Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 52 No. 41
SERVING 88 SOUTH - GEORGIA COUNTIES
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1 he southern Cross
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEWSPAPER
Thursday, November 25,1971
Single Copy Price — 12 Cents
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LITTLE SISTERS OF THE POOR Home for the Aged, an eighty-year old
Savannah institution will be closed early next year. Chief reason for the closing is
the shortage of Sisters. The home has eight Sister*: and fifty-one elderly residen ts.
More than half will move to other homes operated by Little Sisters. Olliers will
remain in the Savannah area in other homes for the aged. (Photo by Bob Ward)
AT SEMI-ANNUAL MEETING
U. S. Bishops Strike Note Of Caution
By Joseph McLellan
WASHINGTON (NC) -
The Catholic bishops of the
United States elected new
leadership and struck a note
of political, fiscal and
ecclesiastical caution during
their five-day fall meeting
here.
Cardinal John Krol and
Archbishop Leo Byrne, the
newly elected president and
vice-president of the National
Conference of Catholic
Bishops and United States
Catholic Conference, both
left no doubts in their
comments during the meeting
that they are firmly
committed to the principles
of Church reform introduced
by the Second Vatican
Council.
But the prevailing mood of
HEADLINE
HOPSCOTCH
Poland-Vatican Talks
a
VATICAN CITY (NC) — The Vatican announced that it and
the Polish government “recognized the usefulness” of
continuing talks on “problems of mutual interest.” The
announcement Nov. 20 followed the return here of the
Vatican’s specialist in Eastern European Affairs, Archbishop
Agostino Casaroli, who had spent 10 days in Poland in talks
aimed at normalizing relations between the Vatican and
Poland’s Communist regime. Such normalization will probably
include diplomatic recognition and be based on concessions
from both sides.
IRA Demurs
BELFAST, Northern Ireland (NC) — Both the Official Wing
and the more militant Provisional Wing of the Irish Republican
Army (IRA) have publicly disclaimed any responsibility for the
recent tarring of three Londonderry teenaged girls alleged to
have kept company with British soldiers. Hugh Duffy, 22,
brother of the third victim, 17-year-old Deirdre, said that a
women’s revenge group had been set up and had carried out the
head-shaving and tarring of the three girls in three separate
incidents.
Top Theologian
the 250-odd prelates at the
meeting was one of prudence
- not standing still, but
testing the ground carefully
before taking a new step.
This caution was shown,
for example, in their decision
- after six straight years of
deficit financing -- to cut
back programs to fit revenues
when they make their next
budget. No disapproval of the
dynamic new programs of the
bishops’ national agencies was
implied in the decision,
merely a reluctance to make
heavy financial commitments
in an uncertain economy.
The bishops were prudent
in their liturgical decisions.
They did not reject in
principle the idea that special
groups need Masses unlike the
regular large-congregation
Sunday Mass. But they
withheld their approval of the
practice until the experts
come up with Mass texts they
can accept.
In their relations with the
government, the bishops were
not timid. They called for a
tax-credit plan to aid parents
of parochial schoolchildren
and they urged a swift end of
the war in Vietnam.
But here, too, they avoided
extreme measures. A passage
calling for unilateral cease-fire
was dropped from their
Vietnam statement, and their
tax-credit plan is far removed
from the full-scale school aid
program many bishops would
like to see.
Although ecumenical
concerns are clearly a large
and growing part of their
awareness, the bishops
recognized at this meeting
that some limits must be
placed, at present, on
ecclesiastical togetherness.
For the moment, they have
drawn one such line at
allowing non-Catholic
clergymen to preach at Mass
without the local bishop’s
permission.
But the line drawn was not
rigid; they specified that this
ban does not apply to other
liturgical functions and that,
generally, the permission for
having a Protestant preacher
at Mass is readily available.
The bishops’ action on a
proposed National Pastoral
Council -- a group which
would link representatives of
the hierarchy, clergy,
religious orders and laity --
was also cautiously
progressive. Research on the
subject convinced them that
U.S. Catholics are not
presently ready for such a
council. So they postponed
its formation but stated their
intention of having the
council by 1976.
WASHINGTON (NC) - Sulpician Father Raymond E.
Brown, a scripture scholar and ecumenical expert, has been
honored by the Catholic Theological Society of America
(CTSA) as 1971’s outstanding Catholic theologian. He received
the CTSA’s Cardinal Spellman award, symbolic of the honor, at
ceremonies here. Cardinal Terence Cooke of New York made
the presentation. In a citation, the CTSA praised Father Brown
for his theological contributions in the form of his “many
articles, in learned and popular journals, his innumerable
addresses and papers before audiences of every description.”
TO MARK THE FIFTIETH anniversary of the Legion of Marv. the Curia of Columbus invited
Bishop Frey to be the chief celebrant in a Mass concelebrated by priests of the Columbus - Phenix
City area, together with military chaplains from Fort Benning. Mass was celebrated at Our Lady of
Lourdes where three of tile four city praesidia are located. A reception followed in the parish
school auditorium. Shown above are: Bishop Frey (center back row), Fr. Tom Leanah, Spiritual
Director of the Curia; Fr. Edward Frank. Pastor; Mother M. deSales O.S.U.; Sr. Joseph O.S.U.,
Directress of Our Lady of Lourdes Praesidium. Officers of the Curia. Mrs. Marie Yellen, Pres.; Mrs.
Mae Borel, Vice Pres.; Mrs. Julia Kennedy, Treas.; Mrs. Marie Tuggle, Sec. and representatives of
the four Columbus praesidia.
SAVANNAH LANDMARK
Little Sisters
Home For The
Aged To Close
The Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged in Savannah will close early next
year according to a statement released last week by Mother George, Superior at the
Home.
Mother George said that renovation of the eighty-one year old building is not
feasible. “A new facility and its organization would require a greater number of
Sisters, which could not be provided at this time, nor in the near future,” she said.
The Home is presently
staffed by eight Sisters and
about a dozen employees and
volunteers.
Mother George revealed
that Superiors of the
Congregation of the Little
Sisters of the Poor had
commissioned a health
facility consulting firm to
conduct a building analysis of
the home, and that the firm
had recommended that “no
attempt be made to update
the facility to present day
nursing standards.”
The fifty-one elderly
residents of the Home will be
moved “according to the
desire of each one,” Mother
George said.
In reply to a reporter’s
question, she indicated that
over half the residents had
expressed a desire to be
moved to other homes
operated by the Little Sisters
in other areas of the country.
Many of them, she said,
have relatives or friends in
these other cities, while still
others no longer have
relatives in the Savannah area.
Asked whether there were
any conditions under which
the Little Sisters might be
moved to reconsider the
closing, Mother George said
there were none.
She stressed the shortage
of Sisters as the main reason
for the closing and said that
even if their consulting firm
had recommended renovating
the Savannah facility, it
would be impossible to find
en ough Sisters to provide
adequate care for the
residents.
Closing of their Savannah
facility is apparently part of a
long-range policy which will
have similar effects on at least
three other homes for the
aged operated by the Little
Sisters of the Poor. All are
older institutions with
comparatively small numbers
of residents.
In a telephone interview
with THE SOUTHERN
CROSS, Mother George said
that where numbers of
residents warrant it and
where there are enough
Sisters to staff the homes, old
buildings will be replaced and
the new ones will meet
governmental requirements
for nursing care.
When the Diocese of
Savannah was first informed
that consideration was being
given to closing the Home
there, both Bishop Frey and
Monsignor Andrew J.
McDonald, Vicar of the
Savannah Deanery, wrote to
the Provincial Headquarters
of the Little Sisters in
Baltimore asking the Order to
“give every consideration to
retaining the home in
Savannah . ..”
Said Bishop Frey in his
letter, “The people of the
Diocese and I would deeply
appreciate your consideration
of our request. If we can be
of any assistance in making it
possible to retain your Sisters
here, please do not hesitate to
let me know.”
The bishop’s letter
declared that “the work of
the Little Sisters of the Poor
is deeply embedded in the life
and history of this city. Your
Sisters have done much to
give witness to the
overwhelming 11011-Catholic
population of this city of the
concern of the Church for
those most in need of care.”
Upon hearing from the
Sisters that it was impossible
to reconsider their decision to
close the Savannah home,
Bishop Gerard L. Frey
released a statement of
appreciation and regret. It
said:
I am sure I bespeak the
sentiments of all segments of
the Savannah community in
expressing my keen, regret
(Continued on page 2)
BISHOP FREY congratulates Mr. Bill Edwards, President of the
Parish Council of Our Divine Savior Church, Tifton, Georgia,
representing the parishioners, on the success of the recent
Confraternity of the Laity Drive. Earlier the Bishop was
Principal Celebrant of the Mass with the Rev. Raymond F.
Govern, O.F.M. Administrator of the Parish, as Concelebrant.
After Mass the Bishop attended a Reception in the Parish Hall
where he met with the Parishoners, CCD Teachers and Members
of the Parish Council.
INSIDE STORY
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