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The Southern Cross
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEWSPAPER
VoL 54 No. 42
Thursday, November 29, 1973
Single Copy Price —12 Cents
BISHOPS’ MEETING SHOWS
Confession, Communion: No Problem for U.S.
BY JERRY FILTEAU
WASHINGTON (NC) - It seems clear
now that the U.S. bishops are having no
problem with implementing last
summer’s Vatican decree on first
confession and first Communion. But it
seems equally clear that many bishops
are still concerned over the manner in
which the Vatican treated the U.S.
Church in releasing the decree.
According to several NC sources,
when the bishops met here for their
annual meeting (Nov. 12-16), they
resolved in an executive session to
express strong “pastoral concern” to
Pope Paul VI over an apparent lack of
understanding by the Vatican of the
pastoral situation in the United States.
The concern was to be expressed
through a report to the Pope indicating
some of the pastoral problems which
ii»v TT S. bishops faced because of the
timing and lack of explanation in a
Vatican decree last May. The decree
called for an end to experiments
delaying the reception of first
confession among children for up to
several years after their reception of
first Communion.
At the same time, several bishops
who had expressed serious questions or
reservations when the decree was first
issued told NC News after the bishops’
meeting that they would have no
problems putting the decree into
practice in their own dioceses.
Bishop Charles Buswell of Pueblo,
Colo., for example, said: “We could
very well do what we’ve been
doing.. .There’s always been at least
minimal preparation for Penance.”
Bishop Buswell had objected bluntly to
the decree when it was first published.
Among several bishops who had
urged discussion of the issue at the
bishops’ meeting, Bishop James Malone
of Youngstown, Ohio, had taken one of
the strongest stands, refusing to make
any changes in diocesan policy until the
bishops as a body could give the
question “mature consideration.” After
the meeting Bishop Malone said he
foresees only one basic change in his
diocese: A more explicit policy
requiring education for Penance in the
second grade.
For many bishops the resolution of
practical problems at home seemed to
be based on a report at the national
meeting by Bishop William Borders of
Orlando, Fla., chairman of the U.S.
Catholic Conference (USCC) Education
Committee.
His report, aimed at interpreting the
Vatican document as a basis for pastoral
teaching and practice, was described by
many bishops as “extremely good” or
“excellent.”
Bishop Borders explained in the
report that the decree does not force
children to receive first confession
before first Communion, nor does it
even say that children must be “urged”
to receive the sacraments in that order.
However, he said, the document says
that children must be free to receive
Penance at the same age that they are
free to receive first Communion, and
this means that for good pastoral
practice a basic catechetical preparation
for Penance must precede the
preparation for Communion.
In a news conference Bishop Borders
INSIDE STORY
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explained that if the religious education
for Penance was good, there would be
no need to “urge” children to go to
confession before first Communion.
“They will want to go-they will be eager
to go,” he said.
Even Cardinal John Krol of
Philadelphia, president of the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops and
generally recognized as a conservative
on such issues, denied a reporter’s
assertion that the decree seemed to urge
the reception of first confession before
first Communion.
Cardinal Krol pointed out that the
new Vatican decree merely reasserted
the binding force of Quam Singulari, a
1910 decree by Pope St. Pius X. “And
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE VIEWS of new addition of
Aquinas High School, Augusta. The building, housing
more than 5,000 volumes in addition to periodicals
and national, state and local newspapers, was the result
of a fund-raising drive conducted last summer under
the chairmanship of Mr. Peter Menk of the Aquinas
Foundation, which resulted in completely removing
the school from debt. The school’s religion department
has initiated a drive for a special section on liturgy
church history and hagiography.
OF FARAH PRODUCTS
USCC Committee Backs Boycott
WASHINGTON (NC) - A resolution
supporting the strike against the Farah
Manufacturing Co. and urging a
nationwide boycott of Farah products,
has been approved without a dissenting
vote by the Committee on Social
Development and World Peace of the
U.S. Catholic Conference (USCC).
After a six-month study of the
dispute, the committee said it had
found a denial of social justice to the
Farah strikers and stated that the
workers who are attempting to organize
in the Amalgamated Clothing Workers
of America (ACWA) “deserve support
of the Christian community and others
of good will. ”
During the recent annual meeting of
the nation’s bishops, the Farah
company asked the bishops to take no
action on the strike. The bishops heard
an address supporting the strike by
Bishop Sidney Metzger of El Paso, Tex.,
but took no other action. Bishop
Metzger did not ask for a vote on the
matter.
Decisive factors leading to the
committee’s resolution the committee
said, were:
“-The company will not divulge the
average pay of its workers, reported to
be near the minimum permitted by law;
“-The company will not divulge how
many, if any, retirees benefit from its
profit sharing retirement plan
(reportedly few, if any, do.);
“-The company admittedly has no
grievance procedures other than appeals
to management; and,
“-The company asserts there is no
need for a union and that it will not
even discuss negotiations with the
union.”
These circumstances, the committee
said, “constitute a denial of human
dignity.” The committee also called on
the parties involved to agree to
collective bargaining.
The interest of the USCC in the
disupute dates to April 1973, when the
bishops of New York state asked at
their regional meeting that “ .. .a full
study and report with
recommendatiations...” be made to
them and to the USCC.
Auxiliary Bishop John J. Dougherty
of Newark, N.J., chairman of USCC’s
Social Development and World Peace
Committee, said the committee had
discussed the matter with the USCC
Administrative Board at its September
meeting and had been directed to take
appropriate action.
After meetings with representatives
of Farah and the ACWA on Nov. 11 and
13 respectively, the committee gave its
final approval to the resolution and its
subsequent distribution to the U.S.
bishops.
The committee noted that it had
reviewed the findings and positions of
Bishop Metzger; Archbishop Francis J.
Furey and Auxiliary Bishop Patrick F.
Flores, both of San Antonio, Tex., the
Catholic bishops of the Southwest, and
the Texas Conference of Churches.
the point of Quam Singulari is
simultaneity,” he said, not precedence
of either sacrament before the other.
But if the bishops’ problems with the
content of the decree and pastoral
practice in the United States were
solved, their problem with the Vatican’s
method of issuing the decree was not.
Several bishops contacted by NC
News emphasized that the report they
voted to send to the Vatican was not
meant to create a confrontation.
They stressed that the purpose of the
report was to engage in a constructive
dialogue over pastoral considerations
which the Vatican should take into
account when it publicizes decisions
affecting Church life in the United
States.
It was pointed out that the decree
was published in May, with no advance
warning, and that it set the beginning of
the 1973-74 school year as the deadline
for stopping all experiments. Many
bishops felt this was too short a “lead
time” to change many of their religious
education programs, it was explained,
and the result was considerable pastoral
confusion.
Another complaint that sources said
would be included in the report
concerned the lack of pastoral
background or explanation for the
decree.
“The declaration was not as helpful
as it could be,” said one bishop. “The
enrichment of meaning as developed by
the USCC Department of Education
gave us perspective.” He said the
Vatican could have helped avoid
confusion by anticipating pastoral needs
and supplying some of that perspective.
Another bishop said the report
should be viewed as “pastors letting
their chief pastor know what the
problems are.” The purpose, he said,
was to try to avoid similar problems in
the future when similar situations might
arise.
STARTS NOV. 30
Cathedral Slates Novena
The annual Novena at the Cathedral
of St. John the Baptist, Savannah, in
honor of the feast of the Immaculate
Conception will start on Friday,
November 30th.
There will be two services each day
from Friday, November 30th until
Saturday, December 8th inclusive, at
12:00 noon and 5:30 P.M. The Novena
will consist of Mass, Novena prayers in
honor of the Miraculous Medal and
sermon.
Father Michael Craig will preach the
Novena. Father Craig was ordained at
All Hallows Seminary, Dublin, Ireland
in June, 1972. He has been an assistant
rector at the Cathedral since November
1st.
During the days of the Novena, Father
Craig will preach on: “Our Salvation, in
time,” “Mary’s ‘Fiat’, her role,” “Mary’s
Immaculate Conception,” “Her Life,
from Scripture.”
“Mary and Pentecost,*’ “Mary and
FR. CRAIG
the Eucharist,” “Mary and Unity”,
“Mary in the light of Vatican II,”
“Meditation on the Magnificat, and
closing of Novena.”
HEADLINE
HOPSCOTCH
u
Bishops to Petition Pope
WASHINGTON (NC) - A delegation of U.S. bishops will ask Pope Paul VI for the
indefinite extension of marriage court norms that have speeded the processing of
marriage cases in this nation in the past three years, according the reliable sources
contacted by NC News. The bishops took the action in secret during their national
meeting. The Vatican had granted a one-year extension of the norms, but U.S.
observers had feared that the U.S. Church would be required to return to norms in
general use around the world after the extension period ended.
"Theology of the Parish”
A series of Deanery meetings of priests and the Religious will be held during
December. Bishop Raymond Lessard will speak on “The Theology of the Parish.”
Discussion sessions will follow. The schedule is as follows: Valdosta-Brunswick
Deanery: Thursday, December 6 - Jesup - St. Joseph Rectory 12:30 p.m. Albany
Deanery: Monday, December 10 - Albany - St. Teresa’s School Library at 4 p.m.
Columbus Deanery: Tuesday December 11 - Columbus - St. Anne’s School at 4 p.m.
Macon Deanery: Wednesday, December 12 - Macon - Holy Spirit - 4:15 p.m. Augusta
Deanery: Thursday, December 13 - Augusta - St. Teresa’s at 4 p.m. Statesboro
Deanery: Friday, December 14, 2-4 p.m. at St. Matthews. Savannah Deanery -
Monday, December 17 - Savannah - 8th Grade Class room St. James for priests at 3
p.m. Priests and Religious in church at 4:30 p.m.
Bishop Warns on Progress
WASHINGTON (NC) - While applauding progress in science and technology, Bishop
Mark J. Hurley warned the U.S. bishops meeting here that this progress poses a
mounting threat to basic individual rights and freedoms. Bishop Hurley, moderator of
the bishops’ Secretariat on Human Values, cited privacy as a major area of concern and
said the invasion of privacy, is being accomplished by the buildup of computerized
dossiers on American citizens.
Doesn’t Like Santa
JACKSON, Miss. (NC) - Bob Kochtitzky is one of those people who doesn’t like
Santa Claus. “Eight years ago I said quits to Christmas,” Kochtitzky said. “Not the
Christmas that symbolizes love, brotherhood, justice and peace and not Jesus’
birthday, the Man of Peace with a few possessions. So he put together a 60-page
catalog listing alternate ways to celebrate Christmas. It’s jammed with ideas on how to
decommercialize the holidays. Each ad represents a charity that might benefit from an
alternative Christmas gift.