The oils that are used for anointing in parishes around the Archdiocese of Louisville were blessed and consecrated last night during the annual Chrism Mass, conducted at the Cathedral of the Assumption.

Three large decanters of olive oil stood at the entrance of the Cathedral prior to the celebration and each was presented to Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz after the homily. The archbishop, standing to one side of the altar, blessed the Oil of the Sick and the Oil of the Catechumens and consecrated the sacred Chrism.

The Oil of the Sick is used for the Sacrament of Anointing and it was presented to the archbishop by people who represented sick and infirm Catholics.

The Oil of Catechumens is used to anoint those who are preparing for baptism and was presented by members of the catechumenate ministry.

Finally, the sacred Chrism, a mixture of olive oil and balsam, is used to anoint in a variety of celebrations, including the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders. It is also used to dedicate new churches and altars. This oil was presented by Deacon Nick Brown, who will be anointed with this oil at his presbyteral ordination; Brenda Rickert of St. Michael parish which is building a new church; and Brandee King of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church who is preparing for Confirmation.

During his homily, the archbishop explained the uses of these oils and also noted that this season is a time of renewal in the church.

Each year during the Chrism Mass, priests of the archdiocese renew the promises they made at ordination. The archbishop thanked them for their service to the archdiocese and gave thanks for all those who serve the church in different ways.

And he called on all of the church’s faithful to renewal.

“Renewal in the church is the work that belongs to each one of us,” he said.

The archbishop likened that calling to the call of St. Francis of Assisi, whose name the new pope has adopted. According to the story, St. Francis was called by Christ to “rebuild” the church as he stood in the midst of a crumbling sanctuary.

“In a mystical way, Francis heard on that day Christ say to him, ‘rebuild my church’ and he took that literally,” the archbishop said. Later, “it became clear to him Christ had something more in mind.”

“He became an instrument of Christ,” sad Archbishop Kurtz.

On the path to become an instrument of Christ, the archbishop said, the church offers “tools” to the faithful, including the seven sacraments and anointing oils that are “visible tools for us to be renewed,” he said.

The Kentucky General Assembly overrode Gov. Steve Beshear’s veto of House Bill 279 late March 26, approving the measure that seeks to strengthen religious freedom in Kentucky.

Archbishop Kurtz

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz welcomed the news during an interview early March 27, saying “Of course I’m very, very pleased.” The archbishop noted that he was especially gratified “that we here in Kentucky are speaking out for religious freedom,” in light of the “erosion of religious liberty that’s occuring.

The new law says that the government may not “substantially burden” someone’s freedom of religion unless the government proves a compelling interest by “clear and convincing evidence.”

The Catholic Conference of Kentucky advocated for House Bill 279 on behalf of the state’s four bishops and delivered a letter to Gov. Beshear March 12, urging him to sign the bill into law.

He vetoed the bill March 22, saying in a statement that the legislation is well-intentioned, but that he has “significant concerns that this bill will cause serious unintentional consequences that could threaten public safety, health care, and individuals’ civil rights.”

He and other opponents of the law expressed concerns that it could be used to weaken other civil rights protections and have an adverse effect on enforcement of drug laws, among other things. Gov. Beshear also warned it may lead to costly litigation.

Father Patrick Delahanty, executive director of the Catholic Conference, dismissed those concerns, noting that similar laws in other states have not led to legal challenges and that a federal law, known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, had bipartisan support.

Archbishop Kurtz said in an interview that protections for religious liberty have been eroded in the last two decades. The most recent challenge, he noted, came in the form of a health care mandate by the Obama administration that required some religious organizations to provide contraceptive coverage for employees.

“If I were to parallel our right to religious liberty to the right we hold sacred of free speech, I believe there has been a slow erosion of the way we look at the right of religious freedom,” he said during the interview. “The tempation has been to make it vary narrowly conceived as simply the freedom to worship one hour on a Sunday or Saturday or Friday depending upon your religion. But, as you know, we live our religion daily, not just one hour a week. Religion is a part of living our lives.”

There are, the archbishop said, two major aspects of religious freedom.

“On the one hand, it represents the ability for you and me and the nation to actually live the convictions of our faith without imposing those convictions on others,” he said. “Second, people have from the beginning participated as valued participants in crafting and preserving the common good. We don’t impose our values on others but we participate.”

The Catholic Conference of Kentucky posted a statement from Archbishop Kurtz on it’s website and thanked those who urged their legislators to pass the law.

“Faithful Citizens on the Conference alert list and others they informed flooded the capitol with phone calls and emails,” a post on the conference’s website said. “Other allies in the struggle to pass this bill kept their constituents informed so they, too, acted. Thousands of constituents urged support for overriding the veto, the first veto overridden in 10 years.”

The Derby-themed event, now in its 41st year, will be preceeded by a “Rat Parade” which will begin at 10:30 a.m. The theme of this year’s event is “One for All and All for Rats,” a play on the motto of the Three Musketeers.

The parade will include floats and decorated vehicles, participants dressed in Renaissance costumes, and in the local tradition, racing fans will wear decorated hats as part of the annual Rat Hat Contest, according to a news release from the school.

Post time for the races will be 11:30 a.m.

The procession and Stations of the Cross will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Romano Mazzoli Federal Building at Seventh and Chestnut streets and will continue until 11:30 a.m., where it will reach Founder’s Square at Fifth and Muhammad Ali streets.

The walk, shaped by the Catholic tradition of remembering Jesus’ final moments, coincides with the commemoration of Good Friday. The “Walk for Justice” usually draws 200 to 300 people and provides an opportunity to remember and pray for those caught in situations of oppression or suffering today.

The 1.5-mile walk will stop at 14 locations throughout downtown Louisville, where participants will reflect on the war in Iraq, care for the earth, the death penalty, the plight of immigrants and migrant workers, the situation in Israel and Palestine, poverty, homelessness, racism and other issues.

Sponsors of this year’s event include St. William, Good Shepherd, St. Agnes and Ascension churches, the Casa Latina, the Church of the Epiphany’s Social Responsibility Committee, CrossRoads Ministry, the Episcopal Church of the Advent, the Episcopal Churches of Louisville — Beargrass Deanery, Highland Baptist Church’s Mission and Justice Ministry Group, Interfaith Paths to Peace, James Lees Memorial Presbyterian Church, JustFaith Ministries, the Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Kentucky Interfaith Taskforce on Latin America and the Caribbean, the Passionist Earth & Spirit Center, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Vietnam Veterans Against the War and others.

Students from two area high schools have been honored in the national Scholastic Art and Writing competition.

St. Xavier High School senior Ian Timothy has received national recognition in the contest for the fourth consecutive year.  He earned a Gold Medal, American Visions Medal and Best in Grade for his film “Day Shift.”  Timothy also earned a Silver Medal in the Film and Animation category for “All My Dreams” and a Silver Medal in the Art Portfolio category for his “Beaver Creek” episodes.

Two Sacred Heart Academy seniors have been recognized as national medalists in the same competition.
Mikayla Burress earned a National Gold Key for her photograph, “I Will Let the Ocean Lead.” Lydia Pawley earned a National Silver Key for her drawing, “Mirror, Mirror.”
Timothy, Burress and Pawley have been invited to a national awards ceremony in New York. The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards was established in 1923 to encourage and recognize student achievement in the creative arts. National Medalists are celebrated at a Carnegie Hall ceremony and will have their work showcased in galleries in New York City.

German awards

Twenty students from St. Xavier High School received special recognition from the American Association of German Teachers for their performance on the 2013 National German Exam. Four of the 22 — Luke Kozal, Brian Ford, Christopher Raymond and Gabriel Turner — scored in the 90th percentile.

Refugee program

Members of the St. Edward Church youth group participated in a mock refugee experience at the church Feb. 23 as part of their preparation for Confirmation. The students participated in several simulation exercises that refugees must endure before gaining entry into the U.S. including a medical exam and a United Nations interview.
Laxmi Adhakari, a Nepali refugee, spoke to the group about his experience as a refugee. The event was part of the  Parishes Organized to Welcome Refugees (POWR) program.

KUNA honors

Several Trinity High School students earned awards at the 2013 Kentucky United Nations Assembly.
Senior George Smith received an award for Outstanding Ambassador. Junior Eric Elder finished in the top three of a group of 22 students as Executive Committee Candidate for 2014. Additionally, Elder will be Summit President for the 2014 KUNA conference.
Additionally, the Trinity group received an award for Delegation of Excellence.

Alice O. Bridges of KentuckyOne Health, accepts her award from Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, center, and Richard A. Lechleiter, former chairman of the Catholic Education Foundation. (Record Photos by Jessica Able)

By Glenn Rutherford, Record Editor

The 23rd annual Salute to Catholic School Alumni featured another fund-raising record — this year’s event raised $560,000 for the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF).

And once again a full house of some 2,000 people filled the Galt House Hotel ballroom for the March 20 banquet, which featured award presentations to six Catholic School alumni, a local Catholic school teacher and a Community Service Award recipient.

But this year’s Salute also featured several calls for commitment and a look to the future. J. Bradford Rives, chairman of the CEF, praised the local community for raising a record amount, which the foundation will use as financial aid to Catholic school families.

He also called them to be aware that the $1.3 million the CEF awarded in tuition assistance last year isn’t close to meeting the need of area families who want to send their children to Catholic schools.

“That $1.3 million in tuition assistance met only 30 percent of the demonstrated need,” he said. “It is imperative that we close that gap and make Catholic education accessible to all families.”

Accessibility was a word mentioned frequently during the night’s events.

Former CEF chairman Richard A. Lechleiter, executive vice-president and chief financial officer for Kindred Healthcare, Inc., was called upon to introduce his brother, Dr. John C. Lechleiter, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Eli Lilly and Company.

Dr. John C. Lechleiter, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Eli Lilly and Company, gave the keynote address at this year’s 23rd annual Salute to Catholic School Alumni.

Before the introduction, however, Richard Lechleiter challenged those before him to raise the funds necessary to keep Catholic education accessible and affordable for area families.

“Within the next five years we can make a huge difference in our Catholic schools,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be exciting to see gradual growth in enrollment numbers across our entire system? Wouldn’t it be great to raise $1 million from this event alone?”

In his remarks John Lechleiter noted that his parents “saw to it that I and my eight siblings received a Catholic education.”

“Eight of us went to Xavier or Dayton; one brother went to the University of Cincinnati and we have long since forgiven him,” he said to chuckles throughout the audience.

John Lechleiter recounted the effect his early Catholic education had upon him — an effect that led him to obtain a master’s and a doctorate in organic chemistry from Harvard University.

“I’ve often told everyone in my family that I learned everything I ever learned in life in the seventh grade,” he said. “And I learned it in Sister Joan Vincent’s class. She was smart and tough and inspiring. She’s now known as (Dominican) Sister Claire McGowan and I’m proud to say that she’s still leading, now as executive director of New Pioneers for a Sustainable Future in Springfield, Ky.”

The head of one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical firms told the crowd that Catholic education “made a profound difference for me and countless others.”

“In a society that is searching for meaning,” he said, “Catholic education teaches values as it educates.” And there is never a separation between knowledge and faith in Catholic schools, he added.

“All of us must step forward to make sure that Catholic schools are there for the next generation,” he concluded.

C. Edward Glasscock, chairman emeritus of the Frost Brown Todd law firm, was presented with this year’s Community Service Award. He thanked his firm for allowing him to participate in the foundation. He also expressed gratitude for the opportunity he had to attend St. Xavier High School, and for his 18 years on the board of directors of Bellarmine University.

The Father Joseph McGee Award for excellence in teaching was presented to Frederick J. Whittaker of St. Francis of Assisi School. (A story about Whittaker appeared in the Feb. 21 edition of The Record.)

Alumni honorees were Alice O. Bridges of KentuckyOne Health, where she serves as Vice President of Healthy Communities in Louisville.

“I look at Catholic education and Catholic high schools as places where we can answer the question ‘who do you say I am,’ ” she told the banquet audience. She expressed gratitude for the “really talented teachers at
St. Bernard School and Mercy Academy,” and noted that she now has “the great privilege of working for social justice for some of the most underprivileged people in our community.”

Bridges also thanked the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth for providing her with “incredible exemplars of faith in action.”

Dr. James M. Hinkebein, a Louisville pediatrician, noted that public speaking “isn’t really my forte,” but was quick to thank the Catholic educators in his life.

“There is no doubt that Catholic grade school and high school education helped me to be where I am today,” he said. “I can’t tell you how much Catholic education means to me, I just know that without it, I wouldn’t be who I am and where I am now.”

William Howard, founder and chief executive officer of Fastline Publications LLC, said his parents — and his Catholic education — helped teach him the importance of giving to others.

“This is the 20th anniversary of my father’s passing,” he said. “I learned how important it is to have a giving heart by watching my father and grandfather. I remember my grandfather sitting and writing checks and saying ‘I can’t help very many, but I can help a few.’ ”

Howard said those of us who’ve been blessed by society should “set the same example for our children and teach them to set aside 10 percent for charity.”

Ellyn Crutcher, a parishioner at the Church of the Epiphany and a local attorney and artist, gave thanks for “25 years of teaching mentors who shaped and grounded me.”

“I also give thanks to two Catherines,” she said. “Mother Catherine Spalding who founded the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth when she was but 19 years old, and Sister Catherine McAuley” who founded the Sisters of Mercy.

“Thank you for this honor, and for the gift of Catholic education,” she said.

Susan Spalding, executive director of the Mid-Kentucky Chorus, came to Kentucky after a business career in Chicago. She said she was “humbled to be a part of this wonderful group of people,” and also expressed gratitude for the support of her husband, Len.

Paul J. Schulte, a market research executive who founded Horizon Group International, also expressed gratitude for the support of his spouse. “I’m up here with you tonight,” he said, “because she has always been there for me.”

Schulte also noted the importance of the Catholic Education Foundation’s newly-created Annual Fund. “It must become a success so that more children can experience the excellence and spiritual excellence we have to offer.

“Everybody who speaks up here rightly thanks their parents,” he noted. “I dream of a child who’s a first grader next year, who in the year 2072 at the 83rd annual Salute says ‘thank you, Mom and Dad, for the gift of my Catholic education. It changed my life.’

“We have to make sure that happens,” he said.

“Ursuline Associates are Christian women and men who seek to deepen their lives of prayer and service as followers of Jesus in the spirit and tradition of Saint Angela Merici, foundress of the Ursuline Sisters,” according to an announcement from the sisters.

For more information, call the Ursuline Associate office at 896-3956 or send an email to tbutler@ursulineslou.org.

Father of Mercy William Casey will give the keynote address on the topic, “Forming Men and Women of Prayer in the Year of Faith.” A social hour will begin at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $35 for adults or $25 for students and alumni. To register, send payment to Holy Angels Academy, 12201 Old Henry Road, Louisville, Ky., 40223. The deadline is April 19.

The new building, at 4839 Southside Drive, will be used for such parish activities as wedding receptions, classes and programs.

The official dedication of the building will occur at 11:30 a.m. and will feature a cultural dragon dance, music, a formal meal and an Easter egg hunt for around 100 children.

Father Anthony Chinh Ngo, the parish pastor, said a crowd of more than 700 people is expected to attend the event.

Students from Nativity Academy and St. Raphael School were joined by Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz and about 40 others at St. Michael Cemetery March 22 to pray the Way of the Cross for Young Christians. Catholic Cemeteries hosted the Way of the Cross each Friday during Lent. Students from local schools helped to lead the services.

St. Rita Church pastor Father Joseph M. Rankin expressed his delight in the election of Pope Francis at the start of Mass March 17 at the church on Preston Highway. Deacon Aurelio Puga, left, called the election of Pope Francis “a blessing to the whole church.” (Record Photo by Jessica Able)

Excited by Pope Francis’ humility and attention to the poor, local Catholics from Argentina, Peru, Mexico, Cuba and other parts of Latin America are celebrating the election of a Latino pope.

Juan Afals came to the United States from Cuba four years ago. Afals said he was surprised by the new pope’s humility and regard for the poor. (Record Photo by Jessica Able)

A standing-room only congregation at St. Rita Church’s Spanish Mass Sunday applauded the “nuevo papa” at the opening of the liturgy.

St. Joseph Church in Butchertown marked the election of Pope Francis with a Mass and a celebration afterward with cake.

“It’s a blessing to the whole church,” said Deacon Aurelio Puga, a native of Mexico who served at the St. Rita Mass Sunday.

Among Latino Catholics, “there’s a feeling that he understands the struggles,” of people in Latin America “because he lived through them,” Deacon Puga noted. “Pope Francisco understands people’s suffering and he’s willing to serve the poor.

“I think he’s going to show that the church is for everyone — it’s universal,” he added.

The humility and simplicity the pope has shown in the days since his election are genuine, said Maria Bentel, a native of Argentina and a member of Holy Trinity Church.

She hasn’t met the pontiff personally, but her cousin is married to his nephew. And the pope is well-known among her family members.

“That’s the kind of person he is, actually. He is really close to the people and he is really humble,” she said. “He was the head of the church in Argentina. And still he was really close to everybody. He is such a low profile person, if you don’t pay attention, you don’t know who he is. He acts like just another priest.”

Bentel said she’s glad that he’s now serving as an example to the world.

“I think the message for the church in a global way is amazing — he is really giving the message from Jesus,” she said.

The pope’s example to the Archdiocese of Louisville — especially for Hispanic Catholics here — is an important one, said Eva Gonzalez, the director of Hispanic ministry for the Archdiocese of Louisville’s Office of Multicultural Ministry.

“I’m very excited by the fact that we have the first Latin American pope. This shows that the Catholic Church is universal,” she said during an interview
last week.

Gonzalez, whose family is from Mexico, said that the election of Pope Francis
will likely help Latin American Catholics to see their role in the church differently.

“I think they will see they can be leaders,” she said. “Sometimes you just need one person to plant the
seeds and after that maybe we will see a huge growth.”

She sees his election as a call for the Hispanic community to consider, “What, as an Hispanic Catholic, can I offer to the universal church, starting with my parish?”

Claudia Peralta-Mudd, a member of St. Joseph Church and a native of Argentina, described the election as a blessing to Latin American Catholics.

She followed the papal election as it unfolded March 13 with intensity, not because she expected a Latino pope, but because “I’m a religious person, so I’m very in tune with what it means to elect a new pope,” she said.

When she heard he was from Argentina, she said, “It was double emotion. The fact that we had a Latino pope, and the fact that he was from Argentina — I was totally in heaven.”

She hopes that his connection to South America — where he saw first-hand the plight of people living in poverty — will lead to change in that part of the world.
Now that he is pope, she pointed out, he has access to the continent’s leaders.

“I have great expectations for social change. As Catholics, we have a responsibility for that,” she said. “In July, he’s going to Brazil”
for World Youth Day. “I think that will certainly start the conversation.”

Juan Afals, who came to the United States from Cuba four years ago, holds the same hope.

During the St. Rita celebration, he said that the election of Pope Francis “is very important because maybe he will look more at South America.”

“I’ve been very surprised by his humility, especially toward the poor. In the situation the church is in now, that’s going to be of ultimate importance,” said Afals, who is active at St. Rita and is a former parish council president of his parish in Cuba. “He’s already left behind some of the Vatican symbols of richness.”

Gloria Hernandez, another member of St. Rita Church, hopes that the new pope will be like Blessed John Paul II — charismatic and good with people.

Already, she said, “I love him — first that he is representing the image of St. Francis and that he represents the diversity in the church.”

O’Mally, according to a news release from the coalition, “asked for the bill and is certain to sign it.”

“This will bring to 18 the number of states no longer engaged in the execution of prisoners,” said Father Patrick Delahanty, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky and chair of the Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

“With six states abandoning (the death penalty) in the past six years,” he said, “it is time for Kentucky lawmakers to consider repealing the law here.”

Father Delahanty noted that a recent study of the state’s capital punishment system showed that it is broken, “prone to mistakes and expensive to operate.”

The coalition news release said that a recent article in the Frankfort, Ky., State Journal featured Ben Griffith, brother of a murder victim and board member of the KCADP, who urgently advocates for an end to the practice in Kentucky.

This mirrors what has happened in Maryland, the release said, where the effort to repeal the death penalty had significant support from the family members of murder victims. The repeal effort also had the support of some members of the law enforcement community and faith organizations, the KCADP release said.

State Rep. Carl Rollins and State Sen. Gerald Neal both introduced repeal bills in the recent session of the Kentucky General Assembly, but with little success.

“We hope to see hearings on abolition in the Joint Interim Judiciary Committee before the 2014 session begins next January,” Father Delahanty said. “Days like this remind us it is only a matter of ‘when,’ not ‘if’ Kentucky will abolish the death penalty.”

The Reverend Patrick J. Dolan, pastor, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Church.

The Reverend Christopher S. Rhodes, associate pastor, the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral, Bardstown, Ky.

The Reverend George S. Illikkal, C.M.I., associate pastor, St. Augustine Church, Lebanon, Ky., and Holy Name of Mary Church, Calvary, Ky.

The Reverend Deljo L. Puthur, C.M.I., associate pastor, St. Martin of Tours Church, Louisville, Ky.

The Reverend Matthew T. Hardesty, administrator, Holy Trinity Church, Fredericktown, Ky., and Holy Rosary Church, Manton, Ky.

The Reverend David J. Carr, administrator, St. Bernard Church, Clementsville, Ky., and Sacred Heart Church, Liberty, Ky.

The Reverend Gary T. Padgett will continue as pastor for a year at the Church of the Ascension.

The Reverend R. Joseph Hemmerle will continue as pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church, St. Francis, Ky., and Holy Cross Church, Holy Cross, Ky.

The Reverend Kenneth R. Fortener will continue as administrator of St. Vincent de Paul Church, New Hope, Ky., and St. Ann Church, Howardstown, Ky.

The Reverend James M. Reinhart will continue as administrator of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Campbellsville, Ky., Our Lady of the Hills Church in Finley, Ky., and at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Phillipsburg, Ky.

The Reverend Michael T. Wimsatt will continue graduate students at Catholic University and serve as associate director for seminarians.

The following are to be ordained May 25th:

The Reverend Nicholas J. Brown, associate pastor, St. James Church in Elizabethtown, Ky., St. Ambrose Church in Cecilia, Ky., and St. Ignatius Church in White Mills, Ky.

The Reverend Christopher B. Lubecke, associate pastor of St. Albert the Great Church.

• Divine Mercy Sunday will be celebrated at St. Patrick Church, 1000 N. Beckley Station Road, beginning with Confession from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. and the rosary at 2:30 p.m.
  The Divine Mercy Hour will begin at 3 p.m. and will include a history of the feast, veneration of the Divine Mercy image, blessing of water and religious articles, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Benediction and Mass.
  Eucharistic adoration, Confession and Benediction also will be available on April 6 from 7 p.m. to midnight. Presiders will include Fathers Martin Linebach, Daniel Brandenburg, John Stolz and Terry Bradshaw.
• Holy Trinity Church in Fredericktown, Ky., will celebrate the day at 2 p.m. It will include Mass, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and reconciliation. The celebrant will be Dominican Father Frank Ralph.
• St. Raphael Church, at Bardstown Road and Lancashire Avenue, will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. with Confession. The Divine Mercy Chaplet will be prayed at 3 p.m. and Mass will begin at 3:15 p.m.
• St. Athanasius Church, 5915 Outer Loop, will hold its 16th annual Divine Mercy Sunday celebration beginning with Confession from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. The rosary will be prayed at 2:30 p.m., followed by Mass, eucharistic adoration and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. The celebrants will be Fathers Gary Davis and Lawrence Lindle. Several other priests will also hear confessions.
• Incarnation Church, 2229 Lower Hunters Trace, will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday with reconciliation beginning at 1:30 p.m., exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, rosary, silent reflection, Scripture, the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Benediction.
• St. Paul Church, 6901 Dixie Highway, will hold Divine Mercy Sunday services beginning at 2 p.m. with reconciliation, followed by exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and eucharistic adoration. Evening prayer will begin at 3:45 p.m. with Benediction at 4 p.m.

Most items in the auction will be available for on-line bidding beginning April 12 and ending April 23. Auction items include a week stay at The Fountains in Orlando, an antique diamond ring and earring set and more. To bid or to look at items in the auction, visit http://www.biddingforgood.com/igniteyourtorch.

Tickets are $20 before March 31 and $25 after that date until April 20. For more information or to donate an item for the auction, call 502-507-4070.

Spanish teacher Wanda Trigg gets her head shaved March 19 at DeSales High School in conjunction with the St. Baldrick Foundation, an organization that raises money for pediatric cancer research. (Record photos by Jessica Able)

By Jessica Able, Record Staff Writer

A half dozen schools and parishes in the Archdiocese of Louisville collected more than $150,000 for the St. Baldrick Foundation, an organization that raises money for pediatric cancer research.

At DeSales High School on March 19, more than three dozen people waited their turn to sit in a chair and get their locks shorn, including Spanish teacher Wanda Trigg.

Trigg said she participated in the event in honor of her mother, who passed away in December after a battle with cancer.

“I think she would think I’m crazy,” Trigg said with a laugh. “I’ve never done anything like this before. It’s feels really good and freeing.”

Trigg, who personally raised $668, added that life should not always be about how you look but “what you can do for someone else.”

As of Tuesday, DeSales had raised $7,500, tripling the school’s goal of raising $2,500.

DeSales High School sophomore Tyler Glasser sat patiently as Andrew Beeler, a 2010 DeSales graduate, shaved his head at the school’s St. Baldrick’s Day event. DeSales collected $7,500 for the St. Baldrick Foundation.

This is the first year that DeSales has held a St. Baldrick event.

St. James Church in Elizabethtown, Ky., held their St. Baldrick fund-raiser on March 16. Twenty people from the parish and school, including the pastor, Father Charles Walker, shaved their heads. The group raised

$3,000 but expects that number to double once all figures are totaled.

Parishioners at St. Michael Church raised $49,000 for the pediatric cancer research group.

Group organizer Rachel Miles said there were about 90 peope who shaved their heads, including pastor Father Richard Sullivan.

Miles, whose one-year-old daughter, Addison, is fighting a rare form of leukemia, said the group surpassed its goal of $31,000.

As of March 19, St. Albert the Great Church had raised nearly $50,000 of its $75,000 goal.

In its 11 years of hosting St. Baldrick events, the church on Girard Drive has raised more than $700,000, said Taylor Deibel, parishioner and St. Baldrick event organizer.

“Our goal is to hit the $1 million mark,” she said.

Our Lady of Lourdes Church raised $52,000 at their March 8 event. One hundred people shaved their heads for the “Bearcats for Baldrick’s” event.

This is the second year Our Lady of Lourdes hosted a fundraiser for the St. Baldrick Foundation.

“We saw other parishes hosting these events and we wanted to start one of our own,” said Tricia Fike, a parishioner who organized the fundraiser.

Fike said the group’s goal was originally $25,000.

“We blew that out of the water!” she added.

In addition to the head shaving, there was a dance party for the kids and an area for people to make hard candy bouquets for patients at Kosair Children’s Hospital.

Preparations for “St. Baldrick’s 2014” is already underway.

“We are already excited and planning for next year. Our goal is to grow the number of people participating and to top what we did the previous year,” Fike said.

The Alumnus of the Year award will honor a graduate whose achievements in his or her profession or volunteerism has made a significant contribution to the betterment of society. Nominees must have attended or graduated from Sacred Heart Model School at least 10 years ago.

Alumni who graduated or attended SHMS fewer than 10 years ago are eligible for the Young Alumnus Achievement Award, given to someone who has contributed significantly to their community. The Former Faculty Award will be given to an instructor who taught full-time at the school for at least five years, and the Former Parent Award will honor devoted parents of SHMS students.

Nominations can be submitted online at http://www.sacredheartschools.org or they can be mailed to Nannette Mershon, Sacred Heart Model School Alumni Director, 3177 Lexington Road, Louisville, Ky., 40206.

The event will be held in the Grand Ballroom of the Galt House Hotel at 140 N. Fourth St. in downtown Louisville.

Appearing at the event will be Archbishop of Louisville Joseph E. Kurtz, Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Bob Russell, retired minister and leader of Southeast Christian Church, and Dr. Alveda C. King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and director of African American Outreach for Priests for Life and Gospel Ministries.

The dinner and program will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., with a dessert and coffee reception to follow. Tickets for the banquet are $100 per person or $1,000 for a table for 10. For information or to buy tickets, call 417-1385 or visit http://www.lifehouselouisville.org.

Carol Gardner helped students sort jelly beans in the cafeteria of Holy Family School March 19.

On March 19, students at Holy Family School, 3934 Poplar Level Road, helped the parish’s Yo Yo (the young and old) group assemble Easter baskets and prayer cards.

Kindergarten to fourth-grade students met in the cafeteria with their Yo Yo buddies to sort jelly beans by color and affix a prayer to each bag. The 200 jelly bean bags will be distributed to parishioners on Easter Sunday.

Students in grades five to eight also assisted the Yo Yo group by donating Easter baskets and filling the baskets with candy and other items. The baskets will be delivered to the Schuhmann Center, an organization that aids people who are poor or homeless in the inner city of Louisville.

Shirley Peak, a member of the Yo Yo group, said this is the eighth year the group has assembled the baskets and distributed the prayers. She estimates that the group will deliver about 90-100 Easter baskets this year.

Clergy of the Archdiocese of Louisville concelebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving for Pope Francis March 13. (Photos by Jessica Able)

The Cathedral of the Assumption was nearly half filled at noon yesterday when Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz and more than a dozen members of the clergy celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving for the newly-elected Pope Francis.

Archbishop Kurtz opened the liturgy by giving thanks for unity in the church and for the simplicity of Pope Francis.

He told the faithful that God has granted the church a continuation of unity with the election of a humble, prayerful Successor to Peter.

“To understand it,” he said, one must recall when “2000 years ago, a disciple, an apostle of Jesus — someone who Jesus gave the name Peter — made his way to Rome.”

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, delivered the homily. (Record Photo by Jessica Able)

It was Peter whom Christ called “the rock” upon which the church would be built, he noted. That was the genesis of  the papacy that unites Catholics around the world.

“Before even knowing the name (of the newly elected pope Wednesday afternoon) we praised God because we had a pope. He is the source of unity,” the archbishop said.

He noted that St. Peter “was just a weak and imperfect person who came into the shadow of the great mediator, Jesus Christ.” And he said that Pope Francis already has acknowledged his own imperfections.

“We have a pope with a great sense of humor. He first of all led us in prayer — the prayers that mothers and fathers teach their children,” the archbishop said, referring to the Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary and Glory Be. “He said prayers that were accessible to all of us. … What a source of beauty.

“Then, when he asked for silence for private prayer, weren’t you moved?” the archbishop asked. “What a humble Holy Father we have.”

Archbishop Kurtz also paraphrased for the congregation part of the Prayer of St. Francis, which reads,  “Grant that I may not so much seek …to be understood as to understand.”

St. Francis of Assisi, the archbishop noted, was “a great lover of nature, a lover of peace, but also someone who said, ‘Peace must begin with me.’ ”

Like St. Francis of Assissi the new pope is the type of person who would “never ask someone else to do something until we do it ourselves,” he added.

He ended the homily by asking, “St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us.”

Among those gathered at the cathedral was Carmen Rendon, who said she was excited when she heard the new pope hailed from South America.

“The fact that he’s Latin American is exciting to me because I’m Hispanic,” she said, noting that she’s Peurto Rican. “I want to be sure to add my prayers here for unity in the church and peace in the world.”

Rendon said she ordinarily serves as a eucharistic minister for the cathedral’s Thursday noon Mass.

“But today is diferent, she said, adding, “I’m excited to have someone so humble (as) to take the name of Francis.”

Another worshipper, former congressman Romano Mazzoli, noted a sense of pride in the Italian descent of the new pope. Though Pope Francis is a native of Argentina, his family came to South America from Italy.

“As an Itaian, it’s a source of some pride,” said Mazzoli. “And it gives a Roman flavor to the papacy that they haven’t had in some time.”

He said he also welcomed the news that Pope Francis led a simple life in Argentina.

“He has shown humility in his own personal life, taking the bus and cooking meals. He does this in the midst of the ostentation that cardinals have,” he said. “For a Jesuit to pick a Franciscan name — Francis who was dedicated to the poor — I think that’s a wonderful start.”

By Marnie McAllister, Record Assistant Editor

As the College of Cardinals met in conclave to elect the next Roman Catholic Pontiff, eighth-graders at St. Edward School learned about the historic papal election process and held their own mock conclave.

By Wednesday afternoon, their fourth day of voting, the students had not yet reached a two-thirds majority. But the frontrunner was Brazilian Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer of Sao Paulo.

“We’re really going through it pretty much to the letter,” said Charlie Shircliff, a veteran teacher of religion and history whose classroom is decorated with posters of past popes and dozens of statuettes of saints. “I started teaching a unit on papal elections seven or eight years ago when Pope (Emeritus) Benedict was elected. I did some research and I really got into it. I think it’s really intriguing. This is an electoral process that’s been in place for centuries.”

Shircliff’s unit on papal conclaves began about two weeks ago when he narrowed the field of likely candidates to 14. Then his students learned about each of the candidates and studied issues facing the church today. This part of the process is similar to the cardinal electors General Congregation meetings which were conducted prior to the conclave.

The classroom conclave, designed to be as akin to the real one as possible, began on March 8. Voting by one religion class was held in the morning and the school’s other religion class cast ballots in the afternoon.
Spencer Karpinsky opened the morning conclave as its camerlengo or chamberlain and wore the “choir dress” of a cardinal — including the scarlet cassock, mozzetta (scarlet caplet) and a pectoral cross. In the afternoon religion class, Garrett Bunch played the role of camerlengo and led the second round of voting.

Students cast their ballots from an antique wooden kneeler placed in the middle of the classroom. A silver chalice with a paten on top sat on a table in front of the kneeler to receive their votes.

As the students knelt and laid their ballots — made to look like the real conclave ballots — on the paten, they prayed, “I call as my witness Christ the Lord who will be my judge that my vote is given to the one whom before God I think should be elected.”

After the prayer, they tipped the paten containing their ballot into the chalice and then replaced the paten.

After the votes were cast, class “scrutineers” counted the ballots and called out the names written on each ballot. As they did this, one scrutineer passed a needle through each ballot and threaded them together. The class also has revisors who double-checked the ballots and the camerlengo also kept track of the voting.

The whole process took about 25 minutes. The morning class last week cast the most votes — 9 of 26 — for Ghanian Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

The total votes from both classes will be combined to determine if one candidate receives a two-thirds majority. Shircliff said he allows voting to continue for up to five days.

After they cast their ballots, students in the morning class discussed their selections. A majority of the students said they based their choice on what they learned about the candidates, though three students said they voted for the candidate they expect to be chosen in the real conclave.

Jackson Williamson said he selected Cardinal Turkson because, “I think he’d be better for the job and I think the Catholic Church needs to look at the Third World.”

Matthew Coontz said he selected Cardinal Turkson, “because he knows nine languages.”

Garret Bunch, who is in the afternoon class and served as its camerlengo, said he voted for Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture.

“I thought that his strengths outweighed his weaknesses,” Garret said. “He could help guide the church through and after all these scandals. He wasn’t involved in the scandals over the past few years. And he was very pointed about the sex abuse scandal, too.”

Spencer, the camerlengo for the morning class, said he voted for Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State.

“I think he’d be a good leader. He’s already the Secretary of Vatican City, so I think he’d already know what was going on around Vatican City.”

Both boys said theyd learned a great deal about the papacy during their studies.

“It was fun learning everything about the Vatican — they have a bowling alley — and about what the popes like to do,” said Spencer.

Garrett added, “We have had two skiing popes.”

In a letter delivered to the governor’s office by the Catholic Conference of Kentucky, the bishops said the right to the free exercise of religion has suffered “steady erosion” during the last quarter of a century.

They pointed specifically to a U.S. Supreme Court case from 1990 — Employment Division vs. Smith — that they said led to the nearly-unanimous passage of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.

According to their letter, the primary Senate sponsor of the measure, Sen. Ted Kennedy, said at the time that the law sought to restore “the long-established standard of review that had worked well for many years.”
House Bill 279, the bishops argued, will restore that long-established standard of “strict scrutiny” to Kentucky, the highest standard used by the courts to weigh a constitutional right against the government’s interest.

The letter was signed by Archbishop of Louisville Joseph E. Kurtz, Bishop of Owensboro William F. Medley, Bishop of Lexington Ronald W. Gainer and Bishop of Covington Roger J. Foys.

House Bill 279 specifically states that the government may not “burden” someone’s religious freedom — and it is intended to protect a person’s right to act or not act on the grounds of religious freedom — unless the government proves “by clear and convincing evidence” a compelling interest to establish such a burden.

Father Patrick Delahanty, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky, said during an interview early this week that two tests are essential to religious liberty cases.

“If the government infringes on someone’s right to practice (their religion), it has to be compelling,” he said. Secondly, the government should use “the least restrictive means” when it places a burden on someone’s religious practice.

He cited a case heard last year by the Kentucky Supreme Court that involved the Amish and the safety of horse-drawn buggies on dark roads. Members of an Amish sect in Western Kentucky refused to affix a required bright orange reflective safety triangle to their buggies.

“The government had a compelling interest to protect other people on the highway,” Father Delahanty said. But the government’s solution, he said, was to require brightly colored triangles, “which were offensive to the Amish.”

“They asked if they could use something different, like reflective tape. The government said no,” he said.

Such rights, Father Delahanty said, would be protected under House Bill 279.

Opponents of the legislation, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), say the measure may threaten other civil rights protections, such as local ordinances that protect homosexuals from discrimination.

Father Delahanty said those concerns are unfounded and that no such cases have resulted from similar laws in other states. He also noted that the ACLU supported the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.

“Long experience with the strict scrutiny standard has shown that the courts understand the compelling public interest in eliminating unjust discrimination,” a press release from the CCK said. “The breakdown in the coalition of support for this very simple legislation over the past 20 years illustrates the erosion of respect for religious liberty as a serious, fundamental right proper to all.”

Dr. Philip Brisson, left, director of music for the Cathedral of the Assumption, and Dr. William P. Bradford II, a faculty member at Trinity High School, will present the Dupré/Claudel Stations of the Cross, a highly dramatized version of the ‘Stations’ March 19. (Record Photo by Jessica Able)

Dr. Philip Brisson, director of music for the Cathedral of the Assumption, accompanied by Dr. William P. Bradford II, will present the Dupré/Claudel Stations of the Cross March 19 at the Cathedral, 433 S. Fifth Street.

This interpretation of a traditional Lenten service sets the 14 stations to organ music intermixed with liturgical poetry.

The Dupré/Claudel version dates back to the early 1930s, Dr. Brisson said. Marcel Dupré, a prominent organist in Paris, was asked by his professor at the Paris Conservatory of Music to read the poetic meditations on the Stations of the Cross written by Paul Claudel. Dupré would follow each station with an improvised musical piece, Brisson explained.

“Improvisation back then is not the way we think of it today,” he noted. “He (Dupré) diligently researched previous composers. He came up with different melodic ideas and based his improvisations on that.”

The highly complex piece is broken into 14 sections coordinating with the 14 Stations of the Cross. First, a meditation on the station is read. Following the poetry, a musical piece is played describing each reading.

“The music is extremely descriptive. Even if the poetry were not read, you would know what’s going on. It’s very powerful,” Brisson said.

The music alone is 60 minutes, Brisson noted. Combine that with the poetry and moments of silence, the program lasts about an hour and a half.

Brisson first encountered the Dupré/Claudel Stations of the Cross when he was a graduate student at Westminster Choir College in 1996.

“I had never heard the piece before. I remember walking away thinking it was so powerful. I tucked it away. I knew I wanted to revisit it,” he said.

The idea to perform the piece at the Cathedral first germinated last spring when Brisson put together the schedule for the Cathedral’s upcoming concert series.

Brisson noted that many people in Louisville may be unfamiliar with this rendition of the Stations because it’s been a number of years since it was last performed.

“No one can remember when it was done last. Perhaps back when the seminaries were more involved in music programs. But, it’s definitely not been in the 12 years I’ve been here,” he said.

But Brisson hopes to change that. He plans to make the Dupré/Claudel Stations of the Cross part of the yearly concert series at the cathedral.

Preparations for the intense performance began last summer.

“It’s something that I always wanted to learn. This is a hard, hard piece,” he said.

Brisson described the task as a “monumental undertaking.”

Many nights he returns to the Cathedral after putting his daughter to bed and practices until the wee hours of the morning.

Bradford, a long-time faculty member of Trinity High School and retired instructor of the Youth Performing Arts School, said he’s been preparing for a number of months.

“I look at little pieces of it (the poetry) at a time,” he said.

Bradford noted that the original text was in French so some of the translations have been awkward but the duo will “make it work.”

Brisson said he hopes this performance will help people spiritually prepare for Easter.

“All of us are preparing during Lent. This is a perfect way to do so,” he said.

The Dupré/Claudel Stations of the Cross will begin at 7:30 p.m. March 19. A light meal of soup and bread will be served before the service in the Cathedral’s undercroft at 6:30 p.m.

Pope Francis I appears for the first time on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican March 13. (CNS photo by Paul Haring)

Brothers and sisters, good evening. You know that the task of the conclave was to give Rome a bishop. It seems my brother cardinals went almost to the ends of the earth to find one.

I thank you for your welcome.

The diocesan community of Rome has its bishop. Thank you.

First of all, I would like to offer a prayer for our bishop emeritus, Benedict XVI. Let us all pray together for him that the Lord bless him and that the Mother of God protect him. “Our Father who art in heaven. … Hail Mary, full of grace. … Glory be to the Father … .”

Now let’s begin this journey, bishop and people, this journey of the church of Rome, which is the one that presides in charity over all the churches — a journey of brotherhood, love and trust among us. Let us pray for one another. Let us pray for the whole world that there be a great brotherhood. I hope this journey of the church that we begin today — and I will be helped by my cardinal vicar, here present — will be fruitful for the evangelization of this so beautiful city.

Now I would like to give my blessing. But first, I will ask a favor. Before the bishop blesses his people, he asks that you pray to the Lord to bless me, the prayer of the people for the blessing of their bishop. Let’s pray for me in silence.”

(He gave his blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world)).

Brothers and sisters, I’ll leave you. Thank you so much for the welcome. Pray for me. We’ll see each other soon. Tomorrow I want to go to pray to Mary so she would watch over all of Rome. Good night. Have a good rest.

Pope Francis I appears for the first time on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican March 13. (CNS photo by Paul Haring)

Bells tolled and people rejoiced around the Archdiocese of Louisville as Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was announced as Pope Francis I on the afternoon of March 13.

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz said during a phone interview minutes after the announcement that he greeted the news with great joy.

“It’s a wonderful day, what a great gift,” he said. “I’ve never met Pope Francis, however, I know of him and everything I have heard was wonderful. He’s a man of deep heart and spirituality.

“I was taken that he began his ministry in prayer,” the archbishop noted. In the first moments of his papacy, Archbishop Kurtz said, Pope Francis prayed the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be from the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Archbishop Kurtz will lead the Archdiocese of Louisville in a Mass of Thanksgiving for the new pope tomorrow at noon at the Cathedral of the Assumption, 433 S. Fifth St.

In a statement released by the chancery, the archbishop reminded the faithful of the source of the first papacy — that of St. Peter, a fisherman named Simon, who was called by Jesus to apostolic life.

Pope Francis evokes similar simplicity, he said. In Buenos Aires, according to the Catholic News Service, he is known as Father Jorge. He rides the bus, lives in a simple apartment and cooks his own meals. His life will change drastically as leader of the world’s Catholics.

Father William Hammer, pastor of the Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral in Bardstown, Ky., and of St. Michael Church in Fairfield, Ky., shared the excitement of the moment following the selection of Pope Francis I.

“It’s my understanding that he came in second in the balloting when Pope Benedict was chosen,” he said in a telephone interview, “so I think everyone knew he’d be someone who would be considered a good candidate.”

As the first pope in 1,000 years to come from a place other than Europe, Pope Francis I’s selection, Father Hammer said, “is a sign that the Church recognizes the wisdom and gifts of the Latin American Church.”

“I see this as an affirmation of the Church in South America,” he said. “Clearly, I think just as Pope Benedict’s selection of his name was indicative of the importance of witnessing and reaching beyond the church, I believe the choice of Franics shows that he will make a priority to do the same.

“If you examine Francis (of Assisi’s) life, you realize that he was a great apostle,” Father Hammer noted. “He was someone who had contact with the Muslim world, but most notibly you see his care and concern for the poor. And of course we know about his concern and care for nature, the world, all of creation.”

Though it’s too early to know for certain the direction that Pope Francis I’s pontificate will take, Father Hammer said that as the first to choose the name of Francis, the new pope “if he models his papacy after Francis, will be someone committed to taking the Gospel to all parts of the world, and he’ll be someone greatly concerned with the needs of the poor.”

Father Mark Spalding, pastor of Holy Trinity Church and vicar General for the Archdiocese of Louisville, agreed with Father Hammer.

“I don’t know that much about (the new pope),” he said, “but it is remarkable news.”

The key thing about Pope Francis I, Father Spalding said, “is that he is known to be a man devoted to the poor, and someone who is in service to them.”

The election of the cardinal from Buenos Aires surprised Father Matthew Hardesty and Father Christopher Rhodes, both young priests ordained in recent years.

Father Hardestry, associate pastor of St. James Church in Elizabthtown, Ky., St. Ambrose Church in Cecilia, Ky., and St. Ignatius Church in White Mills, Ky., said he was “very excited and also surprised. It was unexpected for me.”

Father Hardesty rang the bells of St. James Church continuously for about an hour after white smoke stremed from the Sistine Chapel. He said the Jesuit tradition Pope Francis will bring to the papacy will be a boon for Jesuits and  Catholics the world over.

“There’s such a rich intellectual and spiritual charism with the Jesuits,” he noted. “This may be an election more in line with (Pope Emeritus) Benedict’s election than we might think. Pope Benedict was very concerned about the intellectual and spiritual deficits in the modern world.”

Father Rhodes, associate pastor of St. Augustine Church in Lebanon, Ky., and Holy Name of Mary Church in Calvary, Ky., said his initial reaction was shock.

“I was quite surprised, very surprised,” he said.

Father Rhodes, who converted to Catholicism before entering the seminary in 2006, has seen many changes in the papacy in his short time as a seminarian and now a priest.

“For the longest time, as far as I can remember even when I was not Catholic, the world had its eyes on John Paul II. … His ability to cross cultural barriers with his charisma, personality and spirit,” he said.

Father Rhodes, who watched the announcement in the rectory of St. Augustine, thought it was compelling that the new pontiff chose the name Pope Francis I.

“St. Francis was a person of simplicity, of poverty and contemplation. I expect with the election of Pope Francis there to be a continuation of faith, holiness and prayer,” he said.