Mission Stories about Catholic Diocese of Raleigh

World Mission Day, Journey of Faith

by Adam Mitchell | Oct 23, 2022 | Podcast, Prayers

Today the entire Church celebrates World Mission Day, an event created by Pope Pius XI in 1926. Since that time, now nearly 100 years ago, the Pope composes a message for the reflective meditation by Catholics worldwide. It is intended to deepen the missionary consciousness and commitment of all the faithful. The title of this year’s message is: “You shall be my Witnesses,” (Acts 1:8).

Pope Francis begins by noting that the celebration of World Mission Day is to remind us that “the Church is missionary by nature” and that “the call of every Christian [is] to bear witness to Christ.” Just as Christ was the first “missionary” of the Father, “every Christian is called to be a missionary and witness to Christ.” Indeed, “to evangelize is the very identity of the Church.”

A Deeper Look. If we pay focused attention to Christ’s call, we will appreciate many aspects of “the mission Christ entrusted to the disciples.” All disciples “are urged to live their personal lives in a missionary key; they are sent by Jesus to the world not only to carry out, but also above all to live the mission entrusted to them; not only to bear witness, but also and above all to be witnesses of Christ.”

“The essence of mission is to bear witness to Christ, that is, to his life, passion, death and resurrection” and to his “love of the Father and of humanity.” “Missionaries of Christ are not sent to communicate themselves…. Instead, theirs is the supreme honor of presenting Christ in words and deeds, proclaiming to everyone the Good News of his salvation, as the first apostles did, with joy and boldness.”

Further Insight. Pope Francis goes on to say that “when it comes to Christian witness, the observation of Saint Paul VI remains ever valid.” Paul VI noted: “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he listens to teachers, it is because they are witnesses” (Evangelii Nuntiandi 41). It is noteworthy that Saint John Paul II quoted this same insight it his mission encyclical (Redemptoris Missio 42).

Pope Francis goes on to assert that “the testimony of an authentic Christian life is fundamental for the transmission of the faith.” Yet, the proclamation of Christ’s person and message is equally necessary. In short, this means that for evangelization

“the example of a Christian life and the proclamation of Christ are inseparable. One is at the service of the other. They are the two lungs with which any community must breathe, if it is to be missionary.”

Personal Invitation. Pope Francis requests each of us to become a “consistent and joyful witness of Christ” and a “force of attraction for the growth of the Church.” “I exhort everyone to take up once again the courage, frankness, and parrhesia [boldness] of the first Christians, in order to bear witness to Christ in word and deed, in every area of life.”

James H. Kroeger, M.M.

30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Send me your Holy Spirit, O Lord,

that it may in turn send me

out into the world to witness to your love,

your mercy, your justice, and your truth.

Give me your grace, my God,

to love as you love, to be merciful

as you are merciful, to be just

as you are just and to live the truth

that you alone are God, all loving,

all merciful, and all just.

Send me out each day from my room,

my home, my comfort zone

to a world that longs for true peace.

Give me wisdom to proclaim

your good news no less through silence

than through words,

through deeds no less than

through holy patience waiting

for the right time to act.

Above all help me to live your Gospel

in everything I do or say and

find your presence in everyone I meet.

For you alone are the creator of all,

the savior of all humankind and

the redeemer in whose divine image

everyone on earth is made.

Amen.

By Fr. Joseph Veneroso. M.M.

An Urgent Call, Journey of Faith

by Adam Mitchell | Oct 16, 2022 | Podcast, Prayers

Only a few weeks ago, we all listened to the reports of the devastation and suffering caused by hurricane Ian, particularly in Florida. Personally, I still vividly remember that in late September 2009 the Philippines suffered a “double-hit” of two back-to-back typhoons. Typhoon Ondoy dumped the equivalent of over one month’s rainfall on Manila and the surrounding areas in less than 24 hours. The situation was urgent.

Solidarity in Suffering. Many people manifested their solidarity and compassion during these tragic events in Florida and Manila. I remember Muelmar Magallanes, the 18-year-old construction worker who saved the lives of 30 people in Manila during the height of the storm. After he had moved his own family to higher ground, he went back to do the same for some 30 others. A strong swimmer, Muelmar’s last rescue mission was a 6-month-old baby and mother. He then succumbed to fatigue and the strong currents carried him away. Time magazine named him one of the top ten heroes of the year.

Missionary Urgency. The Church asks all of us to frequently reflect on the urgency of mission. This theme dominates Saint Paul’s second letter to Timothy, today’s second reading. Paul exhorts Timothy with the strongest of words: “I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus … proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.”

Profound Insights. In his mission encyclical Redemptoris Missio, Saint Pope John Paul II reflects on “missionary urgency.” Listen to his words: “Mission is an issue of faith, an accurate indicator of our faith in Christ and his love for us” (RM 11). The pope goes on to say that “in the Church’s history, missionary drive has always been a sign of vitality, just as its lessening is a sign of a crisis of faith” (RM 2). And again, “The Lord is always calling us to come out of ourselves and to share with others the goods we possess, starting with the most precious gift of all—our faith” (RM 49).

John Paul II is asserting that mission will only flourish if it is built upon “our faith in Christ and his love for us.” Only when we are deeply convinced of Christ’s personal love for us, will we be energized to tell others the good news. A sense of the urgency of mission emerges from an awareness of God’s profound love.

Personal Commitment. To meet the urgent needs caused by natural disasters, all try to do their share; the same principle holds true for spreading the Good News of Jesus. It is an urgent imperative; all are called to serve the Church’s mission; some are even invited to give heroic service. Remember Muelmar Magallanes; he gave his life in service. So did Jesus on the cross. You and I need to ask: How deep is my faith? Is mission urgent for me?

James H. Kroeger, M.M.

29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lord, who always hear the cry of the poor

and that all be saved by your truth

may I recognize my neighbor in need

and acknowledge that I may be the answer

to their prayers.

I confess I feel overwhelmed and helpless

in the face of tragedy and suffering.

Let me not refuse to do anything

out of fear I can do nothing

but let my efforts and offerings

no matter how small, by your grace

be multiplied to feed the multitudes.

Accept, then, my Lord and God, my gifts

of time, talents, and prayers as but

the first fruits of my faith in you.

Together with brothers and sisters of faith

may we answer your urgent call to help

that the world may be healed, fed and freed

to build your kingdom here on earth.

Amen.

By Fr. Joseph Veneroso. M.M.

Surprising Model of Virtue, Journey of Faith

by Adam Mitchell | Oct 9, 2022 | Podcast, Prayers

Today’s Gospel from Saint Luke narrates the merciful action of Jesus in curing ten lepers. Certainly, to be healed of such a horrible affliction is a great gift, flowing from Jesus’ compassion. Surprisingly, only one returns to express his gratitude to Jesus. Thus, Jesus asks: “Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” And, as Saint Luke notes: “He was a Samaritan.”

Today’s Gospel presents the “grateful leper” (Lk 17:15-19). Recently on July 10, we heard Jesus’ parable of the “Good Samaritan” (Lk 10:29-37). During the Lenten liturgy on the Third Sunday of Year A, we hear about Jesus and the “Samaritan woman at the well” (Jn 4:1-42). To Jewish ears during the time of Jesus praising the virtues of Samaritans would be shocking. Yet, Jesus three times holds up foreign Samaritans as examples to be imitated.

Gratitude. This beautiful virtue, is not a single, one-time expression; Christians approach life, people, and events with a constant “attitude of gratitude.” Allow me to propose “ten commandments of gratitude.”

(1) Recognize your many blessings. Recall the copious gifts you have received: family, health, friends, faith, opportunities. Each moment and stage of life brings new blessings; we are gifted again and again.

(2) Reflect on the source of gifts. We do not earn gifts; God is the source of our richness. Treasure God’s generosity.

(3) Recall frequently: gifts are meant for sharing. All we are and all we have are gifts. Our person, our talents, our richness are meant for sharing, not hiding or hoarding. What you have received as a gift, give as a gift (Mt 10:8).

(4) Remember, remember, remember. Continuous remembering is central to making our past graced moments, small or large, present and alive in our lives.

(5) Be grateful in all seasons. Gratitude is not only a fair-weather virtue; prosperous times and difficult moments are equally opportunities to give thanks.

(6) Guard against the enemies of gratitude. Self-pity, jealousy, and resentment attack and drive out genuine gratitude. Be done with asking: Why me? Is life fair?

(7) Practice acts of gratitude daily. Express and manifest thankfulness regularly;

develop the habit of manifesting gratitude.

(8) Enrich your personality through gratitude. Grateful people are at peace with themselves, with others, and with what they have.

(9) Place gratitude at the center of your prayer. Prayer from the heart is replete with thankfulness. Grateful persons turn easily to God in prayer.

(10) Become a Eucharistic person. The Greek word, Eucharist, means thanksgiving. Sharing Christ’s love in the Eucharist can transform us into loving, grateful, serving persons, permeated with an “attitude of gratitude.”

Like the thankful leper, we are to constantly praise God for his gracious mercies. Like Jesus himself, we are to see sincere goodness in other people—even in those we did not expect. Do we have the eyes of Jesus—eyes of mercy?

James H. Kroeger, M.M.

Prayer for the 28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fill my soul each morning with your praises,

O Lord, for the gift of another day and may each evening

find my heart overflowing with gratitude

for all your graces and blessings in my life.

For the gift of life, health and love

I give you thanks, O Lord!

for family, friends and neighbors

I give you thanks, O Lord!

for each challenge, each setback,

each failure I give you thanks, O Lord!

for each breath, each step, each day

I give you thanks, O Lord!

Above all, for faith in your providence,

for hope in your promises and for love of your presence

in the Eucharist, In my heart, in my soul, in my life,

and in my world, I give you thanks, O God,

my Lord and my Savior.

Amen.

By Fr. Joseph Veneroso. M.M.

Bishop opens Cause for declaring Wilmington native a saint

by Maryknoll Society | Apr 3, 2012 | Notable Maryknollers

Lumina News – Wednesday, March 14, 2012

(Supplied photo courtesy of Rich Cox / Catholic Diocese of Raleigh)
Bishop Michael Burbidge, from left; Father James F. Garneau, Episcopal Delegate for the Cause; Msgr. Jerry M. Sherba, Chancellor of the Diocese who administered the oaths; Father Ja Van Saxon, Promoter of Justice; Angela Godwin Page, Actual Notary and Maureen Foster, Adjunct Notary, gather on Friday, March 9, in Raleigh for a prayer service and to take an oath, beginning the diocesan phase of the Cause for Beatification and Canonization of Father Thomas Frederick Price.

The Catholic Diocese of Raleigh has officially opened the diocesan phase of the Cause for Beatification and Canonization of North Carolina’s first native Catholic priest.

Tribunal members met Friday, March 9, in Raleigh for a prayer service and to take an oath as they begin a formal study of Father Thomas Frederick Price, who was born in Wilmington in 1860.

The tribunal’s historical and theological commissions will study Father Price’s writings and records about his life and listen objectively to witnesses who may have knowledge of his work or reputation, Father James F. Garneau, pastor of St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church in Mount Olive, said Monday, March 12.

Garneau, Episcopal delegate for the cause, added they have a list of about 30 witnesses from throughout the country so far.

“We don’t have living witnesses from his time, eyewitnesses,” Garneau said. “But we have people in the next generation, people who knew people who knew Father Price.”

Bishop Michael Burbidge opened the cause at Sacred Heart Cathedral. Among those attending was Edward Price of Clayton, one of Father Price’s descendants.

“He was a fascinating man,” Edward Price said Monday, March 12, by telephone.

“Imagine having a conversation with someone and saying, ‘By the way, my fourth cousin is a saint.’ I find that remarkable,” he added when asked about his ancestor possibly being declared a saint someday. “How many people on this earth can say that?”

Price established the Nazareth Community orphanage in Raleigh, co-founded the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers mission society in New York with Father James A. Walsh and served on Maryknoll’s first foreign mission in 1918. He suffered an infected appendix while in China and died in 1919.

A family connection was made when Edward Price saw an issue of NC Catholics magazine last year with Father Price on the cover. He recalled his father telling him about a famous priest from North Carolina they might be related to.

“I mailed the copy to my father and that pretty much got the ball rolling,” Edward Price said.

Family genealogical research helped confirm that connection, and the family contacted the bishop and visited Maryknoll, said Edward Price’s father, Carl Price of Red Bank, N.J.

Carl Price, who grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., said his father had mentioned having had a cousin from North Carolina who co-founded the Maryknoll Society.

“We kind of knew this as a fact of family history but…we never took any action upon it,” Carl Price, 82, said during a telephone interview Thursday, March 8.

The Price family came to the United States from Wales and settled in Wilmington, where some family members were buried at Oakdale Cemetery, he said.

Father Price’s father — Alfred Lanier Price, editor of the Wilmington Daily Journal — had a brother, William, who was Carl Price’s great-grandfather. Father Price was editor for a magazine about the Catholic faith called Truth.

“It’s just such a wonderful, wonderful thing,” Carl Price said. “The more I’ve learned through the genealogy that there is a blood connection here, it’s something I never expected. And I’m sure my father, if he were alive, he would be astounded about this too.”

“It’s such an honor,” he added. “I’m overwhelmed and I feel very blessed by this connection.”

The tribunal will examine if Father Price’s life demonstrated heroic virtue and will study reports of any miracles people believe are from his intercession or prayers.

“We’re not looking to jump to conclusions,” Garneau said. “The church is deliberate on this so if a declaration is made there’s a certain assuredness we can point to, even among nonbelievers.”

Father Price, called the “Tar Heel Apostle,” is credited with spreading Catholicism throughout North Carolina. He belonged to St. Thomas Church in downtown Wilmington, which is now St. Thomas Preservation Hall.

“I hope this beautiful area of our diocese in Wilmington takes great pride, because Father Price, this was where he was born and certainly grew in his own faith,” Burbidge said during a visit to Wilmington on Wednesday, March 7.

Father Price’s legacy includes 39 acres of land near Raleigh remaining from about 400 acres he bought in 1897, which is where the diocese planned to build a new cathedral. The current cathedral seats approximately 320 people and is the nation’s second smallest Catholic cathedral after the one in Juneau, Alaska, the bishop said.

In death Father Price is near two important figures of his life — his body is buried near Walsh’s remains at Maryknoll, while his heart is buried near St. Bernadette’s tomb in France.

When asked why the church recognizes saints, Burbidge said it is a way to provide concrete examples and is similar to honoring respected members of professions.

“We can talk about saintly virtues,” Burbidge said. “But it’s a lot better when you can say, ‘And here is an example, and here are some of the things that this woman or this man did in his or her earthly life. These are obstacles that they faced, and this is how through their holiness that they conquered it.’”