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FAMILY CLINIC
By JOHN J KANE, Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
University of Notre Dame
#
I’ve tried to be patient about
the new liturgy but I’ve reached
e end of my rope. I’m a 65
iar old man who has always
been a devout Catholic. Today I
am too distracted to pray with
commentators telling me what
to do, the priest facing the people,
part of the mass in English and
more to come, I feel as though
the Church in which I was rear
ed is gone forever.
* * * *
Your letter is not the only one
of this type I have been receiving.
I use it because you limited your
self to the change of liturgy
whereas for most, this is just
the point of departure concluding
with complaints about sermons,
collections or courses in the
parochial school.
Some people are chronic grip
ers, reminiscent of the army
where it was felt something was
seriously wrong if soldiers didn’t
gripe. No one is surprised that
changes in the liturgy have resul
ted in complaints.
Obviously, we all have to be a
bit patient as such matters are
ironed out. It will not be done
overnight, and in fact, itisamaz-
gog that the changes have been
Hected with so little distur
bance.
One of the problems in get
ting old is that most of us tend
to reject change. Incidentally, one
of the problems in youth is that
we embrace change, sometimes
too quickly. One must admit that
emotion cannot be divorced en
tirely from religion. I do not
mean our faith is based on emo
tion but rather that a certain
sentiment becomes attached to
religious service.
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But change comes hard and no
question that you do FEEL the
Church is not the same. But
you probably do understand logic
ally why the changes were made
and the hoped for results. If you
don’t then make an honest effort
to do so.
As a Catholic you viewed the
Mass through the eyes of faith.
As a child and young man you
perhaps never wondered why the
priest did not face the people,
and frankly, many of the laity
would have believed to pose such
a question would have been nearly
heretical.
But if you are going to par
ticipate actively in the Mass, is
it not more sensible for the priest
to face the people? Remember, he
frequently turned toward the
people even in the past. One ac
tually sees the sacrifice now when
the priest faces you.
Furthermore, how many of the
laity understood Latin? I include
those who had a year or more
of it in high school. The Latin of
Caesar, Cicero and Virgil is not
the Latin of the church. It is
classical Latin, much more diffi
cult, it is true, but Church Latin
was of a later period and quite
different.
Does it not make more sense
for the mass to be said in the
language of the people? Good
translations can make the words
of the priest both intelligible and
more moving. You know what
he is saying and you can say
your prayers in the same lang
uage as he does.
You mention you are too dis
tracted to pray at all. But you
ought to realize that when you
are reciting the Mass prayers
with the priest devoutly, you
are praying—praying with the
worshipping community. In fact,
distraction should be less than
in the past because your atten
tion can be kept on the Mass.
Age doesn’t mean complete
inability to adjust to change.
It usually means it is more
difficult. With patience and time,
you will become accustomed to
the new liturgy and in a few
years, it will seem as though
it was always so.
* * * *
Dr. Kane will be unable to
answer personally. However, he
welcomes your suggestions of
topics that would particularly in
terest you. Address Dr. Kane
in care of this newspaper.
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DAY OR NIGHT
‘The Reign In Spain 9
Still Mainly Franco’s
MADRID—A winter of discon
tent on the part of Spain’s uni
versity students has brought forth
not a glorious summer but a new
government decree regulating
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student organizations in such a
way as to dash hopes for true
freedom.
The decree, issued in the wake
of widespread student protest
demonstrations, continues the
former requirement that students
belong to the Falangist univer
sity organization. This body,
divided into groups according to
branches of study, has a system
of “scaled elections” beginning
with representatives of a class or
course. But the presiding officer
will continue to be a “chief” or
‘'commissioner” appointed by
the government. This means in
effect that the top offices will
continue in the hands of politi
cal officials.
IT DOESN’T HURT WHEN
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Significantly, the chief Spanish
daily paper, Ya, which had ad
vocated true freedom of organi
zation for the students, withheld
editorial comment on the decree.
This was interpreted in some
circles as meaning that because
of government censorship Ya
could not say what it wanted.
Paradoxically, the decree es
tablishes that “the university
activity...is not compatible with
the existence and actuation of any
partisan political organization
within itself.” It would appear
that the Falangist organ does not
consider the Falange itself as
political.
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After the decree appeared,
some students tried to stage a
demonstration in Madrid, but
were curbed by the police, who
made some arrests. Previously
it was announced that an alleged
communist agitator had been ar
rested who was accused of having
propaganda calling for the pro
test.
SURVIVAL
Vocations Are
Necessary For
African
Nearly one century ago, in
1869, Charles Cardinal La-
vigerie, founder of the White
Fathers, declared that Africa
would eventually be converted
by the Africans.
That belief has never died.
Only a few years ago Archbi
shop Jospeh Maulua of Leopold
ville stated that Christianity must
penetrate to the depths of the
African soul. He continued:
“It is for the indigenous
hierarchy to accomplish this,
for only the clergy native to
the country who know the soul
of the people better than any
one else and who share that
soul with them are able to see
Christianity through the eyes of
the Bantu (tribesman) and bring
about this perfect assimilation.”
These two statements show that
the need for a native clergy was
always particularly evident in
Africa. But native vocations in
Africa are still very inadequate,
and there is nothing to indicate
they will soon make a leap for
ward.
In Africa today, conversions
to Catholicism are increasing
proportionately faster than na
tive vocations. Last year there
were 2,551 native priests in the
continent, or one African priest
for every 10,192 Catholics.
This compares with one priest
for every 1,078 Catholics inGer-
many, one for every 887inSpain,
one for every 702 Catholics in
the United States, and one for
every 516 Catholics in Canada.
There are presently 1,707 Af
rican students in major semi
naries. This number is consid
ered a hopeful sign, although
vocations slipped temporarily in
some nations going through the
trials of new independence.
Statistics on African Brothers
and nuns are difficult to find,
although orders of Sisters par
ticularly have been growing rap
idly. In 1963 there were 2,199
professed nuns in the 17 congre
gations founded by the White
Fathers. There are doubtless
many other nuns in other con
gregations.
Since there are more native
nuns than priests, the nuns are
been particularly effective in the
conversion of African women.
Archbishop Bernardin Gantin of
Cotonou, Dahomey, said at the
second session of the ecumeni
cal council that “if there were
no African nuns the solid and
final establishment of the Church
Church
if our country by missionaries
would have been neither real nor
complete.”
The growth of the orders of
nuns has taken place despite the
fact that perpetual celibacy con
tradicts the traditional African
ideal of womanhood. For most
Africans, being a woman means
being a mother. It is not the
companionship of her husband as
much as the companionship of
her children that brings her ful
fillment of her being. Parents of
young girls often object to their
children leading a celibate life.
The number of African Bro
thers on the continent is also hard
to estimate, although in 1963
there were 421 professed African
Brothers in the dioceses of the
nine countries where the White
Fathers work.
As in the case of women, Af
rican men have very strong ties
to family, both to the family
they were brought up in and
the one they hope to raise. Thus
a celibate religious vocation cuts
across their traditional instincts.
There are other factors which
make religious vocations difficult
for Africans. First, many of their
relatives are often pagans who
do not understand the young per
son’s wishes. The young man or
woman has to fight against this
lack of understanding. Often they
must break strong ties that bind
them to family and tribe.
Then the expanding horizons
of modern-day Africa offer young
people many opportunities and
attractions which would have been
impossible a few years previous
ly. Suddenly the professions and
social services are open to him,
where before they may have been
shut.
Most African Religious are
teachers, but many nuns are
trained as nurses. The contem
plative life is represented by
Carmelite nuns, by Trappist
monks and Trappistine nuns.
The future of native vocations
in Africa depends largely on
whether the Church in years to
come will be free to carry on
its task of evangelization. Inter
nal political struggles not only
make missionary work difficult
but they unsettle the population
and take the young person’s mind
off religion. Finally there is
some uncertainty whether the in
creased material well-being of
Africans will endanger the “un
worldly” detachment necessary
for fostering vocations.
Columbus K.C. Auxiliary
Father Richard Birdsall addressed theKC. Auxiliary at Colum
bus on the “Spirit of Holy Week”. Mrs. F. B. Miller, president, ap
pointed the following nominating committee to report at the May
meeting: Mrs. Woodrow Warner, Mrs. C.G. Hurst and Mrs. Robert
C unniff.
St. William’s Altar Society
St. William’s Altar & Rosary Society held its April meeting
Wednesday at the home of Mrs. John Chalfe. The group will hold
its Rummage Sale at the Airport Playhouse on Friday April 23rd
from 9 A.M. until 5 P.M.
Troop 135 Ranks First
The “Hobbies and Collections” exhibit of Boy Scout Troop 135,
Our Lady of Lourdes, won a first place blue ribbon at the annual
Chattahoochee Council Scout -O-Rama held April 10 in the Munici
pal Auditorium in Columbus, Georgia. Of the one-hundred Boy
Scout Troops and Cub Scout Packs drawn from fourteen counties,
only twelve units were awarded blue ribbons. This made it a great
accomplishment for the boys of Troop 135. Not to be outdone, Cub
Pack 135, also sponsored by Our Lady of Lourdes, won a second
place red ribbon for their exhibit on “Physical Fitness”.
Dublin P.C.C.W.
New officers were elected at the April meeting of the Parish
Council at Immaculate Conception Church, Dublin. Elected were;
Mrs. Alice Craig, president; Mrs. Mildred Behm, vice-president;
Miss Marion Hamption, secretary and Miss Malone West, treasurer.
Father Raphael Toner thanked the ladies for their assistance in
making the St. Patrick’s Day Supper a success.
Chaplain Speaks
Father Arnold Reuter, Catholic Chaplain at Hunter Air Base, was
the speaker at the meeting of Blessed Sacrament Parish Council..
Father spoke on the seven churches of Asia Minor and showed color
films. Misses Katie and Bridget Fogarty and Mrs. Mary Dean were
hostesses for the evening. A covered dish supper will highlight the
May meeting.
The Southern Cross, April 22, 1965—PAGE 5
SPRINGTIME — Sister Mary Ann of Trinity College, Washington, D. C., shows
how to hit a baseball at a picnic given by students of Trinity and Georgetown Uni
versity for underprivileged children from, Christ Child Settlement House.
(NC Photos)
CATHOLIC EXPERT SAYS
‘Unbelievable Sloppiness 9
Mars Birth Control Debate
DENVER, Colo. (NC) — A
Catholic philosopher charged
here that the current controver
sy within the Church on the mora
lity of contraception is being
carried on with “almost unbe
lievable sloppiness.”
The complaint was made by
Germain G. Grisez, an associate
philosophy professor at George
town University in Washington,
D.C., and author of the recent
book “Contraception and the
Natural Law,” in an address
(April 20) at the annual meet
ing of the Catholic Philosophi
cal Association.
Grisez blamed the “Slop
piness” of the contraception de
bate in part on the “incompetence
of many participants in the con
troversy.”
“Many of those who are taking
part inthecontroversy--however
well intentioned they may be and
whatever abilities and qualifica
tions they may have in other
areas—never did any work in
ethical theory before the present
issue arose,” he said.
10 Year-Old
Debunks Bus
Bill Foes
STEUBENVILLE, OHIO(NC)—
A 10-year-old boy wrote a letter
which debunks a chief argument
advanced by opponents of the
“fair bus bill” for school chil
dren—the contention that includ
ing private schools under the
legislation i s an aid to religion.
Jeffrey Piccolomini of Mingo
Junction, a fourth-grader at St.
Agnes’ Central School, wrote his
letter to “The People of Ohio”
and it was published in the Steu
benville Register, diocesan
newspaper.
“One morning a month I take
an envelope with some money—
$8, I think. I give it to a woman
who collects from all the kids.
Daddy says she takes the money
to the bus company,” the boy
wrote.
“Once I asked Daddy why the
woman has to take the money to
the bus company, why she doesn’t
take it to the school instead.
Daddy explained that the school
didn’t have anything to do with it,
that this is an agreement between
the bus company and our parents
to take us kids to school every
day,” the youngster wrote. “I’m
only 10 but I can see that the
bus company has nothing to do
with the school.”
The boy is one of 100 chil
dren in Annunciation parish, Min
go Junction, who ride a bus chart
ered by their parents to and from
school.
CD or is
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• IS BROAD STRUT
AUGUSTA. GEORGIA
‘ ‘Then from nowhere they came
forth as experts on complex theo
retical problems which demand
years of careful and attentive
work.”
Grisez contended that the issue
is further complicated by the
fact that “not all those who
claim they wish to examine the
morality of contraception really
are interested in doing so.”
“Some who pretend—I do not
question their good intentions—
to engage in rational argument
on the issue really have decided
in advance what they want to
establish as morally right,” he
said, “and they are of the opinion
that success in controversy would
be a demonstration of the cor
rectness of their judgment.
“For them the outcome would
justify the argument, however
shoddy the argument might be
from a logical point of view.”
Grisez argued that contracep
tion is intrinsically immoral be
cause it “presupposes—on the
part of anyone who is clearly
aware of what he j. s doing—a
willingness to act by sexual in
tercourse in a way that might
be conductive to a basic human
good-the initiation of a new hu
man life—together with an un
willingness to permit life to be
gin to be.”
He said most of those who
now maintain that contraception
is moral “simply assume that
it really is not intrinsically
immoral and proceed from that
assumption, just as many who
used to argue about it simply
assumed that it really is in
trinsically immoral and proceed
ed from this assumption.”
“Missing the point and begging
the question might lead us to a
new position, but they are not
likely to lead us to a rationally
defensible one,” he said.
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