Serving the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend April 14, 2019 TTODAYODAY’’SS CCATHOLICATHOLIC Volume 93 No. 15 50¢ TODAYSCATHOLIC.org Holy Week begins Pope: Church, world need the gifts, Liturgies, devotions recall Christ’s ultimate sacrifice enthusiasm of young people Pages 8-9 BY CINDY WOODEN VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The life Archbishop Wilton of a young person and the voca- tion to which God calls each one Gregory is “holy ground” that pastors and Appointed to lead parents must respect, nurture and encourage, Pope Francis wrote in Archdiocese of Washington a new apostolic exhortation. “Christus Vivit” (“Christ Page 2 Lives”), the pope’s reflections on the 2018 Synod of Bishops on young people, the faith and voca- tional discernment, is a combina- Pontifical Good Friday tion letter to young people about their place in the Church and Collection CNS photo/Paul Haring NS photo/Jon L. Hendricks a plea to older members of the Church not to stifle the enthu- Pope, Bishop Rhoades siasm of the young, but to offer gentle guidance when needed. ask for support of In the document, released April Holy Land Christians 2, Pope Francis talked about how the sex abuse crisis, a history Page 3 of sexism and an overly narrow focus on just a handful of moral issues can keep young people away from the Church. But he also said many young Indiana protects people want to know and under- stand the teachings of the Church the unborn Michael O’Sullivan Joe Romie and, despite what many people Two pro-life bills pass Above left, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, holds Pope Francis’ apostolic think, they long for and need exhortation, “Christus Vivit” (Christ Lives), during a news conference for its presentation at the Vatican on April 2. The times of silent reflection and General Assembly document contains the pope’s reflections on the 2018 Synod of Bishops on young people, the faith and vocational opportunities to serve their com- discernment, encouraging parishes to embrace young people and support their vocations, whether to marriage, munities. Page 5 religious life or other service. Clockwise from that photo, a groom and bride hold hands on their wedding day in 2010; “A church always on the diocesan priests pray at the beginning of their Mass of ordination to the priesthood in June; and a young Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend pilgrim expresses joy at World Youth Day in Panama. EXHORTATION, page 4 Faith fortifies Rwandan refugee community Twenty-fifth anniversary of genocide approaches BY JILL A. BOUGHTON the phone two days before his middle of the night, and Songa upbringing for her children. They death. Immaculee Songa lost her recounts how her brother made found a supportive community on husband, two daughters and sib- sure the small quantity of milk the west side of South Bend, not n April 7, 1994, Rwanda’s lings; including a brother who available to them went to semi- only with other Rwandans but Hutu militia began sys- was a priest, killed at a retreat narians instead, rather than to also in their parishes. Otematically slaughter- center. With her 1-year-old son his own family. “Thank God, who doesn’t ing members of the Tutsi tribe. strapped to her back, she herself For months afterward, they give up on us. He knows how Three months later, over a million came face-to-face with the killers couldn’t study, work or go to to bring His children back,” said Rwandans, mostly Tutsis, were six times. She’s convinced God church. They felt unsafe remain- Semuhungu, now a nurse at St. dead. It’s been 25 years, but sev- spared her for a reason: to make ing in or returning to Rwanda Joseph Regional Medical Center. eral Michiana survivors will never sure this sort of genocide never and eventually wound up in the “I love Him so much.” forget the horror of losing scores happens again. United States, where Songa felt Armel Iradukunda is the son of friends and family members in Raised in strong Catholic fam- obligated to have Masses offered of Rwandan genocide survivors, the genocide. ilies, both women’s faith was for her family members. She knew Seventh-day Adventists who were Why did we survive, they won- shaken by the genocide. How they were still looking down on living in Kenya at the time. He der. Marie-Rose Semuhungu was could God permit this to happen her and expected she would do regrets never having a chance a college student in Switzerland to their faithful family members? this, she said. to get to know his grandparents, at the time, but her twin sister Semuhungu remembers hear- Semuhungu joined her fiancé aunts and uncles who were killed. was killed, as well as a brother ing her father’s rosary beads here, and knew she wanted a sac- with whom she had spoken on clacking when she woke up in the ramental marriage and a Catholic RWANDANS, page 16 2 TODAY’ S C ATHOLIC April 14, 2019 TODAY’S CATHOLIC Atlanta archbishop named new leader of Official newspaper of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend Washington archdiocese P.O. Box 11169 Fort Wayne, IN 46856 WASHINGTON (CNS) — Pope Archbishop Gregory comes to Francis has named Archbishop an archdiocese with a rich ethnic PUBLISHER: Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta diversity that includes a vibrant as the new archbishop of Hispanic community of 270,000 Washington. and historic parishes that date Editorial Department The appointment was to the 19th century serving PUBLICATIONS MANAGER: Jodi Marlin announced April 4 in 100,000 people of African and Washington by Archbishop Caribbean descent. Overall, the PAGE DESIGNER: Francie Hogan Christophe Pierre, the Vatican archdiocese has nearly 659,000 BRAND SPECIALIST: Molly Gettinger nuncio to the United States. Catholics throughout the District NEWS SPECIALIST: Mark Weber Archbishop Gregory, 71, a of Columbia and five Maryland former president of the U.S. counties. Business Department Conference of Catholic Bishops The archbishop served as who helped navigate the confer- USCCB president from November BOOKKEEPING/CIRCULATION: Geoff Frank ence through the clergy sexual 2001 until 2004, a period that [email protected] abuse crisis in 2002, is the first was perhaps one of the most dif- African American to be named ficult in the conference’s history. Advertising Sales to head the Washington archdio- Under his leadership, the Jackie Parker cese. bishops adopted the “Charter for [email protected] He succeeds Cardinal Donald the Protection of Children and W. Wuerl, whose resignation Young Adults” and essential Website: www.todayscatholic.org was accepted by Pope Francis norms for handling accusations in October, nearly three years of sexual abuse by priests or 260-456-2824 after he turned 75, the manda- other Church personnel; estab- tory retirement age for bishops. lished a lay board to review how Cardinal Wuerl continued as cases have been handled; com- apostolic administrator until his missioned an extensive analysis Published weekly except the Sunday successor was named. The cardi- of the factors involved in the after Christmas and every other nal headed the Washington arch- crisis; and created a staff office week from the second Sunday of June through the third Sunday of diocese from 2006 to 2018. to oversee those efforts. September by the Diocese of Fort Archbishop Gregory will be When he was elected in 2001, Wayne-South Bend, 915 S. Clinton St., installed as the seventh arch- much of the attention focused on P.O. Box 390, Fort Wayne, IN 46801. bishop of Washington May 21 at the fact that he was first African Periodicals postage paid at Fort Wayne, the Cathedral of St. Matthew the American to head the conference. IN, and additional mailing office. Apostle. Before that he served three years “I am deeply grateful to CNS photo/Bob Roller as vice president of the confer- Pope Francis for this appoint- ence. He was the third African POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory concelebrates Mass during the Catholic ment to serve the Archdiocese American to be named archbish- Today’s Catholic, P.O. Box 11169, Fort convocation in Orlando, Fla., in this July 2, 2017, file photo. On April 4, Pope Wayne, IN 46856-1169 of Washington and to work op of Atlanta. or email: [email protected] with all of the members of this Francis named Archbishop Gregory to head the Archdiocese of Washington. A Chicago native, Archbishop faith community,” Archbishop Gregory was born Dec. 7, 1947. MAIN OFFICE: 915 S. Clinton St., Fort Gregory said. “I look forward to Archbishop Gregory over the of Belleville, Illinois, for 11 Though not raised as a Catholic, Wayne, IN 46802. Telephone 260-456- encountering and listening to the past two years and have had years, beginning in 1994. He his parents enrolled him at St. 2824. Fax: 260-744-1473. people of this local church as we the good fortune to work with was named auxiliary bishop Carthage Catholic School for the BUREAU OFFICE: 1328 Dragoon Trail, address the issues that face us him as a member of the black of Chicago in 1983. In the sixth grade. Within weeks he Mishawaka, IN 46544. Telephone 260- and continue to grow in the love Catholic bishops of the United Archdiocese of Chicago, he had decided he wanted to be a 456-2824. Fax 260-744-1473. of Christ that sustains us.” States,” said Bishop Campbell, served as associate pastor of Catholic, and by the end of the Cardinal Wuerl welcomed his a Washington Our Lady of school year he had been bap- News deadline is 10 days prior to successor’s appointment “with auxiliary since Perpetual tized, made his first Communion publication date.