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'Be the Light'

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'Be the Light' Celebrating 40 years St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities in New Albany marks its anniversary, page 7. Serving the Church in Central and Southern Indiana Since 1960 CriterionOnline.com May 10, 2019 Vol. LIX, No. 30 75¢ Catholics and Orthodox must work to ‘Be the Light’ heal divisions, pope says SOFIA, Bulgaria (CNS)—On the day Bulgarian Orthodox celebrate as “St. Thomas Sunday” and read the Gospel about the Apostle asking to touch the wounds of the risen Lord, Pope Francis said the divisions within Christianity are “painful lacerations on the body of Christ, which is the Church.” Immediately after Pope Francis meeting Bulgaria’s prime minister and president on May 5, Pope Francis went to the Palace of the Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church for a meeting with Patriarch Neophyte and top bishops. Also present was King Simeon II, 81, who ruled only as a child in the 1940s, was Catholic Charities Indianapolis presented four individuals with Spirit of Service Awards during an April 30 dinner in Indianapolis. Award recipients, exiled and returned to his homeland in 1996. seated from left, are James Morris, Robert “Lanny” Rossman, Yan Yan and Liz Stanton. Standing, from left, are keynote speaker Ed Carpenter, Speaking of St. Thomas and the Archbishop Charles C. Thompson and David Bethuram, executive director of the archdiocese’s Catholic Charities. (Submitted photo by Rob Banayote) wounds of Jesus, Pope Francis prayed that Catholics and Orthodox, like the Apostle, would “touch those wounds, confess that Jesus is risen and proclaim him our lord IndyCar driver lauds Catholic Charities’ and our God.” Patriarch Neophyte welcomed legacy of creating hope for those in need Pope Francis with kisses on each cheek and the greeting, “Christos vozkrese” By John Shaughnessy Still, the Spirit of Service Awards newcomers. And there is much more (Christ is risen). According to reporters Dinner in Indianapolis on April 30 was being done day in and day out to touch present, the pope kissed the patriarch’s It was a celebration touched by essentially the celebration of a promise the lives of more than 75,000 individuals “engolpion”—an icon on a chain worn moments of light-hearted humor, that has been kept. each year in Indianapolis and like a pectoral cross. including the moment when It’s a promise that the archdiocese 200,000 individuals across our The patriarch thanked the pope for the emcee Rafael Sanchez presented made 100 years ago to “provide help and archdiocesan Catholic Charities special attention the Vatican has shown to Archbishop Charles C. Thompson with create hope” to people in need, a promise network.” his country and his Church for decades. the gift of a gaudy black-and-white- that continues to be fulfilled through The importance of that continuing “This is the second visit of a pope to checkered sportscoat—suggesting that the efforts of Catholic Charities across effort was echoed by Carpenter in his Bulgaria, which we cannot explain the archbishop wear it when he gives the central and southern Indiana. keynote talk during the 100th anniversary except as truly special attention,” he said. invocation for the Indianapolis 500 on “The common criteria throughout celebration. St. John Paul II visited in 2002. May 26. all 100 years is human need,” said “I can’t imagine what the world—this Although his Church has withdrawn from It was also a celebration marked by a David Bethuram, executive director of the community—would look like without the World Council of Churches and has a touching moment of friendship—when archdiocese’s Catholic Charities, in his the work of Catholic Charities and other limited international ecumenical involvement, keynote speaker and IndyCar driver remarks at the celebration at the Indiana organizations that do great work,” said the patriarch told the pope that “here in the Ed Carpenter asked the audience of Roof Ballroom. Carpenter, who finished second in last capital of Bulgaria—Sofia, which is named 425 people to join him in a moment of “We have created a proud legacy year’s Indianapolis 500. for God’s wisdom—we always pray for silent prayer for Father Glenn O’Connor, of feeding the hungry, sheltering the He told the audience that while racing the unity of the world in Christ and so that Carpenter’s friend and former pit crew homeless, supporting the disabled, is his passion, he and his wife Heather united, Christians will be stronger.” member who died of cancer on March 15. strengthening families and welcoming See SERVICE, page 8 See BULGARIA, page 10 Readers’ stories reflect angels, life lessons, and mothers’ examples of unwavering love (Editor’s note: In anticipation of “In her arms, bobbing up and down Mother’s Day on May 12, The Criterion from her frantic racing from my room to invited readers to share their thoughts and the floor below, I saw my stepfather in his stories of how their mothers have lived pajamas bolt into my room. He tossed the their faith and shared their faith with their burning humidifier into the snow below as children. Here are some of our readers’ my mother wrapped me in a throw blanket favorite memories of their moms.) and held me. I saw her save my life that night, but she told me that it was really an Second of two parts angel who had saved me. “As she tells it, she was in a dead By John Shaughnessy sleep in the master bedroom when an angel came to her in a dream. ‘What did The earliest memory that Felicia Clark the angel look like?’ I asked years later, recalls from her life involves a nightmarish skeptical. ‘I can’t explain that. But it was moment and an angel’s warning. an angel. I just knew.’ ‘Well what did it “I woke up in my toddler bed to a room say?’ I asked. ‘Your daughter is in trouble, full of dark smoke, my mother stretching and you need to wake up to save her,’ she her arms towards me, lifting me up and explained.” Amy Laddbush examines the artwork crafted by clutching me to her chest,” recalls Clark, a Clark says that moment was just one one of her 11 children on March 6 in her Bowie, member of Holy Name of Jesus Parish in example of her mother’s strong faith. Md., home. Mother’s Day is on May 12. Beech Grove. See MOTHERS, page 15 (CNS photo/Chaz Muth) Page 2 The Criterion Friday, May 10, 2019 Public Schedule of Archbishop Charles C. Thompson __________ May 11 – 22, 2019 May 11 – 11 a.m Confirmation for youths of Prince of May 16 – 10 a.m. Peace Parish in Madison and Leadership Team meeting at St. Bartholomew Parish in Columbus, Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara at St. Bartholomew Church Catholic Center May 11 – 5:30 p.m. May 16 – 6 p.m. Confirmation for youths of SS. Francis Circle of Giving Mass and dinner and Clare of Assisi Parish, Greenwood at St. Mary-of-the-Knobs Parish, Floyd County May 12 – 11:30 a.m. Confirmation for youths of St. Jude May 19 – 10:30 a.m. Parish, Indianapolis Mass of Newly Initiated at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral, Indianapolis May 12 – 5 p.m. Confirmation for youths of May 19 – 2:30 p.m. Holy Family Parish, Oldenburg Bishop Chatard High School graduation, Indianapolis May 13 – noon Pastoral Planning Committee meeting May 21 – 7 p.m. at Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Confirmation for youths of St. Therese Catholic Center, Indianapolis of the Infant Jesus (Little Flower) Parish in Indianapolis; St. Thomas May 14 – 10:30 a.m. More Parish in Mooresville; and Priest Personnel Board meeting at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Indianapolis, at SS. Peter and Paul Catholic Center Cathedral May 14 – 3:30 p.m. May 22 – 7 p.m. Indiana Bishops’ Province meeting Confirmation for youths of at Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara St. Anthony and St. Mary parishes, Diaconate ordination Catholic Center both in Indianapolis, at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral Archbishop Charles C. Thompson ritually lays hands on seminarian Michael Prakasam during May 15 – 9 a.m. an April 27 diaconate ordination Mass at the Archabbey Church of Our Lady of Einsiedeln Indiana Catholic Conference meeting in St. Meinrad. Deacon Prakasam is co-sponsored as a seminarian by the Archdiocese of at Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara (Schedule subject to change.) Indianapolis and the Diocese of Palayamkottai, India, where he is from. (Submitted photo) Catholic Center Pope draws lessons from Mother Teresa in city of her birth SKOPJE, North Macedonia (CNS)— speak about the saintly founder of the attention to human hungers—the hunger up being prisoners of a worldview that Pope Francis went to the tiny Balkan Missionaries of Charity, but after praying for bread, but also the hunger for truth, makes them either indifferent to others or nation of North Macedonia to pay tribute silently before her relics, he praised God for God and for love. downright hostile. to a tiny saint who accomplished big for the gift of her life and prayed for her “How well Mother Teresa knew all this Christians must never be afraid things: St. Teresa of Calcutta. intercession for North Macedonia. and desired to build her life on the twin to tell God that they are hungry “for Mother Teresa was born Agnes Pope Francis also prayed that God pillars of Jesus incarnate in the Eucharist an experience of fraternity in which Ganxhe Bojaxhiu to Albanian parents in would give Christians the grace “to and Jesus incarnate in the poor,” he said.
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