. They are now one of the Charlotte sector couples assisting other couples in the area in their faith journey.
“The support and encouragement we receive from couples in our Team and our sector have been such a blessing over the years in our marriage and in our walk with the Lord. There is nothing quite like having married friends who share similar faith and values,” Mary Ann Kirchner said.
“While we enjoy seeing other couples grow deeper in their faith and connect with one another forming lifelong friendships, we have received abundant gifts of faith and friendship in serving in this role,” she added.
Currently there are 10 active Teams in the Charlotte area. Couples come from local parishes including St. Matthew, St. Vincent de Paul, St. Luke, St. Ann and St. Peter Church and St. Patrick Cathedral.
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter
Learn more
Learn more about The Legion of Mary at www.legionofmary.ie. Questions? Contact Eve Smith at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Information on Teams of Our Lady is online at www.teamsofourlady.org. Questions? Contact Mary Ann and Jim Kirchner at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..