Editor's Note
I Once Was Lost
Two years ago, when I was new to Raleigh, I had to cover an event at a church in a residential part of the city. As frequently happened in those days, I got lost looking for the church, and by the time I arrived the parking lot was full. I cruised the neighborhood, also crowded with cars, looking for a spot on the street, parked quickly, then ran several blocks in the spring heat to arrive, out of breath and perspiring, just as the ceremony started.
An hour later, I came back into the bright sunlight and tried to remember where I’d left my car. All the streets in the hilly neighborhood looked the same. I started walking down one of them, without much hope, thinking, “This is going to take a long time.” Then a car slowed alongside. It was our then bishop, Bishop Gossman. “Hi Rich,” he said with a smile, “are you lost?” He told me to get into his car, then drove slowly around the neighborhood until I spotted mine.
We read often, especially in times of tragedy, a tsunami or a Katrina, of “big” generosity, financial and personal. Billions of dollars, thousands of relief workers – and despite all that’s going wrong in the world, efforts like those make one hopeful about human nature. But it’s often the little things that remind us most of the Spirit from which generosity springs. Things like a bishop helping out a newcomer, or, as I experienced recently at a parish on the coast (see p. 12), a group of women knitting baby blankets or a volunteer gently taking information from a needy visitor to a food pantry. Something as simple as a smile that says to someone, “I recognize your need. I want to help.”
This month generosity is the theme of NC Catholics. Since June is also the traditional month for weddings, we’ve asked Msgr. Jerry Sherba, who as a pastor and Judicial Vicar has seen many marriages begin and many, unfortunately, end, to write about the factors that make a marriage strong. Not surprisingly, making time for one another – generosity – is one of those factors.
I’m always pleased by your generosity in offering ideas and feedback regarding the contents of NC Catholics. You can contact me at 715 Nazareth Street, Raleigh, NC 27606 or reece@raldioc.org.