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Our Readers Reply
Reader ‘Sets the Record Straight
PAGE 7 — The Southern Cross, December 14,1972
SAVANNAH PAROCHIAL LEAGUE CHAMPS. St.
James parish school footballers are the 1972
champions. Front row, left to right: Jim MacDonald,
Matt Coneff, John Dugas, Drew McCuen, Dennis
Robertson, Tom Brennan, Andy Altonji, Joe
Robertson. Middle Row: Steve Kelly, Larry Coneff,
Chris Dowe, Bill Lacy, Ricky White, Carl Brown, Chris
Taylor, Mrian Welch, Ted Reardon. Back Row: Mr.
“Bobby” McBride, coach, Chris Roberts, Jim
Balkwood, Bobby Buttimer, Dean Meosch, John
Hohnerlein, Daniel Paige, Justin McLaughlin, J.
Moncrief, Mike Hines. Not present for photo were
Kevin Dotson and Mark Osborne.
Frustrated Priests Help Retard Vocations
Editor:
Dr. Douglas J. Giorgio’s letter of last
week demands an answer that sets the
record straight.
Using the recent controversy between
the religious faculty and School Board
of Pacelli High School, Dr. Giorgio
enumerated the financial responsibilities
religious would have if they received
salaries comparable to those of lay
teachers.
In doing this he implied that religious
have none of these responsibilities
presently. One could infer from his
letter an indictment of religious as some
kind of adolescent freeloader and herein
lies the inherent danger of such a letter.
It is regrettable that Dr. Giorgio didn’t
make some inquiries into the facts
before he wrote.
Perhaps I can best answer his letter
by indicating my salary and the
financial responsibilities that I have as a
religious, in that my financial story is
typical of that of all religious.
I receive $208.33 a month or $2500 a
year. Out of this amount I send
one-third or $69.44 to our Provincialate
monthly. This sum is designated
‘Province Maintenance’ and it covers my
contribution toward the following: the
cost of medicines, Blue Cross, Blue
Shield insurance and general health care
for myself and for the retired Sisters,
the furtherance of my own education or
that of younger religious, retirement for
the Sisters presently in retirement and
hopefully for my own retirement
someday.
It covers my contribution toward the
upkeep of the administrative offices of
Provincial officials. And in my case, it;
helps to cover the rent and insurance on
the property where I reside, which
happens to be a community-owned
house.
The balance of my salary after the
‘Completely Missed
The Whole Point’
Editor:
Dr. Giorgio’s opening paragraph in
your column was put very well.
However, it is a pity that in the rest of
his letter, he completely missed the
whole point of the dispute here at
Pacelli. I do hope he read the complete
letter sent by us to the Bishop and the
parents of the students. In order to
clarify the points at issue more clearly, I
will try to explain our position further.
When we as priests or Religious
decide to give our services, for very little
payment, thereby leaving us with very
little capital to serve the poor, we
presume that the community we serve,
in this case Pacelli High School, will
assume the responsibility in the area of
providing special help to minority
students and the poor.
The actions of the School Board of
late proved to us that it wanted to shirk
that responsibility. Our recent move as
Religious is to remind the board of its
dereliction of duty. We felt that there
was no option open to us but to resign
from this community and find another
where our rights and the rights of the
poor in the area of education will be
respected.
In reply to Dr. Giorgio’s financial
calculations, it is ttue, we do not
personally pay for room and board but
remember they are not of our choosing.
We do get a car allowance which does
not always cover our total expenses. We
do pay personal taxes and social
security. Priests seem to be a magnet for
all national and local quests for charity
and these are generously contributed to
as well.
Furthermore, many of the priests in
the Diocese of Savannah come from
overseas. Our parents have a right to a
visit from us. These travel expenses are
totally borne by the priests; all out of
$145 a month. I would prefer not to
have to talk about personal finances,
but Dr. Giorgio’s letter forces me to do
so. We do not bargain for the amount of
our salary. I would be willing to work
for less.
We are grateful for letters like Dr.
Giorgio’s as they remind us of our
failures. At the same time they help us
renew our dedication to those we serve.
We all love Pacelli, and we want what is
Christian and best for the school.
However I will conclude with a sobering
thought from Matt. 10:14 where Christ
reminded his disciples, “And if anyone
does not welcome you or listen to what
you have to say, as you walk out of the
house or town shake the dust from your
feet.”
Rev. Donal Keohane
Pacelli High School
Columbus, Ga.
payment of this Province assessment is
$166.66. Out of this I receive a personal
allowance of $30 per month from which
I must pay for any personal items I
need, my clothing, entertainment, long
distance calls and any travel that I
undertake outside of that demanded of
me professionally. I also receive
annually $40 towards a vacation and
$40 towards spiritual retreat expenses.
Out of the $166.66 I share the cost
of the utilities, the food, the repairs and
maintenance of the convent in which I
live. Our community does its own
housework, cooking and grounds
maintenance. We have a
community-owned car that we assume
full financial responsibility for.
Dr. Giorgio calls his readers to a
consideration of basic economics. After
the financial picture I’ve presented, it
must be obvious that my responsibities
can be met only because a group of
Sisters chooses to live in community
and pools its salaries on the local scene.
It must also be obvious that a
Province of hundreds of religious meets
its broader financial responsibilities only
because there are a number of Sisters
getting comparable salaries in colleges,
hospitals and other apostolates, and
these monies are sent to the
Provincialate to subsidize Sisters and
their works if they are not making it on
a local level.
One of the harsh financial realities
now confronting religious is the fact, up
until a few years ago, no provision was
made for Sisters’ retirement. It was not
too many years ago that the monthly
salary of each Sister was totally used up
in current operational expenses. Each
Editor:
Catholic Action is defined as “a
participation of the laity in the work of
the hierarchy.” Revisionists in the
Catholic Church recognized the
importance of activating lay persons in
the labors of Christianity some years
ago. The Catholic Church has
experienced many changes in the recent
past. Many facets of parish life have
been altered in order to involve the lay
Catholic in his Church.
Some of the more important changes
have been the creation of the Parish
Council and the School Board. These
two bodies have been given executive
power to actually run main facets of
Catholic life. The power of the layman
is now very impressive. A certain priest
in this Diocese has publicly stated, that
if he were a pastor, the parish would
have to be run in its entirety by lay
Catholics.
Personally, I feel that this philosophy
is erroneous. I do not feel that lay.
people should have ultimate power in
church matters. However, since these
boards have been created and their
powers have been stated as ultimate,
then Catholics, lay and clergy alike,
must abide by their decisions.
Policies voted upon and decided by
these bodies must be accepted whether
our personal convictions are in accord
with them or not. We should be allowed
to voice our opinions to try to alter
decisions, but if this is to no avail we
then are relegated to accept the opinion
of the governing bodies. We would not
think of quitting the Church if a few
new policies were against our feelings.
religious order presently has Sisters in
retirement, in ever increasing numbers,
who were never provided for adequately
enough that some segment of their
salary could have been set aside.
As a point of information, I add that
up until the recent bill signed by
President Nixon, the Internal Revenue
Code prohobited the payment of Social
Security by anyone with a vow of
poverty and consequently barred
religious from Social Security benefits,
Medicare etc. Religious supported and
welcome the chance to now pay into
and receive the benefits of Social
Security.
There is one final fallacy in Dr.
Giorgio’s letter. He indicates that if
School Boards paid comparable salaries
to religious they could hire, fire and set
up standards for them. This statement
seemingly implies that there are no
standards for religious faculty members
now.
The hiring and firing of teachers is an
administrative prerogative and
responsibility. If School Boards hire and
fire they have usurped an
administrative responsibility. On the
other hand, if an administrator does not
set standards for all faculty members, he
or she has shirked a responsibility.
Since the essence of Dr. Giorgio’s
letter seems to be the “problem” of
religious responsibility, this letter is an
attempt to meet the responsibility I felt
to correct some of the misconceptions
of his letter.
Sister M. Jude, R.S.M.
Savannah
The religious members of the Pacelli
School Board recently disagreed with
the decision of that body. When the
School Board voted against the opinion
of the religious, the religious educators
submitted their resignations. As
Catholic educators the greatest function
of these people should be influencing
young people in Catholic life and
preparing them for assimilation into the
Catholic community.
These religious educators want the
lay people to express their opinions as
long as they do not conflict with the
religious’ personal views. It would
appear that in the light of this recent
disagreement the religious have chosen
to quit. It is reminiscent of the child
who owns a football and quits if he
can’t be the quarterback. Childlike
antics should be confined to
playgrounds, not to the school’s
administrative offices.
As a reader of the Southern Gross, I
doubt that I know the real cause of the
trouble at Pacelli High School. However,
if I were a parent of a student there, I
feel that it would be better to close the
school than to submit to the extortion
threatened by these teachers.
May I add one last thought - that the
lay board and religious faculty of Pacelli
High School give prayerful thought to
their dealings with this precious heritage
- the Catholic High School - a teacher of
love - of faith, hope and charity.
MENLO PARK, Calif. (NC) - There
are fewer young men entering America’s
seminaries partly because many priests
no longer actively promote vocations,
according to a seminary rector.
“There are many priests who make
no bones about the fact that they are
frustrated and unhappy,” said Father
Melvin L. Farrell, rector of St. Patrick’s
Seminary here in the San Francisco
archdiocese.
Also retarding vocations is the
conflict between traditionalist and
progressive priests, he said.
The Sulpician priest aired his views in
Pastoral Life, a monthly magazine on
the ministry, published in Canfield,
Ohio. His article was entitled “Crisis
Behind the Vocation Crisis.”
Some priests, wrote Father Farrell,
are bitter enough to say openly that
they would not become priests if they
had it to do over again and they knew
what they were getting into.
“Other priests, while not pleading
personal anguish, admit to much
confusion,” the priest wrote. Things
used to be clear, he said, but in the
aftermath of Vatican II “the old charity
is gone.”
“Priests committed to progressive
causes in the Church aren’t particularly
known for promoting vocations, either.
Frequently they are opposed to
seminaries as they are now constituted,”
he said.
The fact that some priests are pushing
for optional celibacy makes it difficult
for them to urge young men to embrace
a priestly ministry which sanctions only
celibacy, Father Farrell said.
“Priests today are in fact agonizing
over who they are and what they ought
to be doing in an age of rapid change for
the Church and for society as a whole.
On such fundamental matters as the role
of authority, the function of the liturgy,
and issues of social involvement there is
no agreement.”
Father Farrell said that disagreements
among priests are largely over forms and
structures of ministry. Some priests
insist on running their parishes
“according to the books,” he said.
Canon law and rubrics are scrupulously
observed by them.
Other priests, he said, disdain such
methods. In the pulpit they come off
more as social workers than as
preachers. Papal documents often make
them angry and cynical.
Father Farrell said there is no use for
despondency about the present state of
priesthood, “no matter where we fall on
the spectrum between traditionalism
and progressivism.”
Louis C. Mathews, Jr.
Savannah
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WE’LL
DO YOUR
CHRISTMAS
SHOPPING
THE HOLY FATHER’S MISSION AID TO THE ORIENTAL CHURCH
NO
NEED
TO
LEAVE
THE
HOUSE
Christmas is Christ’s Birthday. This year, to
show Him you love Him, give your presents to
the poor. . . . For instance, train a boy for the
priesthood. We’ll send you his name, he’ll write
to you, and you may stretch payments to suit
your own convenience ($15.00 a month, $180 a
year, $1,080 for the entire six-year course). The
friend who has everything, if you sponsor a
seminarian in his name, will appreciate this
more than a gift he doesn't need. We’ll send
your friend our attractive Gift Card before
Christmas, telling him what you have done. . . .
Or sponsor a Sister-to-be ($12.50 a month, $150
a year, $300 altogether), a homeless child ($14
a month), or feed a refugee family for two
weeks ($5). Your friend will be pleased you
thought of someone else when you remembered
him. . . . Please write to us today to be sure
the Gift Cards reach your friends before Christ
mas. We’ll send the cards as soon as we hear
from you.
MORE
GIFT
CARD
SUGGESTIONS
We’ll send a Gift Card (or a letter, if you prefer)
to the person you designate for each of these
Christmas gifts:
□ $10,000 will build a complete parish ‘plant’
(church, school, rectory, convent) where the
Holy Father says it’s needed overseas. Name
it for your favorite saint, in your loved one’s
memory.
□ You can build a church now for $3,800, a
school for $3,200, and the Bishop in charge
will write to you.
□ Your stringless gifts in any amount ($5,000,
$1,000, $500, $100, $50, $25, $10, $5, $2)
will help the neediest wherever they are — in
India and the Holy Land, for instance. Remind
us to send a Gift Card.
□ Our missionaries can offer immediately the
Masses you request. Just send us your in
tentions.
OUR
GIFT
TO
YOU
The Midnight Mass in Bethlehem will be of
fered for the members of this Association. This
is our Christmas thank-you gift to you. Please
pray for ail of us, especially our priests and
Sisters overseas. And have a happy Christmas!
® AX
Dear enclosed please find $
Monsignor Nolan:
FOR
Please name_
return coupon
with your street.
offering
city
.STATE.
ZIP CODE.
THE CATHOLIC NEAR EAST WELFARE ASSOCIATION
NEAR EAST
MISSIONS
TERENCE CARDINAL COOKE, President
MSGR. JOHN G. NOLAN, National Secretary
Write: Catholic Near East Welfare Assoc.
330 Madison Avenue*New York, N.Y. 10017
Telephone: 212/986-5840
Act Termed Extortion