NOVEMBER 22, 2013 VOLUME 45, NUMBER 23

INSIDE: Pages 6 and 7: Remembering JFK Centerfold: Delone and Trinity vie for state titles in volleyball, soccer Page 15: Pilgrim Statue brings blessings Unimaginable Devastation In the wake of the devastat- ing effects of Typhoon Haiyan, the Diocese of Harrisburg will take up a special collection in all parishes the weekend of Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. The funds will be admin- istrated by Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic com- munity in the United States. Their operations serve people based solely on need, regard- less of their race, religion or ethnicity. CRS maintains strict standards of efficiency, ac- countability and transparency: 93 percent of expenditures go directly to programs. “May God bless you for your generosity as we help our brothers and sisters in their time of need of emergency assistance and long-term rebuilding,” said Father Robert M. Gillelan, Jr., Diocesan Administrator. Checks may be made pay- able the local parish with a notation in the memo line: “Typhoon Haiyan Recovery.” More information about CRS CNS/CHARLIE SACEDA, REUTERS and updates on Typhoon Hai- Young residents in Cebu, Philippines, hold signs asking for help and food along the highway after Super Typhoon Haiyan hit. See page yan relief efforts can be found 2 for coverage of the situation. at www.CRS.org. Honoring Our Veterans On Veterans Day, the nation re- members all those who have served our country in the Armed Forces. The annual observance has its roots in the armistice that ended World War I hostilities in 1918. The armistice between the Allied nations and Ger- many went into effect on the elev- enth hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. President Wood- row Wilson proclaimed that Nov. 11 be observed as “Armistice Day.” In 1954, Congress passed legisla- tion that renamed the federal holiday “Veterans Day.” This edition includes a feature on Father Vincent Capodanno, a chap- lain who died in Vietnam (page 11) and a reflection by Emily M. Albert Wearing the colors of the United States Marine who especially remembered her Corps, a man awaits the start of the Veterans Day Ceremony at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery. grandfather during a Veterans Day EMILY M. ALBERT, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS ceremony (page 16). 2 - THE CATHOLIC WITNESS, NOVEMBER 22, 2013 Caritas Philippines Leader Calls Typhoon Devastation ‘Unimaginable’ By Simone Orendain Philippine President Benigno Aquino Catholic News Service said Nov. 13 he expected the death toll to be around 2,500 – lower than initially The devastation brought on by Super predicted. That morning, the government Typhoon Haiyan is on a scale so big it put the death toll at 1,833; of those, 1,300 is “unimaginable,” said Jesuit Father were in Leyte. Edwin Gariguez, head of Caritas in the The same day, Rene Almendras, the Philippines. president’s Cabinet secretary, said all “This is beyond our capacity,” Father national roads leading to the island prov- Gariguez told Catholic News Service by inces of Leyte, Samar to the east and phone from Cebu province. “That’s the nearby Biliran were open and passable. reason why we have our Caritas network Provincial bus service also was back on- with us now.” line, and airports had been opened. At The head of Caritas Philippines and his least two of those would be hubs for re- counterparts from the Netherlands and ceiving relief goods. Germany, as well as the communications staff of Caritas Internationalis, were on But the government was still dealing their way to Leyte, one of the provinces with the enormity of the tasks at hand. In that bore the brunt of Haiyan’s first lash- one case, the sheer volume of the goods ing on the central islands of the country. arriving made it necessary for peace The plan was to appraise the needs on the and order officers originally assigned to ground and make contact with the vari- clearing operations to be baggers of care ous dioceses that have been affected. CNS, WOLFGANG RATTAY, REUTERS packages. Bodies continued to turn up, Father Gariguez said the U.S. bishops’ An altar server lifts up a broken crucifix as he and others clear debris from the and Almendras said some locations did Catholic Relief Services was doing the altar area of the partially destroyed Metropolitan Cathedral in Palo, Phillippines, not have enough body bags. same kind of work ahead of a mid-No- Nov. 15 in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan. The cathedral is one of many Jesuit Brother James Lee, head of the vember meeting with aid agencies and Catholic churches, schools and convents damaged or destroyed in the powerful Church That Serves the Nation, the so- local parish priests to be hosted by Arch- storm. cial justice arm of the Philippine Jesuit bishop Jose Palma of Cebu. When the province, said that hungry Filipinos were typhoon hit Nov. 8, the CRS country rep- there were still stories of people not receiv- “And my other child, she died because the blocking aid trucks, demanding food to resentative to the Philippines, Joe Curry, ing anything. water went up so high ... she was not even let them pass. He said his organization’s was already in Bohol dealing with relief Adelyn Manos was one of those. At the buried because there are no coffins there.” relief efforts would involve coordinating from the Oct. 15 earthquake, so CRS was entrance of the Villiamor Air Base in Ma- Her 8-year-old son said: “The water was to make sure the food arrived safely at its able to get its assessment teams to Leyte nila, she took cover from the rain under at a destination. Nov. 10. so high. It was so high,” as he put his arm With about 600,000 people displaced tarp-covered shuttle stop. up to indicate the flood’s depth. Taking the massive need and the work by the storm, the task of getting aid to She had just arrived via military plane Manos said she decided to come to Ma- to meet it into account, Father Gariguez Filipinos posed a challenge in terms of from Tacloban, a city in Leyte that some nila because none of the food packs be- said, “As a Church this is part of our coordination and the logistics. are calling “ground zero” because of the ing distributed had made their way to her ministry ... we are doing this as part of International aid started began arriving decimation there from a 15-foot storm neighborhood. Her husband was living in our mission: to help the poor and the vul- the week of Nov. 10, while local relief surge brought on by Haiyan. It left bodies Manila for work, but he did not even know nerable. So we are really happy to be of began immediately after the typhoon hit. strewn about in its wake. she had arrived because her cell phone got help and to contribute whatever we can But days after the storm cut a path “I came with them, my three children clogged with water. Reporters helped her to ease the life of our people who are re- of damage that obliterated as many as and a companion,” said the 35-year-old contact her husband and were trying to ar- ally very much burdened by this disas- 90 percent of the houses in some areas, Manos, carrying her 3-year-old daughter. range for a ride. ter.” Southern Leyte Residents See Horrible Sights on Aid Trips to Tacloban By Simone Orendain trees falling down and electricity posts, Catholic News Service there’s not much ... damage,” said Father Gozo. On the rest of the island, “because Normally the trip from Maasin to Taclo- of the challenges, the distance, the commu- ban takes about three hours, but with the nication, the fuel, transportation and so on, fallen trees and debris, getting aid there the closest diocese that has communication takes longer, said a priest from Southern is Maasin. All the rest are shut down.” Leyte province. This meant no food or water for the Father Harlem Gozo, director of the so- needy in towns surrounding Tacloban, cial action office for the Diocese of Maasin, which has been the focus for much of the had made two trips to the northern part of aid making its way into central Philippines Leyte island, where the effects of Typhoon since the storm hit. Haiyan were much worse. Father Gozo said the families that he at- Halfway to Tacloban, Father Gozo said, tended to were in shock and did not know he saw coconut trees “somewhat behead- what to do. With hungry stomachs and ten- uous lines of communication, he said, they ed” and concrete houses that looked quite were dazed and unable to “think clearly.” sturdy if not for the trees that fell on them “We shed tears from deep within [over] and split their roofs. the harrowing plight of our brothers and But as he traveled farther north, “That’s sisters,” he said in a text message after the where the horrible sights start,” he told phone call with CNS got dropped. “Our Catholic News Service in a telephone in- helping is our prayer of solidarity with their terview. suffering, a share of the passion of Christ, “You encounter corpses lying on the that they are not alone. The Lord gives streets,” he said. “Imagine ... the water and the he also takes away, blessed be his CNS, EDGAR SU, REUTERS just pushed down on them and they were name.” A woman holds a rosary as she waits to board a military evacuation flight from the caught unaware. And those who were in The relief goods that started arriving in typhoon-battered city of Tacloban, Philippines, Nov. 13. Hundreds of thousands their houses, if they have a small house Tacloban on Nov. 9 had not gotten very far of people in Leyte province had been displaced by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the they drown inside. They pile up tables and beyond the city limits because of the lay- worst storms to hit land. chairs in order to step up so they would not ers of debris that blocked passage ways, the get drowned. But if their house is small, lack of manpower to help expedite delivery Areas that were not as badly affected by Throughout the tragedy that he witnessed their head is up to the ceiling and the water and the hungry people who would stop the the storm pooled efforts to help out, espe- in Tacloban, Maamo, a self-described “de- gets over and above them, that’s it. Others, goods along the way. cially in Tacloban and its surrounding vi- vout Catholic,” said his faith never wa- when the water receded, they just got car- Tacloban had most of the recorded cinity. vered. ried away by the current.” deaths, which the government has placed at Southern Leyte Vice Governor Mike “I really believe that God is helping us,” Father Gozo said even if the survivors 2,300 nationwide by Nov. 14. Ninety per- Maamo said Nov. 14 that he was planning Maamo told CNS. “It’s not because you had food and it was stored at home, it got cent of the houses in the city of 220,000 a third visit to the devastation the follow- soaked with water, “so that after the storm, were affected by the typhoon that God is were either damaged or gone. And almost ing day. He planned to take a team of 150 nowhere to be found. But you know, you nothing to eat. Your house is devastated.” all of its first responders were as badly af- people to help secure safe passage for the The Diocese of Maasin in Southern Leyte fected by the storm as the people they were relief convoys as they exited the distribu- should see to it that it’s not the material was in good shape compared to the near- supposed to help. tion hub at Tacloban airport. things that count, it’s your faith. obliteration that happened in the northern Apart from the challenge that was Ta- Maamo said a provincial disaster man- “I’ve been telling the families that are so half of the island in the central Philippines. cloban, the country was dealing with more agement council was particularly con- desperate, ‘It’s not [what’s] in this world Leyte is in the central part of the country than 670,000 people left homeless by the cerned with the far-flung towns cut off from that counts. It is the life after death,” he where Super Typhoon Haiyan cut a path of storm. Multiple agencies of both civil soci- aid. Council members created an “adopt a said. “Maybe it’s at this point in time that destruction Nov. 8. ety and government have been trying to get municipality” program to help these small- we have to help each other, even if we lost “In our diocese, generally, aside from aid to more than half of them. er communities. some members of our family.” NOVEMBER 22, 2013, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS - 3 Bishops Asked to Assess Marriage and Family Life to Prepare for Synod By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Harrisburg Diocese to Take Part in Vatican Survey Bishops around the world are be- ing asked to take a realistic look at the The Diocese of Harrisburg will participate in a 39-question and deacons in the diocese. Others involved in the marriage situation of families under their care survey that the Vatican has sent to dioceses around the world ministry of the parishes may be consulted as well. The results and at how effective pastoral and edu- in preparation for the Synod of Bishops on the family, which of the open question style survey must be complied and re- cational programs have been at pro- will be held in October. The topic of the gathering is on the turned by the end of the year. moting Church teaching on sexuality, theme of pastoral challenges of the family in the context of A questionnaire for the laity is also available. Anyone may marriage and family life. evangelization. complete the questionnaire online at www.hbgdiocese.org on The preparatory document for the While not a survey of public opinion, it is the first time that or before Nov. 30, 2013. extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the the Vatican has asked bishops to widely share a survey with Victoria Laskowski, Director of Marriage and Family family, which will be held in October parish priests and for them to seek the views of their parish- Ministries for the Diocese said, “It will be a big job to read 2014, ends with 39 questions about ioners in preparation for such a meeting. and compile all the surveys in the short time allotted, but I feel that it will be worth it to share this information about how Church teaching is promoted, The questions, arranged in 9 topic areas, touch on themes marriage in central Pennsylvania with the larger Church.” how well it is accepted and ways in such as how Catholic teaching on the value of the family has been received and understood; about marriage according to According to the Vatican, the questionnaire is an attempt to which modern people and societies natural law; local efforts to support and promote family life; help the Church find solutions to difficult pastoral situations challenge the Catholic view of mar- and how the Church is able to minister and care for people in utilizing the existing doctrines of the faith. Results from the riage and family. irregular marriage situations, including the religious educa- survey will be incorporated into a working document that Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri, tion of children. The survey also explores the openness of will be utilized in the Synod. Popes traditionally use the find- general secretary of the synod, asked married couples to life and the Sacraments of the Church. ings of Synods to create their own documents on a given bishops to distribute the document and At this time, the survey will be distributed to all priests subject, in this case the family. questionnaire “as widely as possible” to deaneries and parishes, summarize the responses and send them to the the pastoral care of the person and the cally mentioned modern contributions their dioceses who are living in fami- Vatican by the end of January. family,” it said. to Church teaching, including the Sec- lies in those situations. Distributing an outline of the chosen “Vast expectations exist concerning ond Vatican Council’s defense of the Bishops are asked for their sugges- topic and related questions, seeking the decisions which are to be made dignity of marriage and family, Pope tions about the advisability of simpli- responses from bishops, religious or- pastorally regarding the family,” the Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae fying Church annulment procedures ders and interested Catholic groups is document said. on fidelity and procreation in marriage, and for suggestions on how that might a normal part of the preparation for a Some people may believe changes and Blessed John Paul II’s teaching on be done. synod. Archbishop Baldisseri, encour- in Church teaching are in store given God’s plan for married love. The questionnaire surveys the bish- aging even wider consultation, did not Pope Francis’ emphasis on mercy, for- “The Church’s pastoral ministry,” ops about the legal status of same-sex specify how bishops should seek in- giveness and not judging others, and it said, “finds inspiration in the truth unions in their local area and Church efforts to defend traditional marriage, put. his specific comments on helping di- of marriage viewed as part of the plan but also asks them what kind of “pas- The extraordinary synod on “pas- vorced and civilly remarried couples of God, who created man and woman toral attention can be given to people who cannot receive Communion. and, in the fullness of time, revealed in toral challenges to the family in the who have chosen to live” in same-sex context of evangelization” was con- However, the document said, “the Jesus the completeness of spousal love unions and, in places where they can voked by Pope Francis for Oct. 5-19 teaching of the faith on marriage is to elevated to the level of sacrament.” adopt children, what can be done to and will bring together presidents of be presented in an articulate and effi- The questionnaire asks bishops to de- transmit the faith to them. bishops’ conferences, the heads of cacious manner so that it might reach scribe how people understand Church Several questions focus on Huma- Eastern Catholic churches and the hearts and transform them in accor- teaching, how their local churches and nae Vitae and Church teaching against heads of Vatican offices to describe dance with God’s will.” Catholic movements try to promote it the use of artificial contraception. The the current situation and “to collect the Church teaching always has been and what difficulties people face in ac- bishops are asked if people understand bishops’ experiences and proposals in clear that marriage is a lifelong bond cepting the teaching. the teaching and know how to evaluate proclaiming and living the Gospel of between one man and one woman Synod organizers ask the bishops the morality of different methods of the family in a credible manner,” the open to having and educating chil- to estimate the percentage of local family planning. They also are asked document said. dren, it said, and the synod’s goal will Catholics living together without be- if the question comes up in confes- A second gathering, a world Synod be “to communicate this message with ing married, the percentage of those sions and if they have suggestions for of Bishops on the family, will be held greater incisiveness.” divorced and remarried, and the pro- fostering “a more open attitude toward in 2015 “to seek working guidelines in The preparatory document specifi- portion of children and adolescents in having children.” Former Bookkeeper Sentenced

Mary Zangrilli, former book- tion that resulted in the charges filed. keeper of St. Jude Thaddeus Parish In the period following the discov- in Mifflintown, was sentenced by ery of the theft, the Diocese of Har- Judge Kenneth A. Mummah to serve risburg introduced revised policies Upcoming feature segments on the Catholic Perspective radio program by corre- a minimum of two years and maxi- spondent Rose Atkinson will look at the following topics: mum of seven years at a state correc- and procedural guidance surround- ing financial controls. It also -clari November 24-25: Father Leo Patalinghug, author of the cookbook “Spicing Up tional facility for stealing $252,787 Married Life,” will offer an exciting presentation on marriage and family life during from the parish over a period of six fied the responsibilities of both pas- a special cooking demonstration Nov. 26 during the Come and See Dinner benefiting years. She will be eligible for early tors and parish finance councils for Catholic Charities. Listeners will hear about the priest’s exciting ministry as well as release in 18 months. Zangrilli had maintaining sound fiscal practices. about the very entertaining program that will take place at the dinner. previously entered a guilty plea to The new policies were introduced December 1-2: Janet Jackson, Director of Human Resources for the Diocese of two felony theft charges. She was to pastors, principals and parish fi- Harrisburg, will share about the Youth Protection Program and efforts of the diocese. also ordered to pay restitution for She will talk about the new ID badges that are being distributed to those who have the full amount that was stolen. nance councils in outreach meet- The investigation into Zangrilli ings held across the diocese this past passed all the requirements for working with youth in the diocese as well as coming began in November 2012, when February. updates to the mandatory training program. Father William Weary, pastor of St. Zangrilli apologized for her ac- December 8-9: The Stephen Ministry, a parish-based care giving ministry, is fea- tured this week on Catholic Perspective in an interview with Mary Moll, a pastoral Jude Thaddeus Parish, noticed ir- tions in a letter to the parish that ap- regularities in the parish checking associate at St. Patrick Parish in Carlisle. peared in the bulletin. In it, she asked Catholic Perspective is produced in cooperation with the Office of Communi- account. Father Weary directed his for forgiveness. Father Weary said internal parish finance council to in- cations of the Diocese and WHFY AM 720. It can be heard Mondays at noon and vestigate. When his suspicions were that he forgives her, but would also Sundays at 3 p.m. on WHYF AM 720 and on Sunday mornings on WLAN-AM 1390, confirmed, Father Weary notified like to see justice. According to Fa- Lancaster at 7:30 a.m.; WHYL-AM 960, Carlisle, at 8 a.m.; WHVR-AM 1280, Ha- the Diocese of Harrisburg, which ther Weary, the funds taken by Zan- nover, at 8 a.m.; WKOK-AM 1070, Sunbury, at 6:30 a.m.; WIEZ-AM 670, Lewis- launched a more complete audit. grilli impacted the parish by forcing town, at 8 a.m.; WWSM-AM 1510, Lebanon, at 7 a.m.; and WWEC-FM 88.3, Eliza- This detailed the mishandled funds it to take additional loans to cover bethtown, at 9:30 a.m. It is also available on line at www.OldiesRadio1620.com at and the methods used by Zangrilli. expenses and pay bills. He said the 6:30 a.m. and at www.WISL1480.com on Sunday at 11 a.m. or for download at www. hbgdiocese.org. As the diocese maintains a zero tol- insurance program for the parish and erance policy in matters of fiscal Holy Family Catholic Radio Update: Due to Federal Communication Commis- malfeasance, the records were then maintained by the diocese covered sion regulations, the November and December sign off time for WHYF AM 720 is turned over to District Attorney Cory the theft, but created difficulties for 4:45 p.m. seven days a week. Listeners can hear a live audio stream 24 hours a day at Snook, Juniata County, who utilized them when they went to renew their www.720whyf.com. Simply go to the web page, click the Listen Live button on the them to augment his own investiga- insurance policy. left side, and enjoy Catholic radio clearly any time of day. 4 - THE CATHOLIC WITNESS, NOVEMBER 22, 2013 Annual Collection Helps Religious Communities Friendship, Part II By Sister Geralyn Schmidt, SCC Address Retirement Shortfall Special to The Witness The annual Retirement Fund for Religious collection will be held Dec. 7-8 in It never ceases to amaze me how the Holy Spirit works within the souls of the Diocese of Harrisburg. Now in its 26th year, the collection is coordinated the faithful in order to flame into fire the embers within one’s by the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) in Washington, D.C., and heart that are just smoldering. The Year of Faith, viewed benefits over 34,000 senior Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests. through the understanding of the richness of the New Evan- Last year, the Diocese gelization, is a way in which the of Harrisburg contrib- Church asks the faithful – you and uted $59,613.92 to this Thoughts I – to deepen our faith, intensify our from a Catholic collection. In 2013, the Retirement understanding of the teachings of Sisters of Sts. Cyril and the Church – particularly those from Evangelist Methodius received fi- Fund for the Second Vatican Council – and to Sister Geralyn nancial support made personally witness Christ’s love and Schmidt, SCC possible by the Retire- Religious tender mercy. These two “events,” for ment Fund for Reli- want of a better word, were moments gious. Additionally, the of grace for all the baptized. If I could simplify all the ink Diocese of Harrisburg, spilled about the New Evangelization and the Year of Faith into one idea, it in conjunction with the would be about a heartfelt friendship between Christ and an individual. Archdiocese of Phila- Several months ago, I had the privilege of participating in the 40 Hours delphia and the Diocese Eucharistic Devotions at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg. Father Brian of Allentown, also dis- Wayne, the parochial vicar at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Hershey, presided tributes funding to local Please give to those who have given a lifetime. during the two-day devotions. During his two presentations, Father Wayne religious communities focused on Deus Caritas Est, the first encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI, who to support retirement said, “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but needs. To donate: National Religious Retirement Office the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and Catholic bishops of 3211 Fourth Street NE decisive direction.” In order to be a Christian, in other words, a friendship the United States initiat- Washington DC 20017-1194 with Christ is established! A friendship that touches the core of what it is to ed the collection in 1988 Make your check payable to Retirement Fund for Religious. be human, of what it means to be in union with the Trinity. to address the signifi- Or give at your local parish. In my previous article on Friendship, which was published in the Oct. 25 cant lack of retirement edition, I focused on the meaning of friendship, face to face friendship as well funding among U.S. www.retiredreligious.org as social media friendship and how, because of cultural influences, the mean- religious communities. ing of “friendship” per se has changed. Upon doing research for that article, I Proceeds are distributed came across an aspect of friendship that I never truly thought about: spiritual to eligible communities to help underwrite retirement and health-care expenses. friendship. Since the collection began, Catholics have contributed $698 million. Over 93 per- According to Mary DeTurris Post, a weekly blogger for Our Sunday Visi- cent of donations directly support senior religious and their communities. tor, (http://www.osv.com/tabid/7621/itemid/7077/How-to-develop-spiritual- “I am deeply grateful to the Catholics across the nation who faithfully support friendships.aspx), “Spiritual friends are those people who share our hunger the Retirement Fund for Religious,” said Precious Blood Sister Janice Bader, the for God, those faith-filled companions who walk with us on the path to heav- NRRO’s executive director. “Their generosity allows our office to provide vital en, sometimes without us even realizing it.” She goes on: “If you look around financial assistance to hundreds of religious communities each year.” at your life right now, you’re likely to spot at least one person — a spouse, a The 2012 appeal raised $27 million and enabled the NRRO to distribute $23 sibling, a neighbor, a co-worker — who connects with you on a faith level, million to 440 religious communities throughout the country. Communities uti- someone who is not only comfortable joining you for a movie, a ballgame or lize these funds to bolster retirement savings and to subsidize such day-to-day shopping trip but who also feels free to talk about God, to pray for you and expenses as prescription medications and nursing care. The NRRO also allocated with you, to push you farther along your own path and help you reach your nearly $3.6 million to assist religious communities with the greatest needs and to fullest spiritual potential.” promote ongoing education in retirement and elder-care delivery. Spiritual friendship creates a path that stems from the friendship of another Despite the generosity to the collection, numerous religious communities strug- to the understanding of a deeper reality of God’s love for us. Because of gle to provide adequate care. In the past, Catholic sisters, brothers and religious this friendship, we can love God in a more intense manner. Because of this order priests—known collectively as women and men religious—served for small friendship, we can begin to comprehend how God loves us! When I reflect stipends that did not include retirement benefits. Their sacrifices now leave their about this reality, I am reminded that there are many saints in the history of religious communities without adequate savings for retirement. Of 548 communi- the Church that experienced this kind of relationship. One “couple” that il- ties submitting data to the NRRO in 2012, only eight percent were fully funded lustrates this rapport can be found in St. Benedict and St. Scholastica. These for retirement. individuals, though siblings, shared an amazing friendship that assisted each The rising cost of care compounds funding difficulties. Last year, the average in a deeper love of Christ. Annually they would meet at a place between annual cost of care for senior religious was over $38,000 per person, while skilled their two abbeys. On one occasion, their conversation was especially pro- care averaged more than $57,000. The total cost of care for senior women and found as they rejoiced in praising and sharing about their faith in God with men religious was over $1.1 billion in 2012 alone. one another. As their prayer and conversation continued, the sun began to set, At the same time, the number of religious needing care is on the rise. In 2012, signaling that their time together had come to an end. St. Scholastica asked 61 percent of the religious communities providing data to the NRRO had a me- her brother to stay the night at camp. He refused, and St. Scholastica turned dian age of 75 or older. Accompanying the higher median age is a decrease in the to prayer to prevent her brother’s departure. Lifting her head, the previously number of religious able to serve in compensated ministry. By 2023, the NRRO clear sky was turned into a tempest of lightning, and a deluge of blowing rain, projects that retired religious will outnumber wage-earning religious by four to preventing St. Benedict from leaving. Angry at what she had done to prevent one. his travels, he said, “God forgive you, what have you done?” She must have “As the number of wage-earning religious drops, so does income,” said Sister smiled at him! Surrendering to the circumstances, he stayed the night. Their Janice. “Our mission is to help religious communities prepare for the dramatic holy conversation continued until dawn. income reduction that will accompany this demographic shift.” This story illustrates how the love of God can deepen friendship and how To learn more about the collection, visit www.retiredreligious.org. such a relationship with another can, in turn, cause an intense love of God. I am reminded of a Celtic proverb that says: “Anyone without a soul-friend is a body without a head.” This image always reminds me of the reality of The Catholic Witness the Mystical Body of Christ. According to Wikipedia, “The faithful are unit- OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF HARRISBURG ed with Christ in the Church. Christ loves and lives in them. Christ is alive Very Reverend Robert M. Gillelan, Jr. through the Holy Spirit. The unification of Christ takes place in the Holy Diocesan Administrator Eucharist. … The Church is called body, because it is a living entity; it is called the body of Christ, because Christ is its Head and Founder; it is called Jennifer Reed Telephone Managing Editor mystical body, because it is neither a purely physical nor a purely spiritual 717-657-4804 ext. 201 unity, but supernatural.” FAX Staff Upon reading this, how can one not ask the question, “Can anyone really 717-657-7673 Chris Heisey: Photojournalist understand what being part of the Mystical Body of Christ is all about without Email: [email protected] Emily M. Albert: Photojournalist Website: www.hbgdiocese.org Susan Huntsberger: an experience of spiritual friendship?” Yearly Subscriptions: Circulation Coordinator and Administrative Assistant (Sister of Christian Charity, Geralyn Schmidt, is the Wide Area Network $8.17 per family, derived from Coordinator at the Diocese of Harrisburg and a member of the IT Depart- diocesan revenues from the parishes. The Catholic Witness (ISSN 0008-8447, USPS 557 120) is published ment. An educator for 28 years, she is responsible for Professional Develop- Other subscriptions: $12.00 biweekly except Christmas/New Year and July by the Harrisburg Catholic Publishing Association, 4800 Union Deposit Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111 3710. ment Programs for every age learner. In addition, Sister blogs for Powerful Moving? Send us the address label Periodicals postage paid at Harrisburg, PA. Learning Practices, a company providing in-service opportunities for edu- from The Catholic Witness plus cators. Through her presentations, she challenges her audiences to be the your NEW address including zip code POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: +4. Please allow three weeks for the The Catholic Witness, 4800 Union Deposit Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111-3710. individual God has called them to be.) change. NOVEMBER 22, 2013, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS - 5 St. Patrick’s Faithful Celebrate New Track and Field in Carlisle

Following an airhorn blast from Robert Gruschow, head track coach at St. Patrick School, young members of the parish lead the way in running a lap around their new track.

CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS By Chris Heisey track that will be used not only by the track team, but recently Cumberland Valley High School offered their The Catholic Witness also by the school’s physical education program and track for use; however, now athletes will be able to parish walking program. And the inside field is nicely compete and practice right after school on their own ather William C. Forrey, pastor of St. Patrick graded to allow for other full field sports to be played. campus on Marsh Drive, about three miles from down- FParish in Carlisle, blessed a new track and field An anonymous donor generously gave the parish town Carlisle. complex located behind the church on a cold, blustery $500,000 to complete the project for a school that al- After the blessing, many students and families par- Nov. 10 that did not deter more than 300 hardy and ready has a proven and successful track and field pro- ticipated in running a ceremonial first lap despite the enthusiastic faithful parishioners in joining in the cel- gram that annually has more than 100 athletes compet- chill. St. Patrick’s has long had a successful track pro- ebration. ing against the region’s other schools. In the past, the gram that has produced two PIAA state cross country “This project is a wonderful example of how alive school had to rely on the generosity of Carlisle area champions and 10 PIAA state track and field cham- and vibrant this parish really is,” Father Forrey told schools, which graciously shared and opened their fa- pions over the past several decades. Currently, 17 St. the throng gathered around a beautiful new eight-lane cilities to St. Patrick’s. Dickinson College and most Patrick alumni are competing at the collegiate level. Solemn Closing for the Year of Faith

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2013 Father William C. Forrey, pastor Feast of Christ the King of St. Patrick Parish in Carlisle, blesses the new track and field complex, paid for by an 12:00 p.m. • Holy Sacrifice of the Mass anonymous donor.

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament following Mass Parishioners enjoy a ceremonial first lap around the eight-lane track on 2:00 p.m. • Musical Recitation of the Rosary the parish’s Marsh Drive campus.

2:30 - 3:30 p.m. • Sacrament of Penance

3:00 p.m. • Divine Mercy Chaplet

4:00 p.m. • Vespers and Benediction with Solemn Profession of Faith Very Reverend Robert M. Gillelan Diocesan Administrator

Holy Name of Jesus Church 6150 Allentown Blvd. Harrisburg, PA 17112

For additional information - www.hbgdiocese.org 6 - THE CATHOLIC WITNESS, NOVEMBER 22, 2013

Washington Cathedral, Vincentian Pastor Site of Kennedy Funeral Remembered for in ’63, is ‘Holy Ground’ Administering Last Rites to Kennedy

By Jay Nies lic Missourian, Father Huber was Catholic News Service admitted to the emergency room to administer last rites to the presi- The late Vincentian Father Oscar dent. Huber, a native of Perryville in the Father Huber was quoted by the St. Louis Archdiocese, was a hard- National Catholic Welfare Confer- working, dedicated pastor who ence News Service, predecessor of made many friends throughout his Catholic News Service, as saying he years of faithful ministry. administered the rites of absolution The priest, who died in 1975, is and extreme unction (now known still remembered for all that. And as anointing of the sick) condition- for one other thing. ally, “except Communion, which A Dallas pastor at the time, he the president could not receive.” administered last rites to President The priest said the rites were John F. Kennedy, after an assassin’s “conditional” because he didn’t bullet Nov. 22, 1963, brought down know for sure whether the president the nation’s 35th president and he was alive at the time, but that he did lay mortally wounded at Parkland not appear to be breathing. Hospital. News stories from 1963 said oth- Father Huber also prayed with ers in the emergency room, includ- and comforted first lady Jacque- ing Mrs. Kennedy, joined the priest line Kennedy, but the priest never as he prayed the Our Father and the said much about that time in the Hail Mary. years that followed, according to “She graciously thanked me and his nephew Father Oscar Lukefahr, asked me to pray for the president. also a Vincentian, who was inspired She appeared shocked,” Father Hu- by his uncle’s priesthood to join the ber told the news service. same order. Father Lukefahr told The Catho- CNS, COURTESY OF THE CATHOLIC STANDARD “He was not the kind of person lic Missourian that his uncle later The caisson bearing U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s flag-draped casket is drawn by horses in who enjoyed being in the lime- told him how impressed he was a procession to the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington for the president’s funeral light,” Father Lukefahr once told with the first lady’s strength and Mass. The Catholic Missourian, newspa- courage. per of the Jefferson City Diocese. A seminarian in 1963, Father By Mark Zimmermann In a 1966 oral history interview for the John F. Ken- “If people asked questions about Lukehfahr said that “whenever it Catholic News Service nedy Presidential Library and Museum, Cardinal Cush- it, he answered cautiously. He came up in conversation – and I ing said he was in his residence when he had heard the didn’t go around saying, ‘I was the respected his desire for privacy one who anointed the president.’ n Nov. 25, 1963, a television audience of mil- tragic news about the president’s death. “I was bewil- by never interrogating him about dered and shocked.” He was simply a priest who did his it – he mostly talked about how Olions of people around the world prayerfully job, and that was that,” said Father bid farewell to President John F. Kennedy, as his flag- The cardinal said, “The words of Christ on the cross he prayed with Jackie, and what a of Calvary came repeatedly to my mind: ‘Oh heavenly Lukefahr. wonderful person she was – very draped coffin was placed before the sanctuary of the He made those comments in an Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, Father, why has thou abandoned me?’ Everyone then dignified and strong.” was asking ‘Why, why, why?’... My thought was that interview with the Catholic paper in Growing up in Perryville, young during the funeral Mass for the slain president. 2008, the 45th anniversary of Ken- Today, 50 years later, people come to the cathedral here is the most difficult ‘why,’ and I have no answer Oscar Huber stayed out of school to nedy’s death. Father Lukefahr was manage the family farm while his from across the country and around the world, with for it.” then and still is a regular columnist many wanting to stand at that very spot, where an inlaid In his 2010 memoir published by Our Sunday Visi- elder brother went away to dental for The Catholic Missourian. school. marble plaque is inscribed with the words, “Here rest- tor, “The Archbishop Wore Combat Boots,” then-re- As the nation marks the 50th ed the remains of President Kennedy at the Requiem tired New Orleans Archbishop Hannan noted that he At the age of 28, Oscar entered anniversary of the Kennedy as- the Vincentian minor seminary in Mass, Nov. 25, 1963, before their removal to Arlington, had heard the terrible news at his hotel lobby in Rome, sassination, Father Huber’s name Perryville. He completed the high where they lie in expectation of a heavenly resurrec- after he had helped conduct a daily press briefing dur- may not be as familiar as many school curriculum in two years, tion.” ing Vatican II. He said he then went to his room, closed others who have become part of On a recent weekday, Msgr. W. Ronald Jameson, the door, and “I wept silently and alone.” the public memory of those dark moving on to the Vincentian no- the cathedral’s rector, stood beside that plaque. “Many As a Washington auxiliary, then-Bishop Hannan was days, but a January 2007 issue of vitiate and college seminary, com- people who come here, come because of that,” he said, a close friend of the Kennedys, and was asked by the the Southwestern Historical Quar- pleting those studies in three years noting that many talk about “the sense of hope that his first lady to deliver the eulogy. terly recounted how Father Huber, instead of the typical four. presidency brought the nation.” The eulogy also included favorite Scriptural pas- then pastor of Holy Trinity Parish, After being ordained in 1931, sages that President Kennedy liked to quote, which the walked several blocks from his Father Huber went on to serve at “They see the plaque, and it brings back memories,” parishes in Missouri, including the priest told the Catholic Standard, newspaper of the family provided to Bishop Hannan. church to see the president’s mo- The responsibility for planning the funeral Mass had torcade. Kansas City, and San Antonio be- Washington Archdiocese. fore moving to the Dallas parish. In an article in the Nov. 29, 1963, issue of the archdi- been given to Sargent Shriver, the husband of President Believing that the nation’s first Kennedy’s sister Eunice and founding director of the Catholic president, who was trav- He was pastor there from 1959 to ocesan paper, reporter Valerie MacNees, who attended 1968. the president’s funeral, recounted the emotions of that Peace Corps established by the president. eling in an open-topped limou- In his 2012 biography of his father, “A Good Man,” sine, had spotted his Roman collar “He was the kind of pastor who day in spare language: “The heart of the entire world could do those kinds of things and shared the grief of the American people in the loss of Mark Shriver wrote that his father then took on the re- and waved to him, Father Huber sponsibility of organizing the funeral Mass and related returned to his rectory to tell his do them well,” Father Lukefahr told their president. The Catholic Missourian. “He was “An emperor, a king, a queen, princes, princesses, arrangements with the same resoluteness, purpose and friends what had happened. “It was a thrilling moment for a good administrator, and he cared a presidents and premiers of foreign governments joined faith that marked his life of service to his country and lot about people. I never heard any- the American people Monday in paying their last re- his Church. me,” he was quoted as saying. A while later, Vincentian Father one complain about him.” spects to President John Fitzgerald Kennedy,” she Later reflecting on the funeral Mass in his oral his- After Dallas, Father Huber tory interview, Cardinal Cushing said, “It was a very, James N. Thompson, associate pas- wrote. tor, told Father Huber that the presi- moved to a parish near St. Louis “The great and the lowly of the world met on a com- very simple funeral, following as close as possible the and spent his last two years back in services in memory of the martyred Lincoln. No fan- dent had been shot. Both immedi- mon level in mourning the 46-year-old president who ately left for the hospital, which his hometown, at the Vincentian re- was slain by an assassin’s bullet last Friday in Dallas.” fare, everyone bowed in sorrow, tears flowed in abun- was three miles away and located tirement home in Perryville. Kennedy was killed Nov. 22, 1963. dance. with the parish boundaries. He died in 1975, leaving to his Thousands of people crowded the streets leading to “On the way out, I was preceding the casket, and I According to an article in the nephew the chalice he had taken to the cathedral, including Richard Schmidt, now the ar- went over to Jacqueline and shook hands with her. I Dec. 1, 1963, issue of The Catho- Parkland Hospital. chivist and historian for St. Matthew’s, who was then kissed little Caroline and shook hands with her. John working as an administrative assistant for the Food and John was getting a little restless, so he was down in the Drug Administration. rear of the church. Outside at the end of Mass, John He watched as the president’s flag-draped casket was John saluted the flag, the most touching thing I ever moved on a caisson drawn by six gray horses, with the saw.” Kennedy family members and U.S. and world leaders Outside of St. Matthew’s Cathedral, that little boy’s walking behind in a solemn procession along Connecti- salute to his father’s flag-draped casket, immortalized cut Avenue to the cathedral. in a photograph by Stan Stearns of United Press In- “The crowds were unbelievable. People just poured ternational, remains perhaps the most poignant image out to witness this,” said Schmidt, who remembers the from that day. silence of the crowd, interrupted only by the sound of In his memoir, Archbishop Hannan recalled what the drums and brass instruments solemnly played by happened next: “Released from restraint, the crowds military band members as the procession moved to- erupted in an earthquake of pent-up emotion: groans, ward St. Matthew’s. yelps, uncontrollable sobbing.” Boston Cardinal Richard Cushing, a friend of the On a recent weekday at St. Matthew’s, its rector re- Kennedy family, was the main celebrant at the Requi- flected on its place in history as the Catholic cathedral em Mass. He had officiated at the wedding of John and in the nation’s capital. Jacqueline Kennedy. Also in the sanctuary were then- There crowds gathered in joy at the end of World Washington Archbishop Patrick O’Boyle and Wash- War II in 1945, to attend Mass with Blessed John Paul ington Auxiliary Bishop Philip Hannan, who had been II in 1979, in sorrow after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on CNS, COURTESY OF THE JOHN F. KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM attending the Second Vatican Council in Rome and the United States – and 50 years ago for the funeral U.S. President John F. Kennedy and first lady, Jacqueline rushed back to Washington after learning of the presi- Mass for the nation’s first Catholic president. Kennedy, arrive at Love Field in Dallas Nov. 22, 1963. dent’s death. “This indeed is holy ground,” the priest said. NOVEMBER 22, 2013, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS - 7 Memoir Recalls Bishop Setting Aside Grief for Eulogy

By Mark Zimmermann The eulogy also included favorite scriptural pas- Catholic News Service sages that President Kennedy liked to quote, which the family provided to Bishop Hannan. Auxiliary Bishop Philip Hannan of Washington As he walked up the steps to the cathedral’s pul- was a close friend and confidant of President John pit to deliver the eulogy at the funeral, Bishop Han- F. Kennedy, but he had kept that friendship secret. nan looked out over the congregation that included Then he was called upon to deliver the eulogy the Kennedy family, President Lyndon Johnson, and at the funeral Mass for the country’s first Catholic former Presidents Harry S Truman and Dwight D. president, killed by an assassin in Dallas Nov. 22, 1963. Eisenhower. World leaders in attendance includ- The bishop had been a paratrooper chaplain with ed Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, President the 82nd Airborne during World War II, but after the Charles de Gaulle of France and Prince Philip of president’s death, the chancellor of the Washington Great Britain. Archdiocese soon learned that he would face one of When Bishop Hannan read part of the third chapter the most difficult challenges of his life. of Ecclesiastes: “There is an appointed time for ev- First lady Jacqueline Kennedy asked the church- erything, and a time for every affair under the heav- man to be the eulogist at the funeral Mass for her ens, a time to be born, a time to die ...,” he could hear husband at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle people sobbing in the congregation. in Washington. “I was as numb and emotionally exhausted as ev- He concluded the eulogy with Kennedy’s clarion ery other American struggling to make sense of the call to serve others from his inaugural address: “And stunningly brutal murder,” wrote then-retired New so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country Orleans Archbishop Hannan in his 2010 memoir, can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. “The Archbishop Wore Combat Boots.” With a good conscience our only sure reward, with “My own grieving, however, would have to wait,” history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to he said. “First lady Jacqueline Kennedy had asked lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His that I deliver the eulogy for her husband – and my help, but knowing that here on earth, God’s work friend.” must truly be our own.” Working late into the night before the Nov. 25, CNS, ABBIE ROW, NATIONAL PARKS SERVICE, COURTESY OF THE JOHN F. KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM In 1968, Archbishop Hannan returned to Wash- 1963, funeral Mass, the churchman had decided that the eulogy should consist of key passages from the Robert F. Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, first lady Jacqueline ington from New Orleans to deliver the graveside president’s inaugural address, to “let the president Kennedy and John F. Kennedy Jr. are seen leaving the U.S. eulogy at the funeral of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. In speak for himself in his own stirring words. ... On Capitol Nov. 24, 1963. The following day a funeral Mass was 1994, he offered graveside prayers at the interment the day ending his presidency forever, I would cite celebrated for U.S. President John F. Kennedy at the Cathe- of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in Arlington National passages from the day it had begun.” dral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington. Cemetery. The prelate died Sept. 29, 2011, at age 98. As President, Kennedy Faced Challenges of Fast-Changing World By Cathy Harasta “The Peace Corps really does represent what Kennedy stood for – to send American energy Catholic News Service around the world,” Engel said of the development organization founded under Kennedy to send U.S. volunteers to build friendship and share skills with the people of other nations. “But A young first family, captivating and chipper, reinvented life in the White House during my read of Kennedy was that he was interested in foreign affairs and did domestic policy John F. Kennedy’s 34-month presidency in the early 1960s. because he had to.” The public image was vibrant: with first lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s redecoration of the Others characterized the Kennedy administration in terms of personality. somewhat tattered White House and her posing for magazine covers in striking Oleg Cassini In a September article in The Atlantic, Editor-in-Chief James Bennet quoted the magazine’s designs; the couple’s two endearing children, Caroline and John-John, and their pet pony, February 1964 edition, in which historian Samuel Eliot Morison extolled Kennedy’s courage, Macaroni – a gift from Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. comparing the significance of his decision-making to Lincoln’s. The context for the idyllic scene contrasted vividly as the Cold War festered globally and The political power struggle known as the Cold War that also defined the Kennedy presi- social upheaval fractured the homefront. dency lasted for decades and shaped international affairs on many fronts. As Kennedy, then 46, arrived in Texas in November 1963, the visit came against a backdrop The disastrous U.S. attempt to overthrow Cuban leader Fidel Castro in the Bay of Pigs inva- of the Cold War, the space race and the nation’s volatile civil rights scene. sion heightened international tensions. Soon after, the Soviet buildup of missiles in Cuba, a In Kennedy, the nation’s 35th president and first Catholic to hold the position, the populace scant 90 miles off the coast of Florida, brought the United States and the Soviet Union to the got a war hero, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and visionary. brink of nuclear war in October 1962. During his election campaign against Richard M. Nixon, Kennedy had to dispel the notion For 13 days, the world watched and waited as the U.S.-Soviet standoff continued. Finally, that his religious beliefs would translate to a U.S. ruled by the Vatican. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Kruschev came to an agreement: The U.S. would not in- In a televised speech, the senator from Massachusetts said he was not “the Catholic can- vade Cuba if Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba. On Oct. 28, 1962, Khrushchev didate for president. I am the Democratic Party’s candidate for president, announced he had agreed to remove the missiles. who happens also to be Catholic.” A race to succeed in space exploration added to competitive zeal between the U.S. and the Kennedy had commanded a Navy torpedo boat and earned a Soviets. Purple Heart, yet the presidency brought management frustrations, Kennedy also made strides for civil rights during a struggle that dramatically revealed the according to Jeffrey Engel, director of Southern Methodist Uni- country’s divisions. versity’s Center for Presidential History. In a televised speech in June 1963, during the height of civil rights protests, Kennedy Engel told The Texas Catholic, newspaper of the Dallas Dio- told the nation that racial discrimination was intolerable. cese, that Kennedy earned a reputation for inspired crisis manage- “If an American, because his skin is dark, cannot eat lunch in a restaurant ment at a time when humanity grappled with unprecedented fears. open to the public, if he cannot send his children to the best public school “People always had a fear that God could end the world, but the available, if he cannot vote for the public officials who represent him, if, notion that the world could end tomorrow because of human action in short, he cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then really only arose in the 1950s,” Engel said. “Kennedy was first and who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and foremost a Cold War president. He thought that [President Dwight] stand in his place? Who among us would then be content with the coun- Eisenhower had run out of energy. The thing to remember about the Ken- sels of patience and delay?” nedy administration, like all presidential administrations, is that an adminis- Engel said Kennedy’s assassination Nov. 22, 1963, was pivotal for the tration is, by and large, a rejection of what came before.” In his inaugural address, Kennedy challenged the nation with his historic nation’s collective mindset. call for service-minded action: “Ask not what your country can do for you, “His death was the beginning of the end of innocence for the post-World ask what you can do for your country.” War II generation,” he said. “For the first time, Americans realized that they But Engel said Kennedy had far more interest in international affairs weren’t going to be able to do, collectively, everything they wanted to do than domestic matters. in the world.”

CNS, ROBERT KNUDSEN, WHITE HOUSE, COURTESY OF THE JOHN F. KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM U.S. President John F. Kennedy greets the crowd June 27, 1963, in the town of New Ross in County Wexford, Ireland. The Irish-American, who was the first Catholic to become U.S. president, was proud of his Irish roots, and huge crowds greeted him wherever he went on a visit to his ancestral homeland nearly 50 years ago. 8 - THE CATHOLIC WITNESS, NOVEMBER 22, 2013

Left: Junior Cheyenne Atland leaps for the tip.

Right: Hannah Lawrence, libero, hugs teammate Kelly O’Boyle in celebration of their first state championship.

Bottom: Katie Laughman and Cheyenne Atland defend the net.

Delone Catholic Girls Make a ‘Set’ in School History By Emily M. Albert Coach Jason Leppo expressed, “This is an unbelievable feeling. To accomplish The Catholic Witness first in anything is something these girls will remember for a lifetime.” “We could play another seven games, and I think it would always come down to The spectators who filled the gymnasium at Central York High School for the a point or two,” Coach Leppo said of the quality of play from both teams. He con- PIAA State Volleyball championships Nov. 16 were buzzing about the AA final tinued, “They’re great kids, and you really can’t beat this moment. They weren’t – a repeat match from last year’s championship game between Delone Catholic’s Squirettes and Fort LeBoeuf’s Bison. just a great team, but a dominant team.” Last year, Fort LeBoeuf, located 25 miles south of Erie between Erie and Delone volleyball matches are loud. Outside of the roaring spectators, the girls Edinboro, edged Delone in four sets to take home the gold. This year’s final was call every play on the court. They support each other with a high-five on a kill or also closely contested, but with a different outcome as the Squirettes won their ace, and they support each other after a missed volley. They are always a team. first state volleyball championship in school history at the end of a five match “This has been a phenomenal ride. We aren’t perfect as individuals, but we are series 25-14, 15-25, 26-24, 18-25, 15-9. as a group, we do it all together,” commented Coach Leppo.

EMILY M. ALBERT, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS NOVEMBER 22, 2013, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS - 9 Trinity Almost Comes Back in State Final

Senior co-captains Micaela Oliverio, Miranda Rogliano and Ali Basom embrace the runner-up trophy.

CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS By Chris Heisey The Shamrocks gave up two goals dermanned inside the goal box. work and determination almost netted The Catholic Witness midway through the first half against But after halftime, the Shamrocks them a goal with less than a minute to the Warriors of Central Valley – an un- played tighter on the backend as they go, when Ashley Mahaffey ripped a shot ne of the best clues to whether defeated District 7 school located just countered the Warriors’ speed with off the crossbar and the follow by Ali Oa high school sports team has north of Pittsburgh along the Ohio Riv- quickness. Midway through the second Basom sailed just feet wide of an open chemistry and moxie to compete is when er. Not only did the Warriors possess half, Trinity’s star striker Addy Fitzger- net. It was an exciting finish to a great, it falls behind and faces an uphill climb great speed at the mid-field, they also ald nailed a dandy shot top shelf off a physically played soccer match. on the scoreboard. The girls’ soccer had players able to cross the ball long free kick some 30 yards out to close to It was a tough way to lose for a Sham- team of Trinity High showed plenty of into open space where their speed could 2-1. The goal gave the Shamrocks life, rock team that was a senior-laden club grit and team unity in its PIAA Class AA create great scoring opportunities. Cen- and for the rest of the game, Trinity at- that never quit against a speedy team state final game at Hersheypark Stadium tral Valley finished off two nifty scoring tacked the goal and controlled the play. that could handle the ball. Trinity fin- on a perfect, balmy, Saturday, Nov. 16. plays that caught Trinity’s defense un- And in heartbreaking fashion, that hard ished its marvelous season at 22-3.

Ashley Rogliano, sophomore, goes up for a header in the second half.

Ashley Mahaffey, junior, battles to win a ball.

Catherine Gregoire, freshman, feels the sting of a narrow loss. 10 - THE CATHOLIC WITNESS, NOVEMBER 22, 2013 Newly Elected USCCB President Says He is Rooted in Simple Values

By Patricia Zapor ship Louisville, and on the advisory board Catholic News Service Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz for the sainthood cause for Archbishop Ful- of Louisville, Ky., ton Sheen. The newly elected president of the U.S. Born Aug. 18, 1946, in Mahanoy City, addresses a news Conference of Catholic Bishops has been a Pa., he was one of four children of the late conference following bishop for nearly 14 years, but it’s as priest, George and Stella Kurtz. He earned bache- family member and social worker that he de- his election as presi- lor’s and master’’ of divinity degrees from St. scribes himself. dent of the U.S. Con- Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia By way of introduction to American Cath- ference of Catholic olics, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louis- and a master’s degree in social work from Bishops Nov. 12 in Marywood School of Social Work in Scran- ville, Ky., talked about his upbringing in the Baltimore. coal regions of northeastern Pennsylvania, of ton, Pa. He was ordained for the Diocese of spending most of his priesthood as a social Allentown, Pa., March 18, 1972. worker, and of caring for his older brother, His 27 years in the Allentown Diocese George, who had Down syndrome, for 12 included positions as associate director and years after their mother died. George Kurtz director of the diocesan social services agen- died in 2002. cies and coordinator of health affairs; as pas- He takes obvious pride in his identity as tor of two parishes, totaling 12 years; and both a coal-town native and a transplanted as an instructor at Mary Immaculate and St. southerner, after serving as bishop of Knox- CNS/NANCY PHELAN WIECHEC Pius X seminaries. ville, Tenn., from 1999 to 2007, when he be- He also was on the boards of the Pennsyl- focus on parish observances, particularly the “Do we ever get the gist of what it means came archbishop of Louisville. vania Catholic Conference and the Catholic Archbishop Kurtz, 67, was elected by his Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb. to serve Christ?” he observed. The ceremony is a “pastoral moment of first Being an officer of the USCCB is a min- Social Agency while in Allentown. In Knox- fellow bishops to serve a three-year term as ville, he was a member of the Association of president of the conference, succeeding New evangelization of the child and new evan- istry of service and unity, he said – service gelization of the family,” Archbishop Kurtz to the U.S. bishops and the people of God, Christian Denominational Leaders and Lead- York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan in the post. ership Knoxville. He has been vice president of the USCCB for told the synod. and unity with those groups, with the pope He told CNS Nov. 12 that he sees the rite and with episcopal conferences around the Archbishop Kurtz still identifies strongly the past three years and was elected amid a with his roots. “I grew up in a coal town. slate of 10 bishops with a 125-vote win on as a way of “reaching out to people on the world. margins, especially a woman who is preg- Archbishop Kurtz isn’t likely a familiar Family was very important to me. Neighbors the first ballot Nov. 12. were very important. I think we took an inter- In an interview with Catholic News Ser- nant, especially if they’re distant from Christ, name or face to U.S. Catholics outside the distant from the Church.” dioceses where he’s served, although during est in our neighbors. That means a lot. I don’t vice shortly after his election, Archbishop care how big the city is, I still say hello to the Kurtz spoke of seeing the example of Pope Picking up on themes of Pope Francis, his term as USCCB vice president he has had Francis as a model for outreach, listening and Archbishop Kurtz said “we need to reach a busy agenda away from his archdiocese. person I pass on the street.” collegiality. “He’s asking us to go beyond out, not, as the Holy Father said so well, As vice president, he served on the US- That approach has served him well in mak- what we’ve been doing,” he said. “If it was [first] with rules and regulations – which are CCB’s Executive and Administrative com- ing a new home in Tennessee and later Ken- a car, I guess we’re moving into high gear.” appropriate if you’re going to present a child mittees. He also is the vice chancellor of the tucky, he said. He demurred about specific issues he might for baptism – but it should not be the first board of Catholic Extension, episcopal ad- “I think no matter what culture a person like to take up as president. “It’s too early for step. We should be reaching out as the first viser to the Catholic Social Workers National comes from, we can learn [about them] from me to comment too much about that.” step.” Association, and on the board of trustees of their sense of family, their sense of devo- But he suggested there might be a thread to While his term as vice president has helped The Catholic University of America and on tion,” the archbishop said. Citing Pope Fran- consider in his intervention in October 2012 him become familiar with the job he’ll now the board of directors of the National Catho- cis’ comments about focusing on love and at the world Synod of Bishops on the new add to his archdiocesan role, Archbishop lic Bioethics Center. mercy, seeing the dignity of an individual, evangelization. Kurtz said that in some ways it’s impossible He also serves on the boards of St. Charles and accompanying people in their struggles, There, he used his allotted five minutes to to be prepared for what God calls one to do. Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, Leader- he said, “I think those words suit me well.”

Members Bishops Send ‘Special of the U.S. Conference Message’ Reiterating of Catholic Bishops pray Objections to HHS Mandate before the second day of Catholic News Service coverage on moral grounds. proceedings There also is an accommodation for some em- at the bishops’ In a “special message” released Nov. 13, the ployers to use a third party to pay for the objec- annual fall U.S. bishops reiterated their objections to the Af- tionable coverage. meeting fordable Care Act’s requirement that employee The bishops’ message recapped the battle be- Nov. 12 in Baltimore. insurance include contraceptive coverage and tween the USCCB and the federal government said they remain “united in our resolve to resist over the mandate. It reiterated points made in a CNS/NANCY PHELAN WIECHEC this heavy burden and protect our religious free- 2012 statement issued by the USCCB Adminis- dom.” trative Committee titled “United for Religious Bishops’ Meeting, at a Glance The message was released one day after the Freedom.” conclusion of the Nov. 11-12 public portion of The special message outlined three objections Catholic News Service the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ fall the bishops still have, including that it establishes general assembly in Baltimore. The bishops met what they called “a false architecture of religious During the Nov. 11-12 public sessions of the annual fall general assembly of the in executive session Nov. 13. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Baltimore, the bishops: A media release with the message explained liberty that excludes our ministries and so reduc- es freedom of religion to freedom of worship.” • Elected Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., to succeed New York that USCCB regulations regarding statements Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops It “compels our ministries” to provide cover- and publications define a “special message” as and elected Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston as vice president. age that “violates our deeply held beliefs,” and a statement, only issued at general meetings, that • Approved the development of a pastoral statement on the dangers pornogra- the general membership considers appropriate the bishops said they also object to “our faithful phy poses to family life that would serve as a teaching tool for church leaders. The in view of the circumstances at the time. It was people in business” being required “to act against Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth will develop the statement, passed unanimously. our teachings, failing to provide them any ex- providing a draft to the bishops in 2015. The message opened with a listing of various emption at all.” • Nearly unanimously approved several steps toward adapting the Mexican Misal matters the bishops had dealt with during their There are multiple lawsuits working their way Romano for use in the U.S. The Mexican translation of the missal will have Mass assembly, including a response to the Philippine through the courts that have been filed on behalf propers for the U.S. calendar included, with publication possible as soon as fall of typhoon, some liturgical issues and an update on of Church entities, religious colleges and faith- 2015. church assistance to Haiti. based institutions as well as for-profit companies. • Approved adaptations for the Order of Celebrating Marriage and OK’d a new “We stand together as pastors charged with “Despite our repeated efforts to work and dia- translation of the Order of Confirmation for use in U.S. dioceses. proclaiming the Gospel in its entirety,” it said. logue toward a solution, these problems remain,” • Heard a report on the USCCB’s efforts to promote and defend traditional mar- “That Gospel calls us to feed the poor, heal the the message said. riage, which stressed that recent laws have placed the legal defense of marriage sick and educate the young, and in doing so wit- The bishops’ message observed that the dead- “at a critical point in this country.” ness to our faith in its fullness.” line for implementing the HHS mandate is Jan. 1. • Heard a report on the work of Catholic Relief Services, which highlighted what The Constitution and the law protect the It said they would continue their efforts “in the agency is doing for survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan. The agency has already Church’s freedom to answer that call to serve Congress and especially with the promising ini- committed $20 million in emergency aid, with the funds expected to come from a through various apostolates, the statement said. tiatives in the courts to protect the religious free- second collection CRS asked U.S. bishops to take in their dioceses before the end “Yet with its coercive HHS mandate, the govern- dom that ensures our ability to fulfill the Gospel of the year. ment is refusing to uphold its obligation to re- • Approved a budget for 2014 and approved a 3 percent increase in diocesan by serving the common good.” spect the rights of religious believers.” assessments starting in 2015. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Learn how to take action The mandate was issued by U.S. Department • Heard a report on important progress being made in bishops’ priorities for 2013- of Health and Human Services as part of the in support of religious liberty by connecting to 16 in their efforts to protect the life and dignity of the human person, to strengthen health care law. It requires most religious and the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference’s Catho- marriage and family life, to promote religious liberty, and to improve faith formation other employers to provide health insurance cov- lic Advocacy Network at www.pacatholic.org. and sacramental practice. erage for contraceptives, sterilization and aborti- The PCC is the public affairs arm of Pennsylva- • Approved adding a new staff person to the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities to facient drugs and devices even if the employer is nia’s Catholic bishops and the Catholic dioceses work on a national level with the post-abortion ministry Project Rachel funded by a morally opposed to such services. It includes an of Pennsylvania. You can also stay up to date on Knights of Columbus grant. exemption for some religious employers that fit Catholic news and issues from the PCC at www. • Approved the advancement of the sainthood cause of Mother Mary Teresa Tal- its criteria. The mandate does not include a con- facebook.com/pacatholic, and www.twitter.com/ lon, who founded the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate, an order focused on science clause for employers who object to such pacatholic.) contemplation and door-to-door, personal ministry. NOVEMBER 22, 2013, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS - 11 Military Archdiocese Remembers Sainthood Candidate Killed in Vietnam

By Mark Pattison Some of you have journeyed to be Catholic News Service here. You cannot forget the shepherd who was there for you.” After the fi- As the sainthood cause for a Viet- nal blessing at Mass, a lone trumpet nam War chaplain gathers momentum, played Taps. the priest was remembered at a recent In the book “The Grunt Padre” – Fa- memorial Mass as a man “completely ther Capodanno’s nickname – Marine dedicated to the spiritual care of his Cpl. Keith Rounseville said Father Ca- Marines.” podanno “was jumping over my [fox] Father Vincent Capodanno, who hole, all the while exposing himself died in Vietnam Sept. 4, 1967, was one to enemy machine gun fire to try and of the “great priest chaplains,” said give aid to a wounded Marine. Chap- Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the lain Capodanno looked and acted cool Archdiocese for the Military Services and calm, as if there wasn’t an enemy in his homily at the Mass, celebrated at in sight. As he reached the wounded the Basilica of the National Shrine of Marine, Chaplain Capodanno lay the Immaculate Conception in Wash- down beside him and gave him aid and ington. verbal encouragement and telling him “This annual gathering is to pray for medical help was on the way.” him and to recall his pastoral service Marine Cpl. Ray Harton also re- as a model for chaplains and priests membered how he lay wounded and in general,” Archbishop Broglio said. bleeding from a gunshot wound to his “The cause for his canonization is not left arm. “As I closed my eyes, some- for him, but for us. Others should know CNS/COURTESY MARYKNOLL FATHERS AND BROTHERS one touched me,” he recounted for the of his dedication and his desire to serve Maryknoll Father Vincent R. Capodanno is pictured ministering in the field in an book. “When I opened my eyes, he others. His was a response filled with undated photo. looked directly at me. It was Father faith to the Master who laid down his Capodanno. Everything got still: no life for the sheep.” whatever,” he said. and to be led to the service of others.” noise, no firing, no screaming. A peace Father Capodanno, a Maryknoll “To receive the Lord Jesus means To the Marine veterans gathered at came over me that is unexplainable priest and Navy chaplain, died in Op- to open my heart with generous love. the Mass, the archbishop said, “Is that to this day. In a quiet, calm voice, he eration Swift in the Thang Binh district Anyone, young or old, who meets Je- not why you, fellow Marines of Father cupped the back of my head and said, of the Que Son Valley. He went among sus is inevitably destined to change Capodanno, have joined us tonight? ‘Stay quiet, Marine. You will be OK. the wounded and dying, giving last Someone will be here to help you soon. rites. Wounded in the face and hand, he God is with us all this day.’” went to help a wounded corpsman only Knights of Columbus In 2002, Father Capodanno’s canon- yards from an enemy machine gun and Father Capodanno Assembly 3167 ization cause was officially opened. In was killed. 2004, the initial documentation for the “One way or another, directly or Father Capodanno Assembly 3167 in Harrisburg was named in honor of cause was submitted to the Vatican’s indirectly, we have been touched by Father Vincent Capodanno, who gave his life during Vietnam caring for his Congregation for Saints’ Causes. In the life and ministry of the ‘servant of wounded marines. Today, the Brother Knights of the Assembly strive to honor 2006, a public decree of “servant of God,’ Vincent Capodanno,” Archbish- his legacy through dedication to the Catholic faith, the Church and America. God” for Father Capodanno, a native op Broglio said. The Assembly meets each month at a different parish in its geographic area. It is of Staten Island, N.Y., was issued by In his homily, he challenged all giv- also home to the Father Capodanno Color Guard and Competition Drill teams, the military archdiocese. en pastoral responsibilities. “That is which participate regularly at Masses, funerals, parades and state and national Recently, the archdiocese estab- the constant tension in pastoral minis- ceremonies. Each year, the Assembly raises and donates money for various lished the Capodanno Guild to raise try: Where do I best use my time and causes, including increased vocations to the religious life, pro-life efforts, and funds and support for the sainthood talents, what furthers the mission? It the hungry and poor in the Harrisburg area. For information on the Assembly, cause. On Oct. 1, there was a formal is the mission that is central and not and to learn more about Father Capodanno, visit www.kofc3167.com. opening of the cause to meet the ca- merely my career, or promotion, or nonical requirements. 12 - THE CATHOLIC WITNESS, NOVEMBER 22, 2013 Living the Theme of World Youth Day

By Molly Lahr Special to The Witness This summer, I participated in World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Three and a half million Catholics came together to ignite their faith, hope and unity. The main objective of World Youth Day was to proclaim Christ’s message to young people. This year’s theme originated from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 28, Verse 19: “Go and make disciples of all nations!” We can live up to the motto by showing the “face” of Jesus Christ to the world during and after World Youth Day. Christians congregated on the streets, sidewalks and Copacabana Beach in an- ticipation of the arrival of Pope Francis. As the Popemobile maneuvered through the crowds, everyone chanted “Esta es la juventud del Papa!” which means “This is the youth of the pope!” Witnessing every continent and country come together for the Opening Ceremony of World Youth Day reflected the power of Christianity. I brimmed with joy in contemplation of the fact that I was one of those 3.5 million Catholics, for World Youth Day was a life-changing and uplifting event. As the Popemobile stopped in front of my group at the Opening Ceremony, I could see the same emotions in Pope Francis’ face from seeing all of God’s chil- dren come together for World Youth Day. That evening, I realized the connection between me and Pope Francis; for he is my spiritual brother, who is fulfilling God’s duty by spreading His word amongst all nations. Pope Francis’ words at the Opening Ceremony have a special place in my heart, for he stated, “You, God’s Sons and Daughters, were chosen to be a part of World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Here is where you unite amongst your Broth- ers and Sisters of Christ.” He presented the 3.5 million with a personal message that evening, “Leave World Youth Day with an open mind, heart and arms.” His words inspire me to draw my peers closer to Jesus Christ by being a role model towards others in the community and the student body at Bishop McDevitt High Diocesan pilgrims Molly Lahr School. and Alexandra Parisi stand The positive emotions and atmosphere of World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro, on the shores of Copacabana Brazil, reflect the values I would like to uphold in the future. Since leaving Brazil, Beach in Rio de Janeiro, I have lived up to this year’s motto; for I see the “face” of Jesus Christ through my Brazil, during the World Youth peers, family and the faculty and student body of Bishop McDevitt High School. Day celebration this past July. I heed Pope Francis’ words from the Opening Ceremony; for I would like to keep The World Youth Day theme others close to Jesus Christ during my senior year at Bishop McDevitt High School challenged young people to as well as throughout my future. “Go and Make Disciples of All (Molly Lahr is a senior at Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg and a Nations.” member of Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Middletown.) EMILY M. ALBERT, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS Christmas Bazaars in the Diocese

St. James Parish in Lititz, Christ- candies, Monk Bread, coffee and muf- will also include musical entertain- will be held in conjunction with the mas bazaar, Nov. 22 from 4-8 p.m. fins, soup and sandwiches. For more ment. Mart as well as following the week- and Nov. 23 from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Crafts, information, call the parish office at Holy Family and St. Francis of end Masses (4:30 p.m. Saturday and wreaths, floral arrangements, knitted 717-653-4903. Assisi parishes in Harrisburg, joint 8:30 and 11 a.m. on Sunday). Grave items, white elephant sale, children’s St. Rose of Lima Parish in York, holiday bazaar, Nov. 23 from 9 a.m.-3 blankets for $35 must be preordered. room with Santa, bake sale, basket raf- Christmas festival Nov. 23 from 9 p.m. at Holy Family Parish. Flea mar- For questions or pre-orders, call Faith fle, silent auction 25-cent bingo, fish a.m.-2 p.m. at the parish center. The ket, hand-crafted items, homemade Ulzheimer at 301-241-4955. bowl, raffle for prizes. St. James Café day will begin with Breakfast with foods, baked goods, live music, face St. Philip the Apostle Women’s open Friday. Saturday menu includes Santa, which is free for children painting, raffles. To rent a table for Auxiliary in Millersville, Christmas light breakfast, soups, sandwiches, ages 12 and younger. Advance reg- $10, call Ann at 717-564-9234. craft show, Dec. 7 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. homemade pierogies, salads for lunch, istration is required. Breakfast sand- St. Aloysius Parish in Littlestown, in the parish gym and classrooms. ham/turkey dinner in the evening. For wiches and drinks will be available holiday bazaar, Nov. 30 from 8 a.m.- More than 50 crafters, used book sale information, call the parish at 717- for others wanting to purchase food. 2 p.m. Breakfast, lunch and snacks. by the Lancaster Friends of the Li- 626-5580. Santa will be available at the break- Baked goods, fudge, unique crafts brary, kitchen open for sandwiches, St. Cecilia Parish in Lebanon, fast and afterwards for photos. Gift and raffles. Vendors include Avon, soups, snacks and baked items. Christmas bazaar, Nov. 23 from 8 Card Bingo games will be held at 10 Thirty-One, Tastefully Simple, Ce- St. Joseph Parish in Mechanics- a.m.-1 p.m. at the State Drive social a.m. and noon. Tickets are $15 for a ladon Road, Origami Owl, Stampin’ burg, Christmas Fest, Dec. 7 from 10 Up, Azuli Skye, Creative Memories, a.m.-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. St. Nicholas, hall. Walnut, poppyseed and apricot game of ten rounds each, or $25 for Jamberry Nails, IT Works, Crocheted silent auction, raffle, bingo, food and strudel, sugar cookies, homemade both games. Tickets are available for and Knitted items, Cookie Lee, Cel- baked goods, entertainment, children’s candies, needlework and crafts, gift sale at the event and in advance by ebrating Homes, B-K Woods, Scentsy, games, face painting, Christmas crafts, baskets, jewelry and handbag bou- calling the parish office at 717-846- Pampered Chef, Spellbound Dragons, religious items, 18-inch doll clothes, tique, chance booth, flea market items, 4935. Throughout the day, there will TownM video&Computer, Mary Kay, jewelry, accessories, cosmetics, can- a children’s store with gift wrapping be children’s games and crafts, Advent Stretchy Bracelets, Nitelites, A&B Re- dles, cross-stitch, kitchen and glass- available, Christmas booth, lunch. activities for families, face painting to ligious items, Scissors Palace, Para- ware. For more information, contact Mary Mother of the Church Par- all who donate a non-perishable food cord items, JuicePlus, Towergardens, Valerie Spangler at vjdspn@verizon. ish in Mount Joy, Christmas bazaar, item, and a silent gift basket auction, Baby Bibs, Compelling Creations, net or 717-790-9172. Nov. 23 from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. in the with bids closing at 1:15 p.m. Food Wild Tree and Tealightful Products. St. Leo the Great Parish in Rohrer- social hall. Craft vendors, Chinese available for lunch, including soups, Photos with Santa from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. stown, Advent Festival, Dec. 7 and 8. auction, homemade baked goods and sandwiches and baked goods. The day For more information, or to purchase Saturday from noon-4:30 p.m. features a table for $20, contact Karen at 410- a Christmas market, bake sale, alter- 346-6855. native gift giving, craft vendors and Pro-Life Contests for Students Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in wine sales. Saturday from 5:30-8 p.m. Spring Grove, 30th annual Christ- includes a pasta dinner, wine sales and The Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation is seeking entries for its annual essay mas bazaar, Dec. 7 from 8:30 a.m.-2 tasting, musical entertainment featur- and oratory contests. p.m. Breakfast and lunch served, also ing Women at the Well, alternative gift The essay contest is open to students in grades 7-12. Students are asked to homemade soup and pies. Stop by to giving and craft vendors. Sunday, after write a pro-life essay about abortion, euthanasia or stem-cell research. Word shop more than 30 crafters and ven- 9:15 and 11 a.m. Masses, includes cof- limit is 500 for grades 7-9, and 750 for grades 10-12. Essays must include a dors. For more information, call Lisa fee, donuts, alternative gift giving and cover page with the student’s name, address, phone number, grade and school. Submit entries by March 3, 2014, to [email protected]. Weaver at 717-747-5720. vendors, pictures with St. Nicholas The oratory contest is open to high school juniors and seniors. Students St. Rita Parish in Blue Ridge Sum- and children’s crafts. Free admission will write and deliver an original 5-7 minute talk on abortion, infanticide, mit, annual Christmas Mart sponsored and activities. Donations accepted, euthanasia or embryonic stem-cell research. Students compete in regional by the Women’s Society, Dec. 7 from 9 and will benefit youth ministries. contests first. The top two in every region compete in the state contest, and a.m.-1 p.m. in the parish hall on Mon- Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish the first-place winner will be eligible to compete in the national contest. To terey Lane. Handcrafted live wreaths in Abbottstown, Christmas bazaar, compete, contact the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Federation by March 3, 2014, at and arrangements, crafts, baked goods Dec. 14 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. in the par- [email protected]. and raffle items as well as lunch will ish social hall. Breakfast and lunch be available. A religious articles sale will be available for purchase. NOVEMBER 22, 2013, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS - 13

Delone Catholic High School in McSherrys- town will present “A Christmas Carol” Nov. 22-24. Shows are Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Cost is $5 for adults, $3 for students. DCHS Students attend for free with Student ID. Early 2014-15 regis- Compiled by Jen Reed Spanish-speaking members of the diocese are invited to a presentation on the Feast of Our Lady of trants attend for free with the Page Card. Spiritual Offerings Guadalupe, Dec. 12, from 9-11 a.m. “Virgen de Guadalupe: St. Joan of Arc School in Hershey will hold Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for El Poder de la Vida sobre la Muerte” will be presented in its Annual PTO Spaghetti Dinner Nov. 23 from Children will take place every Tuesday in Advent from 4-5 Spanish, with Maria Mullen at St Joseph Church in York. 4-8 p.m. in the school cafeteria. The evening will p.m. in the lower church at St. Joseph Parish in Lancaster. Childcare available in the St. Francis/St. Clare meeting include live entertainment and basket raffles. Din- Children of all ages and abilities are welcome. If you have the rooms. A free-will offering will be accepted. For more informa- ner includes a tossed salad, Italian bread, spa- gift of music or want to volunteer, or if you want to learn about tion, contact Maria Mullen at [email protected]. ghetti and meatballs, dessert and choice of starting the program in your parish, contact Patricia Wang, A program on college financial aidwill be beverage. Tickets are $9 for adults, $5 for kids catechist, at 717-396-0635 or [email protected]. presented Dec. 12 from 6:30-8 p.m. at York Catholic High 3-14, and free for kids under 3. Take-out will also be available. Archbishop Harry Flynn, former Rector of Mount St. School. Learn about all aspects of financial aid, including Mary Seminary, Emmitsburg, Md., and Archbishop Emeritus of state and federal grants, loans, work-study and scholarships. All-You-Can-Eat Breakfast with Santa, hosted Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minn., will be the guest homilist Parents and students who have not yet had the experience by the Sacred Heart School Development Committee in for Eucharistic Devotions at St. Theresa Church in New Cum- of completing the state and federal financial aid forms will Conewago will be held Nov. 24 from 8-11:30 a.m. in the par- berland Nov. 24-26, at 7 p.m. each evening. Join us as we find the information extremely valuable. Register by calling ish hall. Made-to-order omelet bar featuring chef Wade Smith. 717-846-8871, ext. 43. bring the Year of Faith to a conclusion and prepare ourselves Menu also includes chipped beef and gravy, scrambled eggs, to celebrate again the Season of Advent. West Shore Parish Young Adults will gather bacon, sausage, pancakes (plain, blueberry and chocolate Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in chip), home fries, toast, donuts, cinnamon rolls, fruit salad, will be holding a Trinity High School in Camp Hill Mechanicsburg for Advent Vespers and a movie night. The coffee, tea, hot chocolate, orange juice and milk. Cost is $8 Student Thanksgiving Prayer Service on Nov. 27 at 8:10 a.m. group, for young adults between high school graduate and for adults, $6 for children 6-13, and free for children 5 and in the school auditorium. All are invited. 30-something, gathers at various Catholic parishes in the under. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Mechanic- Mechanicsburg/Camp Hill/New Cumberland/Enola area Prince of Peace Parish in Steelton will celebrate sburg is beginning a monthly Life Teen Mass on the first for faith and community building. For information, contact its parish Feast Day, Christ the King, with a Palachinka Sunday of each month at 5 p.m. in the parish church. All are [email protected] or visit facebook.com/groups/ (crepe) breakfast in the parish center Nov. 24 after the 8:30 welcome. The Mass is oriented toward teens and the music westshoreparishyoungadults. a.m. and 10 a.m. Cheese, jelly and plain palachinke, or is a mix of contemporary and traditional Catholic hymns and Jody Cole will be conducting two icon writ- crepes, will be sold with sausage and coffee, tea, orange chant. The first Life eenT Mass is Sunday, Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. ing workshops this winter: Tuesdays beginning Jan. 7 juice or milk, or al a carte. Dine in or take out. Questions? Mass with prayers for healing will be celebrated at St. Joseph’s in Mechanicsburg and Thursdays beginning Contact [email protected] or Paula at 717- by Father James Podlesny at St. Theresa Church in New Jan. 16 at St. Patrick’s in Carlisle. Each class will meet from 503-1959. 6-9 p.m. for a maximum of 10 weeks. The total cost is $140. Cumberland Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. The Mass is sponsored by will host a fundraiser The icons being written are a detail of Jesus and John from Lebanon Catholic School the Pilgrims of Praise and Life in the Spirit prayer groups. For night at Texas Roadhouse in Palmyra Dec. 3 from 4-8 p.m. the Last Supper, or Our Lady of Sorrows. More information is more information, call Mary Ann at 717-564-7709 or Loretta at Texas Roadhouse will donate 10 percent of your check to 717-737-7551. available by contacting Jody at 717-919-8791 or jcoleicons@ aol.com. Lebanon Catholic. Visit www.lebanoncatholicschool.org to Caelorum at St. Joan of Arc Church in Her- print a meal voucher, which must be presented to your server shey will be held Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. Father Pius Michael All Girl Scouts, Daisy through Ambassador, are invited when ordering. to spend the day learning about St. Elizabeth and how she Tukura will preside. Come and experience the power of praise Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in & worship music and Eucharistic Adoration. A reception will be kept her faith in God. The workshop will take place Jan. 11 at Holy Spirit Hospital, Camp Hill, from 1-5 p.m. (Reconciliation Harrisburg will host its second annual Cookie Exchange held immediately following the Caelorum in the cafeteria. For and Advent Tea Dec. 7 from 1-3 p.m. in the social hall. Bring more information, call 717-583-0240. and Mass at 4 p.m). Registration must be postmarked by Dec. 14. Find additional details and a registration form on the five dozen cookies packaged by the half dozen to exchange Mass with prayers for healing will be celebrated diocesan website under Youth. and a treat for the tea table. RSVP to Pam Kotz at 717-238- by Father William Weary Dec. 5 at 6 p.m. at St. Jude Thad- 6173 or [email protected] or contact the parish office deus Church in Mifflintown. The monthly Mass is celebrated Retreats & Pilgrimages at 717-233-1014. The parish Ave Maria Catholic Shop will be on the first Thursday of the month. Join Father Kenneth Smith as we follow in the open. Donations for the parish food bank will be accepted at the door. St. Joan of Arc Parish in Hershey will participate footsteps of Jesus from March 29–April 8, 2014. The scrip- in the National Night of Prayer for Life Dec. 8 from 9 p.m.- tures will come alive on this Lenten journey to the roots of our Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg 1 p.m. The purpose is to unite our prayers with Catholics faith. Tour includes: daily Mass at holy sites, licensed Chris- will host its “Santa 5K Run” Dec. 14 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. A throughout the country in an effort to help bring the world tian guide, accommodation in first class hotels (five nights in one-mile walk will be held at noon. The family event will take back to Christ, to bring about an end to abortion and estab- Jerusalem, three nights in Tiberias, on the shore of the Sea place on a course through the school campus. Registration lish a culture of life in our country. Recently, the theme has of Galilee), breakfast and dinner daily, land transportation by is $30 for adults and $15 for students before Dec. 2, $35 and expanded to include the preservation of liberty and protection deluxe motorcoach, roundtrip motorcoach transportation from $20 after that date. Children under 5 are free. Registration of the faith in America. The hours are chosen to coincide with Abbottstown to Newark, roundtrip airfare from Newark to Tel includes a Santa hat and shirt. Prizes will be awarded to the Our Lady of Guadalupe’s appearance to St. Juan Diego. Join Aviv on nonstop flights with United Airlines, and more, for top male and female runners. For information, or to register, us for an hour or more before the Blessed Sacrament. For $3,459 per person/double occupancy. For complete details visit www.bishopmcdevitt.org. information, call Mary at 717-533-4846 or visit www.national- on this pilgrimage, contact George’s International Tours, nightofprayerforlife.org. (800) 566-7499, [email protected], Karen Hurley at Parishes & Organizations [email protected], or Immaculate Conception Parish Mass in the Polish language will be celebrated St. Richard Parish in Manheim is seeking Abbottstown at 717-259-0611. There will be an informational a CRE/DRE. If interested, send a résumé to St. Richard by Father Walter Sempko Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. at St. Catherine meeting Dec. 8 at 12:30 p.m. in the church social hall. Labourè Church in Harrisburg. Confessions will be heard in Church, 201 Adele Ave., Manheim, PA 17545, Attn: Father English and Polish after Mass. Canonization Pilgrimage – Join Father Louis Menei. Ogden and parishioners and friends of St. Joseph Parish, The Lebanon Catholic Girls’ Basketball Italian Mass for the Christmas Season, La Mechanicsburg, for a pilgrimage to Rome for the canoniza- Team is organizing “Coats for Kids.” All Lebanon Santa Messa per le Feste Natalizie, will be celebrated tion of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II in April, 2014. For Catholic students from grades K-4 through grade 12 are Dec. 29 at Holy Name of Jesus Church in Harrisburg. Father information, call St. Joseph parish office at 717-766-9433 or encouraged to bring in cleaned (if possible) outgrown coats Joshua Brommer will be the celebrant. The Italian Mass Com- contact Monica Malpezzi at [email protected] or 717-697- through Dec. 9. These coats will be distributed to our own mittee will provide a reception after Mass in the social hall. For 8368. Registration is time-sensitive, so inquire as soon as students who don’t have winter coats and then to Lebanon more information, contact Mariella Amato at 717-278-9420 or possible. Maria DiSanto at 717-554-5698. County Head Start and St. Benedict Parish for any children A pilgrimage to Italy to celebrate the 50th there who may need coats. Coats can be given to any girls’ Education, Enrichment & Support anniversary of Trinity High School in Camp Hill basketball player, Coach Patti Hower or dropped off in the will be held June 12-20, 2014. Travel will include visits to Lebanon Catholic School main office. “Wings ~n~ Catholic Things,” an evening of food Venice, Florence, Assisi and Rome, including attendance and discussion featuring a panel of priests, will be offered at the Papal Audience at St. Peter’s. The price of the tour is St. Margaret Mary Flea Market has everything at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Hershey Nov. 30 from 6:30-8:30 $3,998 and includes roundtrip transportation from Trinity High you’re looking for on your Christmas list. We are filled to the p.m. for adults ages 21-50. The gathering will be held in the School to Kennedy Airport, including all taxes, sightseeing brim with holiday decor, jewelry, books, clothing and shoes, cafeteria, and will include wings, pizza and adult beverages. fees, accommodations and breakfast and dinner daily. For furniture, and many other items. Our shop is located at 2821 Priests will answer questions about the Catholic faith. Network further information, or to receive a brochure and application, Herr Street, Harrisburg, across from the school parking lot, with others at www.facebook.com/stjoanhershey/events. visit www.thsrocks.us or contact Janet Quigley, Director of lower level of Youth Center. We will be open Dec. 7 from 8 a.m.-noon and Dec. 19 from 3-7 p.m. Donations accepted St. Katharine Drexel Parish Council of Catho- Development, at [email protected] or call 717-761-2228. A deposit of $300 is requested before Dec. 31. during all sale days and every Wednesday from 9:30 a.m.- lic Women in Mechanicsburg will host an Advent noon (except Christmas and New Year’s Day). For informa- Evening of Reflection Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. Father S. Tiburtius tion, call Elizabeth at 717-329-4123. Antony Raja, parochial vicar at St. Theresa Parish in New Events & Fund-Raisers Cumberland, will be the presenter. His theme will be “Prepar- St. Ann Byzantine Catholic Church in Har- The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown is ing for Advent.” Everyone 16 years of age and over is invited risburg is selling perohi and kielbasa on Wednesdays and seeking a Catholic Campus Minister for Janu- to attend this spiritual evening. A social will follow. For more Saturdays in the parish hall at 5408 Locust Lane, Harrisburg. ary 2014. This full-time campus minister in the diocese of Saturday sales will be from 9a.m.-noon beginning Nov. 23 information, call Stella at 717-766-3436. Altoona-Johnstown coordinates Sunday Liturgies, social out- and ending Dec. 21. Wednesday sales will be from noon-1 reach activities, faith formation for young adults, retreats, and A Theology on Tap session in Shippensburg p.m. from Dec. 4-18. Call 717-652-1415 or visit www.stan- nbyz.org for more information. In honor of the parish’s 50th the development of student leadership. Salary is negotiable will be held Dec. 3 from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at the University Grille based upon qualifications and experience. The successful on East King Street. Christian Charity Sister Geralyn Schmidt anniversary, all potato & cheese perohi will be sold 13 to a dozen! Other fillings available will be cabbage, sauerkraut, applicant will be a practicing Catholic, lay or religious, with will present on “Virtual Integrity: Cyber-Citizenship and the a Masters in Theology/Pastoral Ministry, or an equivalent Ethical Use of Media.” Theology on Tap sessions are for farmer’s cheese, prune and apple. The perohi are sold frozen by the dozen. Kielbasa will be sold in rings for $5.50. experience in campus ministry. Good communication skills young adults ages 21-30something to discuss the faith with and a collaborative spirit are essential, as is a proficiency in enjoying a social gathering. The Fine & Performing Arts Department of Lancaster Catholic High School will present its fall Microsoft Office and social networking. Applications for the A Women’s Night of Reflection with Father play, “Radium Girls,” Nov. 22 and 23 at 7 p.m., and Nov. 24 position will be accepted until the suitable candidate is found. Michael W. Rothan will be offered Dec. 7 from 6:30-8 at 2 p.m. “Radium Girls” is the story of Grace Fryer, a dial Send résumé (paper or electronic), and the names, ad- p.m. at St. Joan of Arc Cafeteria in Hershey. The topic is painter of luminous radium watches in the mid 1920s, who dresses and current phone numbers of at least three current “Divine Intimacy – Into-Me-See.” Light refreshments will be has fallen ill with a disease. The story traces her fight for her professional references to: Msgr. Michael A. Becker, St. John served. RSVP by Dec. 1 at www.stjoanhershey.org or call the day in court. Tickets for the show are available at the door for the Evangelist Church, 309 Lotz Avenue, Altoona, PA 16602, parish office at 717-533-7168. $8 for adults, $5 for students. or [email protected]. 14 - THE CATHOLIC WITNESS, NOVEMBER 22, 2013

Harrisburg Catholic Elementary School Receives $38,800 in Scholarship Assistance Bridge Educational Foundation recently kicked off its fall statewide scholarship The names of the following deceased NEW CUMBERLAND – St. Theresa: announcements with the award of $38,800 in Educational Improvement Tax Credit persons have been submitted by their Joseph Bender, Major General Norman (EITC) scholarship aid to Harrisburg Catholic Elementary School. The scholarship parishes: Williams. assistance was made possible in part from Aegis Security Insurance and Malady & Wooten. Students gathered in Bishop Rhoades Hall at St. Patrick Cathedral for the BUCHANAN VALLEY – St. Ignatius SELINSGROVE – St. Pius X: Gary Bowers, Joanna Tressler. celebration. Governor Tom Corbett, a strong proponent of Pennsylvania’s education- Loyola: Francis L. Johnson. al tax credit programs, joined the event. CAMP HILL – Good Shepherd: Clara SHAMOKIN – Mother Cabrini: Jean Pennsylvania’s EITC program provides companies with a 75 percent tax credit – Leisman, Karen Thomas. Culp, Nellie Dombroski, Daniel Dormer, 90 percent for a two-year commitment – for funds donated to approved, non-profit Daniel Fox, Michaeline Koproski, Eleanor scholarship or educational improvement organizations. Businesses may donate up to CARLISLE – St. Patrick: Donald J. Mihal, Margaret Mirarchi. Rowland. $750,000 per year though the K-12 program. STEELTON – Prince of Peace: Ann “The entire Harrisburg Catholic community thanks the Bridge Educational Foun- CHAMBERSBURG – Corpus Christi: Grabar, Evelyn Tezak, William Zlogar. dation, as well as the donors: Aegis Security Insurance and Malady & Wooten,” said David Hallett, Sarah Hovermale, Muriel David Rushinski, principal of Harrisburg Catholic Elementary School. “Due to their Weaverling. SUNBURY – St. Monica: Vincent D. Wohlheiter. generous donation to the scholarship fund, many families are able to provide the edu- COAL TOWNSHIP – Our Lady of Hope: cational experience they want for their children.” Jack P. Reiprish. WAYNESBORO – St. Andrew: Edie Bridge Educational Foundation is a scholarship organization recognized as an ap- Gilbert, Helen Raby. COLUMBIA – Holy Trinity: Mary S. proved 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization and was established under the Educational YORK – Immaculate Conception BVM: Elslager. Improvement Tax Credit program of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Foun- Timothy P. Kelly. dation’s core mission is to partner families and schools with Pennsylvania businesses DANVILLE – St. Joseph: Richard Stroh, to provide scholarship opportunities throughout Pennsylvania. Paul Zedack. Sister Rosalima Robinson FAIRFIELD – Immaculate Conception Christian Charity Sister Rosalima Robin- Lancaster Catholic Student Performs BVM: Charlotte “Jo” Creighton. son died at Holy Family Convent in Danville in All-National Honors Band in Nashville GETTYSBURG – St. Francis Xavier: on Oct. 31. She was 89. Alex Ringlein, a student at Lancaster Catholic High School, was selected as a James Dooley, James Sanders, Norman Born Mary Catherine Robinson in German- member of the 2013 NAfME All-National Honor Band sponsored by the National Williams. town, Pa., she entered the Congregation of the Association for Music Education. Alex joined more than 670 of the most musically Sisters of Christian Charity at Mallinckrodt HANOVER – St. Joseph: Susanne talented and skilled high school student in the United States to perform at a gala Convent in Mendham, N.J., in 1941. Her en- Alwine, Helen Wiest. concert last month at the Presidential Ballroom of the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in tire religious life was devoted to homemaker Nashville. HARRISBURG – St. Catherine Labouré: in the various convents of the community in These exceptional students prepared remarkably challenging music that they per- Josephine Pugliese; St. Francis of Assisi: New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylva- Vincent Chiarella. formed under the baton of four of the most prominent conductors in the United States: nia. Sister Rosalima was missioned at Divine Dr. Peter Boonshaft, Miriam Burns, Rollo Dilworth and Rodney Whitaker. HERSHEY – St. Joan of Arc: Fannie Providence Hospital in Williamsport, Pa., for Alex represented Lancaster Catholic at the PMEA All-State Festival last year in DiDomenico. 50 years. She also conducted religious educa- Erie, Pa., and was chosen after a demanding audition process to participate in this tion classes in Williamsport and Muncy, Pa. KULPMONT – Holy Angels: Mary M. prestigious honor band. He is the first student from Lancaster Catholic to present the Bressi. She retired to Holy Family Convent in 2009. school at a national music event. Tony Brill, Fine and Performing Arts Director at The funeral Mass was celebrated Nov. 9 in Lancaster Catholic, has expressed his pride in Alex and commended him for being LEBANON – Assumption BVM: Nancy the chapel at Holy Family Convent. Burial such a talented musician. Brown, Raymond Hartman, Ryan was at St. Hubert Cemetery in Danville. The NAfME All-National Honors Ensembles, consisting of a concert band, sym- McConnell, Joan Snell, Irene Sudol, Ellen Weidman. phony orchestra, mixed chorus and jazz ensemble, are organized by members of the National Association for Music Education. The concert band and symphony orches- LANCASTER – St. Anne: Brenda G. tra included some 150 instrumentalists, the jazz ensemble featured 20 instrumental- McDonald, James L. Murphy, Sr. ists, and the mixed chorus included approximately 350 vocalists. Eligible students MCSHERRYSTOWN – Annunciation have qualified for their state-level honor ensemble program and competed against top BVM: Christine Neiderer. students for a spot in these national ensembles. Please pray for the following cler- MECHANICSBURG – St. Joseph: gy who died in November during the Memorial for Pre-Born to Margaret Mary Milford. past 25 years: Take Place Prior to March for Life MIDDLETOWN – Seven Sorrows BVM: Father Joseph Braubitz, 1988 Richard Schmidt. Father Martin Zarkoski, 1992 Join pro-life leaders from across the nation for the interdenominational 20th annual Father Michael F. Barrett, 1996 National Memorial for the Pre-Born and their Mothers and Fathers, to be held on the MILLERSVILLE – St. Philip the Father Thaddeus Strzelec, 2005 morning of the March for Life, Jan. 22, at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, Apostle: John E. Story. Father Paul Rindos, 2011 D.C. MOUNT CARMEL – Divine Redeemer: Deacon Ross Beighley, 2012. DAR Constitution Hall is located at 1776 D Street, NW. Doors open at 7 a.m., Mabel A. Kovack, Clara D. Ruths. Mass is celebrated at 7:30 a.m., followed by a service at 8:30 a.m. and conclusion at 10:30 a.m. The memorial will include hymns, Scripture readings and inspirational sermons in memory of the 55 million babies killed by abortion since 1973. The event is free, and is sponsored by the National Pro-Life Religious Coun- cil, Priests for Life, Gospel of Life Ministries, National Pro-Life Center on Capitol Hill, Faith and Action, and National Pro-Life Radio. Learn more at www.nationalprayerservice.com. Sisters from Eastern Europe begin Year of Ministry with Congregation in Danville Two Sisters from Eastern Europe have joined the Sisters of Sts. Cyril and Metho- dius in Danville for one year of shared ministry. Sister Jana Maria Polakova, from Turzovka, Slovakia, and Sister Edita Lenka Navratilova, from Brno, Czech Republic, will live and minister with the Sisters in Danville during the 2013-2014 school year. The visit is part of a number of activities sponsored by the Danville Sisters marking the 1150th anniversary of brothers, Sts. Cyril and Methodius coming to Eastern Eu- rope to evangelize. Sister Jana Maria, trained in religious studies and history, and Sister Edita Lenka, trained in English, religious studies and the Czech language, will serve as teacher aides in the St. Cyril Preschool and Kindergarten in Danville. They will also share other ministry experiences with the Sisters of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, including parish ministry and outreach to the elderly and sick. While the community names of the Sisters in Danville and the Sisters in Velehrad in the Czech Republic are the same, they are different communities. Their histories are similar, however, with both being founded in the early 1900s, and both serving primarily in education, parish work and care for the sick and elderly. Sister Michael Ann Orlik, General Superior of the Sisters of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Danville, in inviting the Sisters from Europe to this collaboration, stated that “such a connection will nurture the faith life and mission to service of both of our groups.” Sister Vaclava Dudova, General Superior of the Sisters of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Velehrad, Czech Republic, in accepting the offer, applauded the opportunity for increased co- operation between the two congregations of Sisters during the Jubilee 1150th Anni- versary of the arrival of Sts. Cyril and Methodius to Moravia. The Sisters of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Danville currently serve in seven states: Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, South Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, and Texas. During the year, the visiting Sisters will have the opportunity to visit and assist at some of these ministries. NOVEMBER 22, 2013, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS - 15 Statue of Our Lady of Fatima Brings Message of Peace to Diocese

By Jen Reed gin Mary Parish in Middletown. Don- The Catholic Witness na Schneiderman-Fox, council presi- The International Pilgrim Virgin dent, has traveled to Fatima twice, and Statue of Our Lady of Fatima visited wanted to bring the pilgrim statue to the Diocese of Harrisburg through- the diocese for those who are unable out most of November, delivering to journey to the site of the Blessed the same message that the Blessed Mother’s appearances. Mother gave to three shepherd chil- With permission from Father Ted dren when she appeared to them in Keating, pastor, for Seven Sorrows Portugal in 1917. to serve as the sponsoring parish, The message is one of bringing and then from the late Bishop Joseph about peace in the world through P. McFadden for the statue to visit prayer, penance and conversion. the diocese, the Council of Catholic The Interna- Women reached tional Pilgrim “The message of Fatima out to the dio- Virgin Statue to bring about peace by cese’s 89 par- of Our Lady means of prayer, penance ishes, encourag- of Fatima was ing churches, sculpted in and conversion is so schools, nursing 1947 by Jose important in our troubled homes and pris- Thedim, and and violent world.” ons to host Our is based on ~ Donna Schneiderman-Fox, President of the Lady during her Council of Catholic Women at Seven Sorrows the description time here. of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in given by Lucia, Middletown, which sponsored the statue’s visit Ten months who – along out of the year, with Jacinta and Francisco – saw the pilgrim statue travels for 21 days Our Lady each month from May at a time, under the protection and care through October in 1917. of custodians, most notably Carl Mal- The statue was blessed in 1947 burg, who has been traveling with the statue for 20 years. CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS by the Bishop of Leiria at Fatima to The International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima graces St. Rich- travel the world to bring a message In coordinating the diocesan-wide ard Church in Manheim during its visit to the diocese earlier this month. of hope and peace. visit, the ladies of Seven Sorrows’ and offer meals and lodging for the the message that is often called Our Its visit to the diocese this month CCW worked with the many coordi- custodians. Lady’s “peace plan from heaven” – was made possible by the efforts of nators at each location to organize the The International Pilgrim Virgin her request that people pray the ro- the Council of Catholic Women of visits, arrange offerings such as pro- Statue has traveled the world, visit- sary every day and be devoted to her Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Vir- cessions and the praying of the Rosary ing more than 100 countries to bring under the title of Immaculate Heart of Mary. “The message of Fatima to bring about peace by means of prayer, pen- ance and conversion is so important in our troubled and violent world,” Mrs. Schneiderman-Fox told The Catholic Witness. “This is a simple way to regain peace and defeat the evils of our time – selfishness, pride and greed, among others – which are so prevalent in our modern society that abandons God and prayer.” She hopes that, through the stat- ue’s visit, the people of the diocese “receive the graces we need through the intercession of the Blessed Vir- gin Mary.” “The desire is that every pil- grim who visits Our Lady will also be touched by her in a very pro- found way,” she said, noting the sig- nificance of the sign that accompa- nies the statue: Do not touch her, she will touch you. (For more information on the In- The statue’s visit to the diocese, sponsored by the Council of Catholic Women of Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin ternational Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Mary Parish in Middletown, required the efforts of coordinators at each parish. Coordinators for the statue’s visit to St. Our Lady of Fatima and the Fatima Richard Church in Manheim included, from left, Dee Konrad, custodian Carl Malburg, who has been traveling with the message, visit www.pilgrimvirgin- statue for 20 years, Kathleen Zack, Father Francis Menei, pastor, Donna Mascuch, and Patrick Sabat. Absent from the photo is coordinator Fran Bomberger. statue.com.) 16 - THE CATHOLIC WITNESS, NOVEMBER 22, 2013 A Veterans Remembrance Emily M. Albert playing of Taps and the folding of the The Catholic Witness American flag, which was then placed Donna Coulter, gently in my mother’s hands. And then Commander District As I drove up the entrance of Indian- a 21 gun salute was fired. A bullet shell 18 of the Veterans of town Gap National Cemetery on a blus- from each was also given to my mother, Foreign Wars, stands proudly during the tery and crisp fall November day, I saw who then gave one to each of her broth- Veterans Day ceremony. flowing American flags raised high up ers. on flag poles. They seemed to dance in My Pappy and I were close. After my the air, celebrating, “We are American, grandmother’s passing, we baked apple and we are proud.” pies together. We were regular shrimp This was not my first time entering un- eaters at Red Lobster when my grand- der these magnificent streamers of red, mother was too sick to accompany him. white and blue. Just seven years ago, my When I was in kindergarten, he would grandmother departed us and was laid to pick me up and take me to visit Grand- rest in the cemetery. Three years later, ma at work. The three of us would go the love of her life and Korean War Vet- to lunch at a little diner – I still remem- eran, my Pappy, was placed beside her. ber the look of it inside – and then after I can vividly remember both days, one dropping Grandma back to her office we a warm May afternoon, sitting with my were off to Zimmerman’s for candy! Pappy and holding his hand, not really After my Pappy passed, I pulled out sure how to comfort his loss. The second all of my grandmother’s photo albums to was a day a lot like this Nov. 10. It was a make a collage of images. My favorite EMILY M. ALBERT, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS cold, gray and windy October day when image of my Pappy was him crouching Pappy was laid to rest. I remember the down next to a Korean man. My Pappy posed with a handmade pearl ring from much I missed my grandparents’ stories. wasn’t super tall, but Japan. My grandmother looked beautiful But I felt honored to be there and proud next to this petite man in pearls and Pappy often gifted her with to represent a Korean War Veteran. My he looked enormous! them. grandfather was proud of his service, He sometimes told My grandfather was a staff sergeant and when we were out he would often stories from his days in the Air Force and was part of a crew salute a soldier in uniform. He wore his in Korea and Japan. that would fly into areas where Ameri- Korean War Veteran hat almost always, I know he and my can soldiers were stationed and drop off expect when it snowed or if the Mets grandmother wrote provisions. I also remember him talking were playing. He was a member of the letters to each other, about being a cook, and for some reason VFW and always looked forward to a which unfortunately the story of peeling hundreds of pota- good conversation with another veteran. were either lost or de- toes. Now I wonder if that was a punish- The Veterans Day service at Fort In- stroyed in one of their ment. diantown Gap on Sunday, Nov. 10 was many moves. My grandparents use to visit often. beautiful, and I felt proud to be there to I remember my They lived literally through the woods photograph the day’s events. Six young grandparents telling from my parents’ house. They would ladies from St. Theresa School in New me the story of their stop by on a whim, dropping off cream Cumberland sang a special tribute song, engagement. My filled doughnuts, or just to say hello. “Thank You Soldiers,” and followed it Pappy proposed be- Some of my fondest memories of my by singing “Happy Birthday” to the U.S. fore he was to be de- childhood are listening to their stories. Marine Corps, which celebrates its 238th ployed to Japan; she And it’s funny; I remember remnants anniversary this year. told him to ask her of their words, but I always thought I Even sitting on a cold cement step when he came back! would have them here to hear the stories with the wind blowing straight through I’m sure at the time over again. my many layers of clothing, I felt warm this was heartbreak- This Veterans Day was the first that inside. I was so proud to be there, to cel- ing for my Pappy to I went back to the cemetery since my ebrate the many men and women who hear, but whenever grandparents were buried. And sitting continue to serve our country proudly While stationed in Japan, my Pappy posed with the photo- they told the story, there, listening to the great stories of and to sit next to the veterans who wear graph of my grandmother that he kept at his bedside, and they laughed. He soldiers present and past during the Vet- their hats, pins and colors with such hon- mailed the picture to her. came back and pro- erans Day celebration, I realized how or. I was happy to remember my Pappy.

Laura Mueller, McKenna Brown, Erin Smith, Hannah Brenkacs and Andrea Repetz of St. Theresa School in New Cumberland sing “Thank You Soldiers” during a Veterans Day ceremony at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery.