Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 7 — The Southern Cross, December 18, 1969
round The Diocese
Advent At St. Benedict's
On Wednesday evenings of Advent devotions in preparation
for Christmas have been held at* St. Benedict’s Church,
Savannah. On Wednesday, December 17, Advent devotions
closed with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Gerard L. Frey. On this
occasion he blessed a picture of Our Mother of Perpetual Help,
placed in the church at the beginning of Advent. Immediately
after the Mass, there was a parish Christmas get together in St.
Benedict’s hall, Refreshments were served.
Dublin Catholic Women
Highlighting the December meeting of the Immaculate
Conception Parish Council of Catholic Women, Dublin, was the
program presented by the International Affairs Commission. Dr.
Bernardo Fernandez showed slides of Cuba before the Castro
regime and Mrs. Virginia Lafuente, Spanish teacher in the
Laurens County school system, spoke on the beginnings of
Communism in Cuba. During the business meeting final plans
for Christmas activities were completed including a party for the
patients at Groveland Convalescent Home, special programs and
parties for the children of the parish and a holiday party for the
adults. The gifts that the children bring to their respective
parties will be collected and sent to St. Mary’s Home in
Savannah. The members of the council have started sewing
laprobes for patients of the nursing home unit at the VA Center.
Mrs. Joseph Kowtko, chairman of the Community Affairs
Commission is responsible for the project. Following the
business meeting, Mrs. J.B. Johnson, Mrs. John Ardison, and
Mrs. George Jepeway were hostesses for the social hour.
Pius X Debate Champs
The Saint Pius X Debating Team won its second consecutive
region 3-C championship on December 11. The meet was held at
Georgia Southern College, Statesboro, Georgia. The Pius
debating team is coached by Sister Mary Thaddeus, OSF, and is
composed of Kenneth Jackson, a senior, and Rosemary
Williams, Melinda Nelson, and Prince Jackson, III, all
sophomores. The team will begin state competition against the
winner of the 5—C region after the Christmas holidays.
SECOND GRADERS at St. Anne School, Columbus, made their
First Holy Communion on Sunday, December 7. They are
pictured above in the newly renovated church sanctuary, along
with (left to right) their teacher, Mrs. Kathleen Fabbri;
Principal, Sister Mary Helen, R.S.M.; Pastor, Rt. Rev. Marvin
LeFrois; Associate Pastor, Rev. Frank Higgins; and teacher,
Sister Mary Amalia, R.S.M.
NOTE OF CAUTION ON EARLY PUBLICATION
Praise For Vatican
DEC. 8 RITES
Little Sisters
Renew Vows
BY NATHALIE TEGERSON
The Feast of the
Immaculate Conception was
observed by the Little Sisters
of the Poor with a Mass
concelebrated by Bishop
Gerard L. Frey and Most Rev.
Henry A. Pinger, O. F. M.
Bishop Pinger delivered the
homily.
This was a most impressive
ceremony in that on this day
each year the sisters renew
their vows. Just before the
offertory of the Mass each
nun, carrying a lighted
candle, approached the altar
rail where Bishop Frey was
seated, knelt and repeated her
vows. The sisters snag hymns
during the Mass.
The solemnity of the
occasion was marked by the
simplicity and kindness of the
sisters to their elderly guests.
Even though this was their
day for celebration, they
assisted and attended those
who needed them. One of the
gentlemen served as acolyte
and two ladies received the
candles from the sisters as
they returned from the altar.
The elderly ladies and
gentleman responded loud
and clear to the prayers at
Mass and those who are
Catholic received Holy
communion.
The altar was lovely with
vases of white gladioli and
blue carnations. Standards of
flowers and candlarbra with
lighted tapers were on either
side of the altar added to the
beautiful setting.
After Mass the Blessed
Sacrament was expressed for
adoration thoughtout the day
and benediction in the
afternoon brought to a close
which to the nuns was a very
happy and beautiful feast.
In talking with Mother
Mary Claire after the
ceremony, I remarked how
beautifully kept the home is
and how very patient and
kind the sisters are with the
ones in their care. In answer,
Mother said she believed
when one enters the order of
the Little Sisters and has true
vocation, on pronouncing her
vows, God gives the grace and
strength to fulfill their
mission in life. They are truly
dedicated.
Christmas Concert
The Christmas concert of the St. Vincent’s Chorale and Les
Chanteurs will be held on Sunday, December 21st at 8:15 P.M.
in St. Vincent’s Hall. The public is cordially invited.
Exceptional Children
The Exceptional Children’s Sunday School of the Savannah
Deanery will hold its Christmas program on Sunday, December
21, beginning at 3:30 P.M. in Sacred Heart gym. A special Mass
for retarded children will be celebrated by Father Michael
Smith, Spiritual Director, during which the children will sing
carols under the direction of Sister Agnes, O.S.F. Following the
Mass a Christmas party will be given by St. Benedict’s CYO and
a short play presented by the sixth grade of St. Mary’s School.
Arrangements for the program were made by Sister Kathleen,
O.S.F., Principal, with the assistance of the staff. Families of the
children and pastors of the various area Catholic Churches have
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Document On Jews
WASHINGTON (NC)-
U.S. Jewish leaders praised
enthusiastically a document
on Jewish-Christian relations
made public (Dec. 9) by
Lawrence Cardinal Shehan of
Baltimore, but the director of
the Holy See’s Office for
Catholic-Jewish Relations
deplored its premature
publication.
The document, a working
paper on how Catholics might
improve ^atholio-Jew^sh-
relations, urged Christians to
understand the “religious
significance” to Jews of the
state of Israel, to exclude all
intent of proselytizing and
conversion in dialogue with
Jews, to avoid reducing the
Old Testament to allergorical
significance and to
incorporate in Catholic
School’s curricula the better
understanding of Judaism
that has been gained in recent
years.
Rabbi Jacob P. Rudin,
president of the Synagogue
Council of America, .called
the document “most helpful
in its language and spirit.”
The document was hailed
as “courageous” in a
statement made by Dr.
Joachim Prinz, chairman of
the governing council of the
World Jewish Congress.
Dr. Joseph L. Lichten,
director of the department of
inter-cultural affairs of the
Anti-Defamation League,
B’nai B’rith, called it
“probably the most
important document on
Catholic-Jewish rrelations
since the Vatican II statement
in 1965.”
Dr. Louis Finkelstine,
chancellor of the Jewish
'Theological Seminary of
America, said: “I think the
statement is a very beautiful
reaffirmation of the point of
view that has become
increasingly evident in the
Roman Catholic Church since
the time of Pope John.”
“The rejection of
anti-Semitism and the call for
greater knowledge of each
other on the part of Catholics
and Jews is an immeasurable
contribution to reconciliation
at a time of fragmentation and
polarization here and
abroad,” said Rabbi Marc H.
Tanenbaum, director of the
department of interreligious
affairs of the American
Jewish Committee.
Praise for the document
also came from Rabbi Balfour
Brickner, director of the
commission on intP»‘ , ‘ j,,o ious
affaris of the union of
American Hebrew
Congregations.
A note of caution,
however, was sounded by
Father Cornells Rijk, diroi c
of the Holy See’s Office for
Catholic-Jewish Relations.
Father Rijk told NC News
Service that he is “very
unhappy about the
publication of this document
in the (New York) Times,”
which carried a story on the
document and excerpts from
it in its Dec. 11 edition. The
priest expressed fear that the
draft’s publication will
“create misunderstanding.”
Father Rijk said the ^
Times’ article was erroneous
on several counts, such as
asserting that the document
had been approved by the
Vatican Secretariat for
Promoting Christian Unity,
and that no further action is
required on the document
before it is sent to national
conferences of bishops.
“The text has not been
approved, despite what the
newspaper says. This report
can create misunderstand
ing.”
Father Rijk described the
document in question as “a
simple draft of suggestions
for the implementation of the
Second Vatican Council’s
declaration on the Jews.” The
conciliar declaration, he
emphasized, “is the basic
document.”
He said he hopes that the
unity secretariat will issue
suggestions for the
implementation of the
conciliar declaration on the
Jews “in the not too distant
future.” He said such a
document could hardly await
the next plenary meeting of
the secretariat since that is a
year away.
The draft of “reflections
and suggestions” had been
put together by experts and
was one of the itmes
discussed at this year’s
plenary session of the unity
secretariat Nov. 18-28, he
said. He added that it had
also come under study at a
preparatory meeting of the
secretariat’s experts earlier in
November
Father Rijk was on the
commission that prepared the
working paper. The
commission also included
Father Edward Flannery,
executive secretary of the
U.S. Bishops’ Secretariat for
Catholic-Jewish Relations,
and Abbot Leo Rudloff,
O.S.B., of Jerusalem
con suitors of the unity
secretariat.
Father Rijk declined to
comment on individual
passages of the draft “since
this is not a final document.”
Sister Donna Purdy of the
Sisters of Sion, an assistant to
Father Flannery at the
Secretariat for Catholic-
-Jewish Relations, said Father
Flannery' agreed that the
working paper was not an
approved document. She
reported, however, that
Father Flannery had said the
final document will be
substantially the same with a
few minor changes.
Cardinal Shehan, who is
one of the members of the
Secretariat for Promoting
Christian Unity, made the
document public at the
concluding session of a
three-day meeting on “The
Image of the Jew in
Contemporary Culture,”
which was held at Loyola
College in Baltimore. The
meeting was sponsored by the
Anti-Defamation League of
B’nai B’rith, the Baltimore
arch diocesan commission on
Christian unity, Loyola
College, Mt. St. Agnes
College, and the College of
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One of the principal points
of the document was a
reference to the state of
Israel. It said:
“In the wake of long
generations of painful exile,
all too often aggravated by
persecutions and moral
pressures, for which
Christians ask pardon of their
Jewish brothers, Jews have
indicated in a thousand ways
their attachment to the land
promised to their ancestors
from the days of Abraham’s
calling. It could seem that
Christians, whatever the
difficulties they may
experience, must attempt to
understand and respect the
religious significance of this
link between the people and
the land.
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THE HOLY FATHER*
CHRISTMAS:
SYMPATHY
AIMD
LOVE
S MISSION AID TO THE ORIENTAL CHURCH
POPE
PAUL
ASKS
CARDINAL
COOKE
TO
SPEAK
FOR
WAR
VICTIMS
IN
THE
HOLY
LAND
The following is the text of a letter received by
Cardinal Cooke from Jean Cardinal Villot, Secre
tary of State to His Holiness:
Your Eminence,
Especially at the holy season of Christmas, the
heart of the Holy Father goes out in sympathy
and love to the families who are suffering as a
result of wars in the Holy Land. The refugees
among them already number more than a mil
lion, and this figure increases every day. For the
most part they are forced to live miserably in
tents, caves, hovels, in overcrowded camps and
cities.
His Holiness asks Your Eminence, as President
of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association,
to be the voice of these voiceless ones, urging
all men of good will, and their families, joyfully
to share their abundance with the poor, inspired
by the spiritual motives which Christmas evokes.
As a token of love for the Infant Jesus on His
Birthday, children should share with children,
parents with parents, and priests, with priests,
in holy emulation to relieve suffering and pain
and to provide shelter and security.
Encouraging with paternal benevolence all the
efforts made on behalf of refugees and the poor,
the Sovereign Pontiff lovingly bestows upon
Your Eminence, upon Monsignor John G. Nolan
and his associates in the Pontifical Mission for
Palestine, their devoted collaborators in the
Catholic Near East Welfare Association, and all
generous men of good will who contribute to
these praiseworthy works, His special paternal
Apostolic Blessing.
With the renewed assurance of my high esteem
and consideration, I remain
Yours devotedly in Christ,
Jean Cardinal Villot
© AX
Dear enclosed please find $__
Monsignor Nolan:
for
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offering
CITY STATE ZIP CODE
NEAR EAST WELFARE ASSOCIATION
NEAR EAST
MISSIONS
TERENCE CARDINAL COOKE, President
MSGR. JOHN G. NOUN, National Secretary
Write: Catholic Near East Welfare Assoc.
330 Madison Avenue*New York, N Y. 10017
Telephone: 212/YUkon 6-5840
1