Editor's Note
Love Stories
On a very hot day in June, I sat on a deck in Fayetteville, at a house just outside of Fort Bragg, with eight soldiers’ wives. At times we all talked at once, and loudly, trying to transcend the happy racket of what seemed like a couple of dozen small children in the yard. (Actually it was only 16.) We didn’t talk about war, although it was a presence among us, and surely an unsettling fact of life for the women. Instead they shared lots of laughter, a quiet pride in togetherness, and there was something more. I thought of what the Romans are supposed to have said about the early Christians: “See how they love one another!” In 1 Corinthians 13 we read that love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things,” and these members of the Military Council of Catholic Women (MCCW) were clearly there for each other, had been there and would be there, in just this way. Not surprisingly, a fruit of the love in this group was service to others: Out of love comes love.
The love we call charity is the theme of this issue of NC Catholics. You can read about the women of MCCW on page 12, and in Bishop Burbidge’s column this month you’ll have the opportunity to better understand Pope Benedict’s encyclical on the Source of all love and his apostolic exhortation on the Eucharist, the font of God’s love. On pages 4 and 5, you’ll see pictures from the Ordination of two men who have loved the Lord enough to give their lives in service to Him, and to us, as priests.
This month also marks a proud day for the Diocese, and particularly for the people of St. Anne’s Parish in Edenton: On July 29, their church will have served Catholics in the area for 150 years. It’s the oldest Catholic church in continuous service in the state of North Carolina. Congratulations, St. Anne! (You can learn more about the parish on page 30.)
The next issue of NC Catholics will reach you in September, and will spotlight Catholic teenagers. Thanks as always for all your ideas and comments! I hope you’ll keep writing me at 715 Nazareth Street, Raleigh, NC 27606 or reece@raldioc.org.