Newspaper Page Text
t
I
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEWSPAPER
Vol. 56 No. 17
Thursday, April 24,1975
Single Copy Price — 15 Cents
TO CORRECT STRUCTURAL DAMAGE
Cathedral Slates Repairs, Renovations
ART FORM USED TO EXPRESS PRAYER. During a recent Sunday
Mass at St. Teresa’s church, Albany, the city’s Murphy Dancers performed
four interpretative dances to illustrate the processional, offertory,
Communion and recessional hymns. Said Father Herbert Wellmeier,
pastor, “Dance was a form of worship in Old Testament times and in the
early Christian church, but with the passage of time, its use in worship
declined. After a long absence, dance is taking its first steps back into the
church. In the light of history, it is fitting that we, too, say our prayers
with dancing.’’
CATECHETICAL DIRECTORY
Eastern Rite Input
WASHINGTON (NC) Two
Eastern-rite theologians have been
named to work with the committee
staff of the National Catechetical
Directory (NCD), in a move that was
described as precedent-setting by a top
NCD official.
The two are Msgr. Seely Beggiani,
rector of Our Lady of Lebanon
Maronite-rite seminary in Washington,
D.C., and Father John Zeyack, pastor of
St. Nicholas’ Catholic Church, Danbury,
Conn., and diocesan director of religious
education for the Ruthenian-rite
Diocese of Passaic, N.J.
Msgr. Wilfrid Paradis, national project
director of the NCD said the addition of
the two priests “will assist in giving an
Eastern-rite dimension” to the
directory. He pointed out that last
November for the same reason Auxiliary
Bishop Basil Losten of the
Ukrainian-rite Archdiocese of
Philadelphia was made a member of the
Bishops’ Policy and Review Committee,
which oversees the NCD preparation.
The NCD is intended as a guide for
Catholic religious education throughout
the United States. It is currently in the
first of three draft stages and is
expected to undergo extensive
consultation and revision before the
final version is approved.
The NCD, Msgr. Paradis said, “will be
a document for both the Eastern
Catholic Churches and the Latin-rite
Church. The only way this can be done
successfully is with the participation of
Eastern-rite scholars.”
He said he believes the directory
project is the “first attempt” to bring
the active collaboration of Eastern-rite
Catholics into the development of a
major document for the U.S. Church.
The prospect of strong Eastern-rite
input is “quite exciting,” he said,
adding: “If the theologies and
spirituality and the rites, customs and
practices of the Eastern-rite Churches
are incorporated into the directory, it
will enrich all of us.”
Msgr. Beggiani was ordained in 1961
and received a doctoral degree in
theology from the Catholic University
of America here in 1963. He has written
several theological books and articles. In
addition to his post as rector of the
Maronite seminary here, he is a lecturer
at Catholic University and a diocesan
consultor and chairman of the
catechetical committee for the
Maronite-rite Diocese of St. Maron in
Detroit.
Mrs. William A. Kempton
Msgr. D.J. Bourke
/
INSIDE STORY
Women Cannot Be Ordained...
Pg. 2
New Publishing Rules
Pg. 3
Hunger Fight
Pg. 7
Hospital Officers
Pg. 8
S
-J
In preparation for the 100th
anniversary of the Cathedral of St. John
the Baptist, the Diocese of Savannah, in
cooperation with Cathedral Parish, will
launch a three month program of
education. The program will be
presented by Mr. Willy Malarcher of the
firm of Rambusch, Inc., New York, and
will center attention on contempory
liturgical requirements and architecture.
Invited to the meetings, besides
members of the Cathedral Parish, are
representatives of Parish Councils
throughout the Savannah Deanery as
well as the membership of the Diocesan
Liturgical Commission.
“Since the Cathedral is both a parish
and a diocesan structure as well, it
seemed feasible,” said Father Lawrence
A. Lucree, Rector of tbe Cathedral, “to
include representation from the parishes
in Chatham County as well as the entire
membership of the Diocesan Liturgical
Commission.” He noted, however, that
the meetings will be open to the public.
In recent years the steeple areas of
the Cathedral have suffered from soil
disturbance, with the result of sinkage
and separation. The Cathedral’s upper
portion will be closed beginning May
31, to rectify this problem as well as to
make other needed repairs.
Immediate plans call for the
installation of tie-rods hoping that such
will eliminate any further movement of
the steeples. Injections of chemicals into
the soil beneath the Cathedral will
probably follow to further assure the
solidity of the soil. The Savannah
engineering firm of Thomas and Hutton
has been designated General Contractor.
The second phase of renovation,
following upon the stabilization of the
steeples, will take place primarily in the
sanctuary area.
The scope of Mr. Malarcher’s
presentations will be to instruct those
attending the meetings on the
requirements of liturgy today, to
examine the various possibilities for
renovation and adaptation of the
interior of the Cathedral, and to assist in
(Continued on Page 7)
SAVANNAH
DCCW Convention This Week
Fr. Lucree
BY TICKI LLOYD
The 36th Annual Convention of
DCCW is scheduled for April 25, 26 and
27 at the DeSoto Hilton Hotel in
Savannah. This year’s theme is
“Reconciled by the Christ Who Renews,
^ Frees and Unites.”
Bishop Raymond W. Lessard of the
Diocese of Savannah will be the
principal celebrant of a concelebrated
Mass at 9 a.m. at the Cathedral of St.
John the Baptist on Sunday, April 27.
The Convention opens Friday, April
25 with registration from 5 until 8 p.m.
in the hotel lobby, and on Saturday
from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Mrs. William Schneider, general
chairman and Mrs. Thomas Fultz, Jr.,
have affected numerous plans including
a buffet dinner sponsored by the
Savannah Deanery at 8 p.m. on Friday,
April 25 at St. Vincent’s Academy
Gymnasium, and two interesting tours
on Saturday. An optional Mass will be
celebrated at 9 a.m. in the Pulaski
Room of the hotel.
Mrs. Eugene Smith and Mrs. J. Harry
Persee will lead a Sharing Session at
1:30 p.m. in the Harborview Room of
the hotel on Saturday, April 26. The
subject is “Natural Family Planning.”
Following this session, a business
meeting presided over by Mrs. William
A. Kempton, president of DCCW will be
held at 2:30 p.m. Mr. Thomas Coleman,
chairman of the Chatham County
Commissioners will bring greetings from
the city and county to the assembly,
Mrs. Kempton was bom and educated
in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Her
husband is a Navy career man and they
have two daughters, both attending St.
Francis Xavier School in Brunswick.
The Kemptons have been residents on
St. Simons Island for six years, and are
members of St. William’s Church.
Besides being DCCW president, Mrs.
Kempton is president of St. William’s
Council of Catholic Women; secretary
on St. Francis Xavier School Board;
member of St. Francis Xavier Home and
School Association and the Knights of
Columbus Auxiliary, Brunswick.
She has previously been president of
the Valdosta-Brunswick Deanery; vice
president, St. William’s PCCW; Right to
Life Chairman Savannah DCCW;
chairman of St. William’s Annual Bazaar
and committee chairman for publicity
St. Francis Xavier Home and School
Association.
A Workshop at 3:30 p.m. conducted
by Mrs. Patrick Tisdale of Columbus,
Ga. will follow the business meeting. At
that time Mrs. Tisdale will relate her
experiences as president of An Lac
Organization, Inc., in Saigon, Vietnam.
All of the sessions will be held in the
Harborview Room.
Highlight of the Convention is the
banquet at 7:30 p.m. in the Grand
Ballroom at which time Bishop Lessard
will give the invocation. The guest
speaker, Miss Margaret Mealey,
Executive Director of the National
Council of Catholic Women, will be
presented by Rev. Lawrence Lucree,
Diocesan Moderator. Miss Mealey’s
topic is “The Year of the Catholic
Woman.”
Father Lucree, a native Savannahian,
is currently rector of the Cathedral in
Savannah. He was ordained in 1960
after completing studies at St. Mary’s
Seminary, Roland Park, Md.
Rt. Rev. Daniel Bourke, Associate
DCCW Moderator, will give the response
to Miss Mealey’s address. Msgr. Bourke
was born in Birr, County of Offlay
Ireland. He was ordained at All Hallow’s
on the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist
in 1934. He has served as pastor of
Blessed Sacrament, Savannah; St.
Teresa’s, Albany; St. Mary’s on the Hill,
Augusta and the Cathedral of St. John
the Baptist, Savannah. He is presently
Diocesan Comptroller.
Following the Mass at 9 a.m. Sunday
at the Cathedral, Mrs. Kempton will
preside over a brunch meeting in the
Grand Ballroom of the hotel, with the
principal speaker, Mr. Frank Rossiter,
Mayor Pro-Tern of Savannah, whose
subject will be “Savannah’s History.”
Mrs. E.J. Coury, of Charleston, S.C.,
Atlanta Province Director of NCCW will
bring greetings from the
Council of Catholic Women.
National
After a brief message from Bishop
Lessard, Father Lucree will install
officers for the next term, and a
location for the 1976 Convention will
be announced.
Bishop Lessard
i
HEADLINE
ff
¥
HOPSCOTCH
'^1
Portugal’s Religious Liberty
PARIS (NC) - “There is not the slightest danger to religious liberty” in Portugal,
according to Cardinal Antonio Ribeiro of Lisbon. The cardinal suggested in an
interview in the newspaper Le Monde that Catholic cautions today should not be
misunderstood and that the Church may have been wrong in not criticizing the
previous regime, which was toppled about a year ago.
Sorrow at Violence
MILAN, Italy (NC) - Cardinal Ciovanni Colombo of Milan and the other bishops of
Italy, expressing sorrow at widespread political violence here that has resulted in two
deaths, have called on Italians to restore order and reject revenge. The pleas came after
a 17-year-old student was slain April 17 in a scuffle with neo-Fascist youths. His death
touched off violent demonstrations during which a speeding police jeep struck and
killed a 27-year-old man.
O’Neill Joins CRS
NEW YORK (NC) - James C. O’Neill, former chief of the NC News Service bureau
in Rome for the past 10 years, has joined Catholic Relief Services here as an assistant
director of the office of information promotion and appeals in charge of press
relations. The appointment was announced by Bishop Edward E. Swanstrom, CRS
executive director, as an expansion of existing information facilities to cope with the
steadily increasing demands for news about CRS aid and relief work.
Want ’Fairer-Minded’ Appointments
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (NC) -- The Catholic bishops of Missouri have written to
Gov. Christopher S. Bond asking that fairer-minded persons be appointed to the State
Board of Education. The letter, a rare move by the heads of the state’s four dioceses,
was disclosed here by the Missouri Catholic Conference, a joint agency of the four
Missouri dioceses. The 1,200-word letter cited past cases of unequal and seemingly
hostile attitudes by the eight-member state board toward nonpublic schools, pupils
and teachers.