‘Mary shows us the way’
BELMONT — “Mary shows us the way… Keep looking towards Him, Don’t take your eyes off of Him.”
Those were the words of Bishop Peter Jugis to more than 1,000 youth and their chaperones at the 13th annual Bishop’s Lenten Youth Pilgrimage April 1 at Belmont Abbey College.
“She is totally for Jesus. There is no 50 percent. There is no 75 percent. She is 100 percent for Jesus. She gives everything to Him. Isn’t that what all Catholics should do – be totally for Jesus?” Bishop Jugis said to them during his Holy Hour homily.
His annual youth event, the Bishop’s Lenten Youth Pilgrimage – a component of the annual Eucharistic Congress – shares the annual September Eucharistic Congress theme which is based on the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary spoken in the Gospel of Luke 1:46: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.”
Bishop Jugis shared with the youth that the Diocese of Charlotte is celebrating a special “Year of Mary” in honor of the centennial anniversary of the Blessed Virgin Mary appearing to three children in Fatima, Portugal.
He pointed out during his Holy Hour homily that when looking at the Gospels, “Mary is always looking at her Son with great love. Who better than Mary to teach us to give everything to Jesus?” he said.
“She is someone who was totally, completely, with every ounce of her being consecrated to Him. She is a great model and a great one to show us how to do it, how to follow her example.
“We should ask her to help us to have purity of mind and heart, so that our mind and heart are given over completely to Jesus’ service. Whether we are at home, at school, or in extracurricular activities, remember that we are totally for Jesus and Mary is showing us how.”
Bishop Jugis said that we should ask Mary to help us and show us how to be more humble, just as she was, and as she is, because she called herself the lowly servant of God.
“Imagine that? The Mother of God calling herself a humble, lowly servant!” he exclaimed.
Youth from more than 45 parishes attended the day-long event. They enjoyed live music from musician and songwriter Kevin Heider, and a vocations fair.
Jimmy Mitchell, a Catholic speaker, composer and musician, served as emcee and speaker for the high school men’s track.
Eucharistic Adoration, confession and a Eucharistic Procession around the historic Belmont Abbey College campus were also highlights of the annual pilgrimage.
Juan Diego, an eighth-grader from Holy Family Church in Clemmons, attended the event for the first time.
“I like it a lot,” he said. “It’s my first time. I think Belmont Abbey is a beautiful church.”
Cameron, a ninth-grade parishioner at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury, shared, “It’s a nice experience being at Belmont Abbey campus and being with the monks, priests and other youth our age.”
Some middle school and high school youths from St. Helen Mission in Spencer Mountain were waiting patiently in the long line for confession during the day. “We enjoyed Mass,” they said.
Chris Beal, diocesan regional faith formation coordinator, helped coordinate the Bishop’s Lenten Youth Pilgrimage.
“Every year it has grown and grown,” Beal explained. “This year we have over 1,000 people represented. There are about 800 kids, 150 chaperones and 75 college volunteers from Belmont Abbey College.
“One of the best moments for me was seeing a line a mile long for the opportunity to go to confession during this Lenten season," he said. "We had at least 10 priests that spent their day for the most part hearing confessions! We had lines around the corner to hear confessions.”
Before the conclusion of his homily, Bishop Jugis reiterated Mary’s important role in growing closer to Christ.
“She will show you the path to follow, and it is very simple,” he said. “To become more like Jesus she’ll show you the way, and that is the rosary. In the rosary, as you are reflecting in the mysteries and the events in the life of Jesus, she is leading you to Him, to grow closer to Him.
“And that is the way she does it. By giving yourself totally to her, she takes you right to Him.”
— SueAnn Howell and Rico DeSilva, Catholic News Herald
HENDERSONVILLE — A diverse group of 20 couples from the Charlotte area, Denver, Shelby, Asheville, Greensboro and even as far as Greenville, S.C., participated in a 25-hr. “Marriage Getaway” at the Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville Feb. 4-5. The Catholic couples retreat was the first of its kind in the Diocese of Charlotte.
“We had each age category covered, with multiple couples in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and I think one even in their 80s,” said Richard Caron, part of the organizing team who also attended the retreat with his wife.
The weekend retreat was sponsored by Regnum Christi of Greater Charlotte-Triad-Upstate SC, a Catholic lay movement. The first part of the retreat ended with Eucharistic Adoration, and couples had the opportunity to spend time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament afterwards. The next day, they attended Sunday Mass, more talks in the afternoon and a final blessing and departure.
Legionary of Christ Father Martin Connor was the retreat master. Three married couples from the Archdiocese of Atlanta also helped lead the event.
On the present needs of marriage couples, Caron noted, “Look at the struggles many couples are having based on what the secular world is promoting, such as individuals to be selfish, including ‘if you are not happy, get a divorce.’ Instead, for example, give and do everything for your husband or wife and ask for nothing in return. The evenings and getaway offer suggestions and tools on how to build a stronger (Catholic) marriage.”
Paul and Sofia Salerno were married Aug. 27, 2016, by Father Connor. The Salernos are in their early 20s, but have been committed to their faith and marriage since their wedding day. “We may only be 25 and newlyweds, but it was greatly recommended that we attend the retreat,” Sofia Salerno said.
She shared her major takeaway from the event: “Father Connor told us, in one of the talks, to look at our spouse and to realize that this person will hurt us, disappoint us, and because of that we need true love through Christ which will then help us to forgive and love our spouse.”
Cindy Burk, who has been married 47 years and was one the retreat organizers, said it is imperative for couples of any age to find their down time.
“Whatever our ages are or however long we’ve been married, we all need to step away from the distractions of life (job, kids, the house, etc.) and come into the quiet to reflect on where we have been and what comes next.”
Burk added, “The major takeaway from the 25-Hour Retreat is the importance of me being a continual ‘student’ of my spouse. The more spiritually attuned I am, the more I will be aware, see and hear the person in front of me and the God within. Marriage is a three-way partnership, and the more intentional I am in prayer, in sharing of myself and in forgiving, the more real our love will be to this world.”
Caron said he plans to promote more events of this kind in the area. “We have had three other evening events in the last nine months that the major topic was on building and strengthening marriages. We advertised in parish bulletins, Catholic groups in the diocese and word of mouth/personal invitations from Regnum Christi members.”
He said he next two “couples night out” events will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 28, at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro, and a “Marriage Event” for the greater Charlotte area from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Gas-tonia.
— Rico De Silva, Hispanic Communications Reporter