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Feels Churches Reluctant
To Use Top Communicators
NEW YORK (CPF) - The major Faiths
are failing to communicate effectively
because of their reluctance to enlist the
aid of professional broadcasters who
might well be willing to serve if asked,
according to a former radio-TV aide of
the U. S. Catholic Bishops.
Charles E. Reilly Jr., who was director
of the National Catholic Office for Radio
and Television (NCORT) said it is
“nothing less than a sacred obligation of
the church authorities” to recruit
competent broadcasters to help in
spreading the Gospel message.
“The professional communicator has
the unique capability to provide
something of value to all of us,” Reilly
wrote in a special article for “Variety.”
“He has the know-how to go into
the marketplace effectively just
Jesus did two thousand years ago. If the
professional communicators --
particularly the broadcasters - can be
persuaded to look, they will see
themselves facing the chance of a lifetime
to serve.”
Without their aid, said Reilly, religious
boradcasting -- especially television - is
doomed to remain what he called “a vast
purgatory,” a spiritual translation of what
one F.C.C. Commissioner once referred
to as “a vast wasteland” in describing TV
programming.
Reilly, who teaches marketing and
advertising courses at St. John’s
University, said one reason the churches
have paid little serious attention to the
broadcasting media is because “leadership
of religious denominations is made up of
men who grew up in simpler times.
“Their’s was a before-TV, before
‘media explosion’ age. And while it is true
that leadership in industry is also made
up of men and women who are in their
40’s and 50’s, Church leadership is made
up of too many men in their 50’s, 60’s,
and 70’s. Churches are not touched by
Following is the second in a series of three
articles by James Byrne, a leader of the
Catholic Charismatic Renewal, who will give
the opening address at the Southeastern
Regional Conference of the Catholic
Charismatic Renewal to be held at Aquinas
High School in Augusta, October 20-22, 1972.
Some 1500 priests, religious and laity from a 12
state area are expected to attend. Bishop Frey
will open the con ference at 8:00 PM on Friday,
October 20.
n THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
by James Byrne
And while staying with them he
charged them not to depart from
Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of
the Father, which, he said, “You have
heard from me, for John baptized with
water, but before many days you shall be
baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts
1:4-5)
Theological Principles
1) The baptism in the Holy Spirit is
not magic, nor is it an isolated religous
experience. It is a direct consequence of
the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus
who was the Anointed One of God.
Preparation for the baptism in the Holy
Spirit cannot be understood unless it is
seen as a powerful deepening of a
personal relationship with Jesus. To pray
for the baptism in the Holy Spirit is to
join with the local community and the
whole body of Christ in asking Jesus to
release his power in our lives. In order to
make such a prayer, we must
acknowledge Jesus Christ as our personal
Lord and Savior. For many the Catholic
faith, and God as well, have been a
“truth” by which to live, but an
impersonal one. God, however, is very
personal and has revealed himself, in
industry’s trend to early executive
retirement.”
Reilly, whose earlier background
includes serving as a network liaison
executive for TV Guide magazine, said
Church leaders are not fully aware of the
“market” they should be trying to reach.
“As far as the audiences are
concerned,” he said, “both the general
public and the religious congregations are
made up of the flesh and blood
translations of the awesome statistics the
TV Bureau and the National Association
of Broadcasters trot out for us at every
turn.
“These men and women are spending
over six hours a day in front of the TV
screen. They are the multi-set radio
households. They are the souls not being
reached by the sermons and the religious
publications.
“We know that it is from radio and
television that the public gets its
information and forms its judgments on
toothpastes, automobiles, politics,
society, other nations, the global village -
on just about everything in God’s world
BUT God. It is critical that the churches
adopt the approach of Jesus Christ - you
must communicate with an audience
through the techniques and media that
they know and respond to best.”
At one point in his article, Reilly
emphasized Christ’s own expertise in the
art of communications and the amount of
attention he gave to communicating:
“There were four men who told us
about Jesus’ life - Matthew, Mark, Luke
and John. A public relations man once
remarked that 25% of Christ’s 12-man
executive committee were information
specialists.”
Reilly decried the fact that church
communications offices are traditionally
understaffed despite Christ’s own
example.
Jesus in order that he might be known as
he is. It is necessary for every man to
make a personal act of faith in Jesus since
it is only through him that man can come
to the Father. This is done for most
Catholics at baptism by sponsors, but it is
necessary that when we reach maturity,
we reaffirm their act of faith and make it
our own. St. Paul says, “If you confess
with your lips that Jesus is Lord and
believe in your heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom
10:9). Without this act of faith, our
practice of Catholicism may be a religion,
but it is neither Catholicism nor
Christianity.
2) The baptism in the Holy Spirit does
not occur in a human void, nor is it an
individual experience. It is given in the
Church and for the Church and it is
generally received in the context of a
local prayer community.
Therefore, it has been our experience
in the Pentecostal movement, with a few
exceptions, that the baptism in the Holy
Spirit is given in community. It is not a
private religious experience, but is given
to draw us more fully into the body of
Christ.
3) God wants everyone to receive the
Holy Spirit and the plentitude of spiritual
gifts he brings. Christ promised the Spirit
to all who ask him, and has assured us
“ask and you shall receive” (Lk 11:5-13).
He can make such a promise without
qualifications because the Spirit is God’s
gift. God can give him when, where and
how he pleases. He is sovereignly in
command of all ways through which
the Spirit may be given, and he can
impart the Spirit directly, should he deign
to.
4) We cannot induce the gifts in
“Church leadership cannot expect its
own agencies to fulfill the mission (of
communicating Christ’s Gospel) in their
present understaffed condition,” he
explained. “Right now their national
offices are but larger versions of the
weak, local church communications
agencies.
“The local church representation
working with radio and TV stations is
usually packaged compactly into the
person of one clergyman. Sometimes (not
often) he has a decent budget and can
afford a secretary. Most frequently he has
a telephone, some space in a parish house
or church office, holds several different
jobs simultaneously and can spend only
part of his time with the business of
communications.
“To be sure, this picture is starting to
change. More and more men and women
are being trained especially for
communications. Laymen are becoming
more evident in the media work of the
church. But still, all these beginnings are
not enough to provide the thrust
necessary for true impact and presence in
the mass media.”
Reilly maintains that there is only one
source of strength “competent enough to
come into the picture with a capability of
immediately combining commitment
with communications expertise.” That
source is the media professional.
“The bright hope, it seems to me, is to
persuade these men and women that they
should accept a new and very personal
obligation to ‘spread the good news,’ ” he
daid. “The challenge for church
leadership is to bring a sense of mission
into the everyday lives of broadcasters,
newspapermen and women, and film
executives. If churchmen can succeed in
doing this, then I feel that the
professionals will accept a mandate.”
Renewal
ourselves; they must be received from
God. But we do have a role in getting
ready for them.
Recommendations
1) Wherever possible, join a prayer
community. Attend the meetings
regularly. If possible, enter into the
formation program - preferably the Life
in the Spirit Seminars.
2) The baptism in the Holy Spirit is
primarily the Lord’s work. Watch and
wait as the Lord stirs up your heart.
Understand that the promptings and signs
which he is giving you are genuine as they
draw you to give yourself more fully to
Jesus.
The next article by James Byrne:
“Prayer Meetings,” a discussion of the
nature and purpose of these informal
gatherings which supplement the Mass,
the principal act of worship which Jesus
left us, and the divine office, the prayer
of the church which sanctifies the whole
day. Many such meetings are held weekly
by Catholic Charismatics throughout our
diocese and they will be an integral part
of the conference to be held in Augusta,
October 20-22,1972.
(Continued next week)
Editor’s Note: All clergy, religious and
laity in the Savannah Diocese are invited
to attend the conference. A special
introductory workshop is available for
those who seek to learn more about the
Charismatic Renewal. Registration
information may be found in the
advertisement which appears in this issue
or by writing Southeastern Conference,
P.O. Box 3987, Augusta, Georgia, 30904,
or calling the Conference office at
Aquinas High (404) 736-3421.
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PAGE 7 — The Southern Cross, October 5,1972
Marriage
Discipline
Challenged
NEW YORK (NC) - The Church
should not always condemn those who
enter second marriages after the failure of
the first, according to a special committee
of the Catholic Theological Society of
America (CTSA).
The conclusions of the committee
studying second marriages were reported
in America (Oct. 7), the national Catholic
weekly journal of opinion published by
American Jesuits.
Father John R. Connery, S.J.,
committee chairman, reported that “in
our judgment the absolute prohibition of
a second union in cases of doubt is not a
necessary public protection of Christian
marriage.”
The CTSA committee statement said,
“it would be rash to assert that every first
marriage that has failed was invalid from
the beginning, but there are serious
reasons today that were either not
present or not recognized in the past to
question the validity of many of them.”
“As long as the first marriage is not
declared invalid, it is understandable in
the present conditions that the Church
would hesitate a second union. But can
these people be reasonably obliged in
conscience not to enter a second union?
There is a question here of a very basic
right, the right to marry.”
THE COLUMBIAN AWARD for fulfilling youth, church, community and Council
activities during the 1971-72 fraternal year was presented last week to Holy Family
Council 5588, Savannah, by State Deputy Gustave C. Gotch (center). Receiving the
award on behalf of the Council are Grand Knight Edgar C. Robertson (left) and Past
Grand Knight Thomas J. Mahoney, Jr.
Diocesan Pastoral Council to Meet
BY MRS. E.V. SMITH
The Savannah Diocesan Pastoral
Council will meet in Macon on Saturday,
October 14, at St. Joseph’s Church,
starting at 10:00 A.M.
This is an advisory group to Most Rev.
Gerard L. Frey, Bishop of Savannah. It
meets twice a year in order to discuss
matters vital to the growth and well-being
of the Church in this diocese. The
Executive Committee meets an additional
three times a year to draw up agendas,
carry to completion plans and programs
implemented by the full Council,
maintain contact with the seven deanery
councils, and help the Bishop by
providing feed-back on various programs
within the diocese.
A proposed agenda for the Oct. 14th
meeting includes the following items:
election of representatives to the
Diocesan School Board; election of
permanent chairman for Diocesan
Pastoral Council; presentation by Rev.
Jackson P. Braddy, Director of the
Georgia Interchurch Association; report
by Rev. William Coleman, Coordinator of
the Department of Christian Formation,
on plans for a Parish Council Workshop; a
presentation by Rev. Francis Donohue on
the Southern Cross; a talk on the purpose
and work of the Georgia Catholic
Conference by Rev. Michael A. Morris,
Executive Secretary of that organization;
an explanation of the Permanent
Diaconate Program by Rev. William
Coleman; and a progress report on Parish
Goals.
The meeting will recess at mid-day for
a concelebrated Mass followed by a
luncheon for the group. The afternoon
session will end at approximately 3:30 or
4:00 P.M. so that members will be able to
return to their homes conveniently by
that evening.
The Diocesan Pastoral Council consists
of a proportionate delegation f^om each
of the seven deaneries in the Savannah
diocese. These members are elected by
their respective deanery councils to serve
on the Diocesan Pastoral Council. They
serve as liaison, through their deanery
council, between the diocesan group and
the local parish councils at the grass-roots
level.
Everyone is encouraged to learn the
names of his parish representatives to the
deanery council, and also their deanery
representative to the Diocesan Pastoral
Council. Anyone should feel free to
contact his representative if there is a
problem with which he or she can help.
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