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The Southern Cross
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEWSPAPER
Vol. 56 No. 19 Thursday, May 8,1975 Single Copy Price — 15 Cents
ANNUAL CONVENTION
NCCW Director Addresses Diocesan Women
Bishop Raymond W. Lessard, Miss Margaret Mealey,
Banquet speaker; Mrs. William A. Kempton, President
of Savannah Diocesan CCW; and Rev. Lawrence A.
MEETS NEAR BRUNSWICK
Lucree, Moderator of Savannah Diocesan Council of
Catholic Women at annual DCCW Convention in
Savannah, April 27.
Episcopal-Catholic Conference
By Rev. David Pritchard
Ed., “Episcopal Church in Georgia”
A two day, ecumenical conference
was held April 29th to May 1st at the
Georgia Episcopal Conference Center
near Brunswick to study two agreed
statements, produced by the
Anglican-Roman Catholic International
Commission (ARCIC).
Sixty clergy, almost evenly divided
between the Episcopal Diocese of
Georgia and the (Roman) Catholic
Diocese of Savannah, were present for
the discussions. Both Bishop Raymond
Lessard, of the Diocese of Savannah,
and Bishop Paul Reeves, of the Diocese
of Georgia, were in attendance.
Leaders for the sessions were the Rev.
A1 Laubenthal, Professor of Systematic
Theology at St. Mary Seminary,
Cleveland, Ohio, and the Rev. Michael
Marshall, Vicar of All Saints’ Church,
Margaret St., London and
bishop-designate of the Diocese of
Woolwich. Fr. Laubenthal is a member
of the American Anglican-Roman
Catholic Commission (A/RC).
The two statements under
consideration were the “Windsor
Statement on Eucharistic Doctrine” of
1971 and the “Canterbury Statement
on the Doctrine of the Ministry” of
1973.
Fr. Marshall expressed his pleasure at
three features of the Windsor
Statement: the emphasis on biblical
foundation, the approach to Christ’s
presence in the Eucharist as what rather
than how, and the strong element on
eschatology.
Fr. Laubenthal singled out the action
orientation as well as the emphasis on
Christ’s sacrifice being perpetuated as
added features of the document.
Between presentations by both
leaders on each of the documents, the
clergy divided into area groupings to
discuss the points raised and to propose
additional questions.
After the last presentation they
The Senate of Religious of the
Savannah Diocese adopted a statement
which included a call for a boycott of
all grapes, wines and farm goods not
bearing the label of the United Farm
Workers (UFWA) at its April meeting.
Main topic of discussion at the
meeting was “The Meaning of Poverty
for Religious of Today.”
According to Sister Mary of the
Angels, I.H.M., Senate President,
“various levels of the vow of poverty
were examined from awareness of the
need to give external proof of authentic
poverty on a personal level to the wider
realm of identification of Religious with
the poor and oppressed, as expressions
of poverty.”
Senate members adopted the
following statement on poverty:
“Our vow of poverty calls, demands,
considered various ways of furthering
ecumenical contact with each other and
between congregations.
Each day the Eucharist was
celebrated according to both rites at
different times in the morning. This was
necessary since even limited
intercommunion is not possible at the
present time.
At the closing Eucharist, the Rt. Rev.
Paul Reeves read a draft of a covenant
which he and the Most Rev. Raymond
Lessard expect to sign shortly. The
covenant provides for increased
cooperation and contact between the
two dioceses.
Arrangements for the conference
were made by the Ecumenical Officers
of the respective dioceses, the Rev. John
Cuddy, Pastor of St. Joseph’s Church,
Macon, and the Rev. Harry Shipps,
Rector of St. Alban’s Church, Augusta.
us to be totally and honestly open to
every human need; to seek out these
needs and to respond to them in specific
ways according to current trends, not as
secular philanthropists, but as women
driven by the love of Christ into the
heart of the poor.
“We, therefore, wish (1) to be
recognized as supporters of the United
Farm Workers of America (UFWA) as
encouraged by the Catholic bishops of
the United States, and urge the boycott
of all grapes, wines and farm goods not
carrying the UFWA.
“(2) We wish to encourage like
support by all Christians dedicated to
justice.
“(3) We will do all in our power to
educate those with whom we work,
especially our students, to a deep
awareness of those in need both close at
hand and beyond our local boundaries.”
BY TICKI LLOYD
The annual Convention of the
Diocesan Council of Catholic Women,
held in Savannah, April 26-27, drew
record attendance of 301 persons to the
Convention, including Bishop Raymond
Lessard, 22 priests, 30 nuns, 30
registered board members, 83 registered
delegates from affiliates, 110 registered
non-voting members, 5 guests and 20
others.
Theme of this year’s Convention
was, “Reconciled by the Christ Who
Renews, Unites and Frees.”
Following the invocation by Bishop
Lessard, the assemlby joined in singing,
“God Bless America.”
Rev. Lawrence Lucree, Diocesan
Moderator, introduced the guest
speaker, Miss Margaret Mealey,
Executive Director of the National
Council of Catholic Women.
Bringing greetings from Bernice Zilly,
NCCW president, and the staff at
National headquarters, Miss Mealey
expressed pleasure on her first visit to
Savannah.
She has served as Executive Director
of NCCW since 1949. In her capacity as
Executive Director of one of the world’s
largest women’s organizations (reaching
an estimated 10 million women),
including 120 dioceses, she has also
served on the Citizens Advisory Council
on the Status of Women under four
presidents, namely, John Kennedy,
Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and
continues to serve under President Ford.
She was recently named “Church
Woman of the Year” by the Religious
Heritage Association of America.”
She asked the delegates, “Do you
realize how important you are? Every
organization federation in the Savannah
Diocesan Council, every member in
your deanery, your local parish or
inter-parochial organization are working
in unison with your sisters throughout
the world. We fail to realize the
importance of our daily efforts and yet
without them nothing would be
possible. There would be no Savannah
Council, no National Council, or World
Union to take its place with other
organizations and to make our Christian
voice be heard in the arena of the nation
and the world for the values we hold
essential.”
Stating that this was the year of the
Catholic Woman, she reminded her
listeners that we as women do not and
cannot separate ourselves from our
sisters around the world. “Your
presence here tonight evidences your
interest in pursuing your potential and
your responsibilities in the mission of
the church,” she added.
Miss Mealey further stated that
International Women’s Year, proclaimed
by the Grand Assembly bf the United
Nations has certain goals including the
promotion of equality between men and
women; insuring the full integration of
women in the total effort for economic,
social, and cultural development; and
recognizing the importance of women’s
increasing contribution to the
development of friendly relations and
cooperation between nations and to the
strengthening of peace in the world.
She particularly stressed that women
are becoming more aware of their
dignity as full human beings; aware of
their aspirations and their potentials
which they now have an opportunity to
fully develop; aware of the force they
do represent in the world for the
common good of humanity, for peace
and development. She stated: “Women
should abandon their still too passive
mentality and adopt a more active,
more committed attitude.”
“Vatican II gave the laity its
gauntlet,” she said. “Our task is to
measure up to this challenge and as we
strive to make our contributions, it is
incumbent upon us to look to the
future and to set our goals. Goals and
objectives which have sustained us
during the period of our organization,
today must be evaluated in the light of
today.”
Mrs. Tisdale, president of An Lac
Orphanage Inc. in Saigon, Vietnam, and
wife of Dr. Patrick Tisdale of Columbus,
Georgia, was an afternoon workshop
speaker. During recent years they have
added five Vietnamese orphans to their
family of five active boys.
Mrs. Tisdale says that after she read
Dr. Tom Dooley’s book, “Deliver Us
From Evil,” she became interested in
the work to be done in Vietnam. “At
that time,” Betty said, “I was secretary
to Senator Jacob Javits, D. N.Y., and
when I learned that Dr. Dooley was in
New York undergoing treatment for
cancer, I told him I would do anything
to help. I did his typing and transcribing
INSIDE STORY
Israeli Premier
Pg. 3
Know Your Faith
Pg. 5
Life in Music
Pg. 6
Catholic Population
Pg. 7
(Continued on Page 7)
EPISCOPAL ANDS, ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS enjoy a few
moments relaxation with Bishop Raymond W. Lessard during intermission
between discussions at the joint Episcopal-Catholic Conference held April
29-May 1 at the Episcopal Conference Center near Brunswick, Georgia.
(Photo by Rev. Forrest Ethridge, “The Episcopal Church in Georgia”)
HEADLINE
HOPSCOTCH
(t
Guam Catholics Aid Refugees
AGANA, Guam (NC) - A massive, around-the-clock volunteer effort by Catholics
on this U.S. island territory in the Pacific is helping to care for the spiritual and
physical needs of the Vietnamese refugees. Nearly 40,000 refugees have been flown
here, housed and fed since evacuation Operation New Life began the last week of
April. Here they have been receiving preliminary health and immigration clearances
before moving on to camps in the United States. Bishop Belixberto Flores of Agana,
citing the tremendous volunteer work of priests, Sisters and military chaplains, said
that “40 percent of the refugees are Catholic, probably due to the French influence in
Vietnam.” (The population of Guam is about 80 percent Catholic.) the volunteers
come from the civilian community as well as from the military dependents on Guam.
Child-Labor Bill Beaten
WASHINGTON (NC) - The House Committee on Education and Labor by a 21-11
vote has killed a bill that would have weakened agricultural child labor laws by
allowing children under 12 to work in the fields. The bill was strongly supported by
strawberry growers in Oregon and potato growers in Maine, among others. Opposition
from labor and migrant groups was coordinated by.the United Farm Workers of
America (UFWA). The U.S. Catholic Conference and the U.S. Department of Labor
also opposed the bill.
Nuns Criticize Revision
CHICAGO (NC) - The National Coalition of American Nuns (NCAN), an activist
nuns’ organization, has criticized the process of revising canon law for Religious for
failing to involve Americans or women in the revision. “American Religious will not
accep* something so authoritarian, so obtuse and oppressive,” NCAN said in its
newsletter published here. “Thinking and caring Religious will not accept this
unilateral decision-making.”
Seminary Situation 'Critical’
WASHINGTON (NC) -- The situation of Catholic college seminaries in the United
States has reached a critical stage. According to a report released here by the Center
for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), a fourth of the collete seminaries
that existed eight years ago have closed. In the remainder enrollment has declined by
about half. In addition, the report suggested that a number of the remaining seminaries
may be forced to close because of a lack of students.
Christian-Jewish Relations
NEW YORK (NC) -- Three top U.S. leaders in Christian-Jewish relations have said
that relations between Christians and Jews have improved noticeably in the past year.
At a press conference here May 1 the three - a Catholic, a Protestant and a Jew --
warned, however, that a hard core of anti-Semitism remains. Father Edward Flannery,
director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Catholic-Jewish Relate > cited recently
published Vatican guidelines for relations between Catholics and Jews as a “landmark
in Catholic-Jewish understanding.”
Religious Senate Meets
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