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SERVING 88 SOUTH GEORGIA COUNTIES
The Southern Cross
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEWSPAPER
Vol. 54 No. 11
Thursday, March 15,1973
Single Copy Price — 12 Cents
MONSIGNOR RAYMOND W. LESSARD, bishop-elect Paul VI last week in Rome during the Consistory of
of Savannah is shown here receiving the Rochet, a Cardinals,
vestment symbolic of the office of bishop from Pope
St. Patrick’s Day at Cathedral
The appropriate religious celebration
of St. Patrick’s Day, the Apostle of
Ireland and the Irish, will start with
Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the
Baptist March 17 at 8:30 a.m.
The Mass will be celebrated by
Savannah’s own Most Reverend Andrew
J. McDonald, Bishop of Little Rock,
Arkansas. Among the priests
celebrating the Mass with him will be
Bishop McDonald’s friend and
classmate, also a native of Savannah,
Father Joseph Ware, pastor of Holy
Spirit Church, Atlanta, Georgia; Rev. J.
Kevin Boland, Administrator of the
Elocese of Savannah; Rev. Robert Teoli,
Rev. Laurence Goulding, Rev. Joseph
Dean, Rev. Gerard A. Murphy, Rev. P.
INSIDE STORY
Summer of ’73
Pg. 2
’Know Your Faith’
Pg. 5
Movie Reviews
Pg. 6
Readers Reply
Pg. 7
James Costigan, Rev. Tadg O’Mahoney,
Rev. Dermot O’Mahony, Rev. William
O’Neill, Rev. Frank Patterson, Rev.
John Kenneally, Rev. Patrick O’Brien,
Rev. Brendan Breen, Rev. William
O’Sullivan, and Rev. John Doyle. Msgr.
Daniel J. Bourke, Rector of the
Cathedral, will act as Master of
Ceremonies.
The sermon at the Mass will be
delivered by Bishop Andrew J.
McDonald who will also speak later on
in the day at the Hibernian Banquet.
Special guests at the Mass will be the
Grand Marshall of the St. Patrick’s Day
Parade, Mr. Aloysius J. Handiboe, Jr.,
and his aides. Among those attending
will be the Honorable Jimmy Carter,
Governor of the State of Georgia; the
Honorable John Rousakis, Mayor of the
City of Savannah; Mr. J. Tom Coleman,
Jr., Chairman, Chatham County
Commissioners.
The Junior Class Choir of St.
Vincent’s Academy, under the direction
of Mrs. Joseph C. Schreck, will supply
the music and appropriate choral
numbers. The choir will sing selections
of sacred music for fifteen minutes
before the Mass and during the Mass will
render the following selections: entrance
hymn, “All Praise to St. Patrick”;
responsorial psalm, “People of God”;
offertory, “Suffer Little Children”;
communion hymn, “Hymn of St.
Patrick”; closing, “American National
Anthem” and “Irish National Anthem”.
The new leaves appearing on
the branch pictured on leaflets to
be handed out in all churches this
Sunday represent the new life that
begins as men begin their search
for God. The leaflets are part of
the new Lenten Program, “The
Church - a place to grow”, which
involves all areas of parish life -
the home, the schools, CCD
classes and adult education
sessions. Sermons each week stress
the theme of growth and
emphasize the idea of the Church
as a place where people come
together to grow in faith.
Bishop to Be Installed
In Savannah Apr. 27
Monsignor Raymond W. Lessard,
bishop-elect of Savannah, will be
ordained and installed as the twelfth
bishop of the South Georgia See on
Friday, April 27th at 4 p.m., it was
announced early this week by Father J.
Kevin Boland, Administrator of the
diocese.
The principal ordaining prelate at the
ceremonies to take place in Savannah’s
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist will be
the Most Reverend Thomas A.
Donellan, Archbishop of Atlanta. He
will be assisted by the Most Rev. Justin
Driscoll, Bishop of Fargo, N. Dakota
and the Most Rev. Joseph Gossman,
Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore, Md.
It is anticipated that several dozen
other bishops will be in attendance and
will serve as concelebrants of the
ceremonies.
Statement by
Msgr. Lessard
When his appointment to the
Savannah diocese was announced by
Pope Paul VI during last week’s
Consistory of Cardinals in Rome,
Monsignor Lessard dispatched the
following letter to the people of the
Savannah diocese:
“To the people of God in Savannah,
my warmest greetings in the Grace and
Peace of Jesus Christ.
“Although we have not yet had the
occasion to meet, I want to address you
this first message to tell you that from
the first moment I was informed of my
appointment as your new bishop, I have
not failed to remember you in my pray
ers and to offer thanks to God for
you all. I have heard of your faith and
charity and I look forward with eager
enthusiasm to knowing you and
working with you in the service of the
Kingdom of Christ.
“To you all, I pledge my every effort
to continue the splendid work so
admirably in progress among you to
form an authentic community of faith
and love, one family in God.
“I welcome the opportunity to work
with all religious leaders and men and
women of good will so that in common
endeavor we might achieve ever greater
understanding and mutual respect.
“To you, the priests and religious of
the Savannah diocese, I extend a special
word of affectionate and fraternal
greetings, assuring you of my joy at the
prospect of all we shall be able to do
together for Christ.
“May His peace and mercy be with
you all.”
Statement by
Father Boland
A statement of welcome was also
issued on behalf of the laity, Religious
and Clergy of the Diocese of Savannah
by its Administrator, Father Boland.
Said Father Boland:
“I am sure I speak in the name of
everyone in the diocese when I extend
to you, our next bishop, our warmest
greetings and the promise of a cordial
welcome in the best tradition of
Southern hospitality.
“We, in this diocese, feel that your
appointment to be our bishop is but one
more manifestation of God’s goodness
to us over the years.
“We would also like to extend our
congratulations to your parents and the
other members of your family upon the
honor the Holy Father has conferred on
you, and we look forward to meeting
them in Savannah when you are
installed next month.”
Monsignor Lessard has lived in Rome
since 1960 and was a member of the
Sacred Congregation for Bishops from
1964 until his appointment last week as
bishop of Savannah. He expects to
return to the United States early in
April.
THIS PHOTO OF BISHOP-ELECT Lessard was taken last week in Rome
after the announcement of his appointment to be the bishop of Savannah.
HIKIIi
HEADLINE
HOPSCOTCH
Cardinal Warns Nuns
PHILADELPHIA (NC) — Participants in the fifth national assembly of the
Consortium Perfectae Caritatis Sisters’ Group were warned against forces seeking
change through misuse of Vatican Council II directives and urged to instruct students
in political realities. The warning was issued by Cardinal John Krol of Philadelphia
while the exhortation was made by Father Virgil Blum of Marquette University. The
prelate and the Jesuit priest were two of the speakers at the three-day meeting of the
organization of major superiors of women Religious here.
New Byzantine Bishop
WASHINGTON (NC) — Pope Paul VI has named Msgr. John Bilock an auxiliary
bishop to Byzantine-rite Archbishop Stephen Kocisko of Munhall, Pa., it was
announced here. The announcement was made here by Msgr. Francesco De Nittis,
charge d’affaires at the apostolic delegation in the United States. Msgr. Bilock, 56, has
been rector of St. John’s Cathedral, Munhall, since 1963 and vicar general of the
Byzantine-rite archeparchy (archdiocese) of Munhall for the past three years.
Ad and Drug Use Link
PITTSBURGH (NC) - The National Council of Churches (NCC) Project on Drug
Advertising asserted there is a “link” between advertising of legitimate drugs and drug
abuse. The project also said the pharmaceutical industry’s attempts at self-regulation
of its promotional activities has been “minimal and ineffective” and that “significant
portions” of the industry produce a “substantial amount of misleading and deceptive
advertising.” The project said the NCC should foster a system of governmental and
private regulation of drug advertising and that, if the system fails to work or is not
implemented, all drug advertising to the public and physicians should be banned.
British Pray for Irish
LONDON (NC) — A day of prayer for peace in Northern Ireland was to be held by
Catholics throughout England and Wales on Sunday, March 18, at the request of the
bishops. The day was decided at the last meeting of the bishops and the date chosen
by Cardinal John Heenan of Westminister, for the weekend of St. Patrick’s Day.