Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

% i The Southern Cross DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEWSPAPER Vol. 56 No. 31 Thursday, September 11,1975 Single Copy Price — 15 Cents Seton Canonization Day Is 44 American Day” In Rome VATICAN CITY (NC) - The 15,000 American ticketholders to Mother Elizabeth Seton’s canonization Sept. 14 will find a special edition of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano devoted principally to her, as the first native-born citizen of the United States to be declared a saint. The front page of L’Osservatore Romano’s weekly English edition features a photo of the new saint, a five-day schedule of events and ceremonies, and an account of the canonization itself. A biography of her filled the centerfold. Father Lambert Greenan, the Irish Dominican who edits the worldwide English-language weekly, observed: “While it is true that Mother Seton’s canonization is of greatest interest in America, it is important to the English-speaking world at large.” Reserved sections in St. Peter’s Square for the 9:30 a.m. ceremonies on Sunday, Sept. 14, are set aside for ticketholders, mainly American. The rest of the huge square will be left for the throngs of Romans, the hundreds of pilgrims from the north Italian city of Leghorn, where Mother Seton once lived with a devout Catholic family before her conversion, and Holy Year pilgrims from all over the world. The American presence will be dominant, with 78 U.S. bishops, U.S. Ambassador John Volpe, Presidential Envoy to Pope Paul VI Henry Cabot Lodge, Secretary of the Navy J. William Middendorf II, and a group of high-ranking naval officers listed to be present. The Navy officials were delegated because Mother Seton’s two sons both served in the Navy, William as a Captain and Richard as a captain’s clerk. In the party will be Rear Admiral (Msgr.) John J. O’Connor, chief of chaplains of the Navy, who is a priest of the Philadelphia archdiocese. A portrait of the new saint, an 18-by-12-foot painting, was commissioned to hang from the balcony from which the Pope traditionally imparts his blessing “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and to the world) on Christmas and Easter. NBC has scheduled a special hour-long telecast of the canonization, entitled “A Saint for America,” the day Seton Descendants There are a number of direct descendants of Mother Elizabeth Seton in the area served by THE SOUTHERN CROSS. The family of Richard Craig, of Augusta, are direct descendants of America’s first native bom saint. According to Craig other descendants include: The families of Mrs. Jeanette Burton, North Augusta, S.C.; Mrs. Celeste Griffin, Augusta; Mrs. Louise Anderson, Stevensville, Md.; Dr. James Craig, Savannah and the families of the late James Roosevelt Bayley Craig of Augusta and the late Harry Armstrong Craig of Augusta. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Craig will be in Emmitsburg, Md., this Sunday to attend the celebrations marking the canonization of Mother Seton. of the canonization at 2 p.m. New York time. This will be a joint enterprise with the U.S. Catholic Conference. ABC and CBS have made arrangements to pick up parts of the canonization broadcast: ABC for its “Directions” series from 1 to 1:30 p.m., and CBS for “Lamp Unto My Feet,” from 10 to 10:30 a.m., both on the day of the canonization. Twenty-seven of the American bishops to attend the canonization were already in temporary residence at the graduate house of North American College for a month-long consultation with leading theologians, philosophers and experts in Scripture. Mother Seton’s canonization is officially characterized as the Vatican’s special celebration of “International Women’s Year,” paying tribute to a woman who passed through every possible state of life, including marriage, motherhood, widowhood and the Religious life. Mother Seton’s Episcopalian background lends a special ecumenical dimension to the canonization. Bishop John Allin, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church in America, has sent two bishops and one clergyman as an official delegation. Four women will break Vatican precedent at the canonization by taking a speaking part in the ceremonies. The four - a young girl, a mother, a widow and a Religious - will give a brief oral presentation of the four stages of the life of Mother Seton -- girlhood, motherhood, widowhood and Religious life. Vatican sources believe that this will be the first time that women will have speaking roles in a papal ceremony at the Vatican. It is also believed to be the first time that presentations of this nature will be made at a canonization. SATURDAY-SEPT. 20 Savannah Deanery Assembly The Savannah Self-Study Steering Committee has announced the schedule for the history-making Deanery Assembly which will be held Saturday, September 20, at Blessed Sacrament Church. This highly important phase of the self-study process will begin with registration between 9:00 and 9:30 a.m. The Most Reverend Raymond Lessard, Bishop of Savannah, will preside at a concelebrated mass and will deliver the homily. Following the Mass, beginning at 10:30 a.m., will be a general session in which an overview of the self-study will be presented. Lunch is scheduled for noon and assembly participants are asked to bring their own. Drinks will be furnished. The Assembly will reconvene at 12:45 at which time group sessions will be organized. Parish Councils, Parish School Boards and educators, and Deanery Pastoral Council members are the three anticipated breakdowns. While members of these organizations are especially urged to attend the Assembly, it should be noted that all persons who wish to participate in setting missions, goals and objectives for the Savannah Church are invited to attend. The entire assemblage will come back together at 2 p.m. for a closing session with adjournment scheduled for 2:30. According to Paul W. Ramee, chairman of the Savannah Self-Study Steering Committee, it is the purpose of this Deanery Assembly to place the tools of planning and self study in the hands of Catholics throughout the Savannah Dejfcnery. Also, it is the Steering Committee’s hope to receive input from every Catholic interested in the planning and renewal of their church. Core Doctrines Of Faith Deanery Workshops’ Theme CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION SUNDAY -- Children of Savannah’s St. Mary’s Home, pictured above, are looking forward to the 100th anniversary of the Home to be observed this Sunday, Sept. 14. Bishop Raymond Lessard will be the principal celebrant of the Centennial Mass at 1 p.m. A reception and open house will be held immediately following the Mass until 5 p.m. Pictured with the children are Sister Theresa Mary Sumner and Miss Edith Johnson. The Home is located at 2170 East Victory Drive. Grant To Fund Marian Study DENVER (NC) - The executive committee of the Catholic Biblical Association (CBA), at the association’s annual convention here, authorized a $1,000 grant to the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs to fund a Lutheran-Catholic study of “Mary in the New Testament.” Sponsored by the bishops’ committee in collaboration with the national committee of the Lutheran World Federation, the study, like the recent joint study “Peter in the New Testament,” will involve biblical scholars of faiths other than Catholic and Lutheran. “Mary in the New Testament” is scheduled for completion by the end of 1976. The executive committee also pledged a tithe of about $1,200 of membership dues for famine relief. About 150 CBA members attended the four-day convention here. Among the resolutions passed was one stating that the CBA, recognizing that “in this International Women’s Year all Christians are called on to reaffirm and wherever possible implement the principles of complete equality of all the children of God as clearly set forth in His Holy Word . . . strongly reaffirms its whole-hearted and unreserved acceptance of the full implication of the Christian message as it is set forth by St. Paul in his epistle to the Galatians: ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’” “What do we really believe? What is the heart and core of our faith as Catholics? This will be the theme of four Deanery Workshops to be presented by the Savannah Diocesan Department of Christian Formation in September, November, January and March. Conducting these workshops will be Father Michael Smith of the Diocesan D.C.F. The program will provide an opportunity for people of the diocese to deepen their understanding of the faith that grounds and guides their lives. Dates and times in the various deaneries are as follows: WAYCROSS - Sat. Sept. 13 - 11:00 - 12:30 - St. Joseph’s Academy; STATESBORO - Sun. Sept. 14 - 3:30 - 5:00 - St. Matthew’s Hall; MACON - Tues. Sept. 16 - 8:00 - 9:30 St. Joseph’s Center. COLUMBUS - Wed. Sept. 17 - 8:00 - 9:30 - Holy Family Social Center; ALBANY - Sat. Sept. 20 - 11:00 to 12:30 - St. Teresa’s School; SAVANNAH - Mon. Sept. 29 - 8:00 - 9:30 - Blessed Sacrament School; AUGUSTA - Tues. Sept. 30 - 8:00 - 9:30 - St. Mary’s School. Questionnaire In This Issue The Savannah Deanery Self-Study Questionnaire is reproduced in this issue of the SOUTHERN CROSS. It will be found immediately adjacent to the editorial page. The Chatham Self-Study Committee presents this advance look at the survey questions to allow Catholics of the Deanery to consider the answers they wish to make. The Questionnaire will be distributed and filled out at Masses in all churches of the Deanery the weekend of September 20-21. Markwalter Named Editor Of ‘The Southern Cross’ Waycross Ministerial Group Has Priest As Its President For the first time under the leadership of a Catholic president, the Waycross Area Ministerial Association, held its first meeting of the year on Monday, September 8. These new officers were installed: President, Fr. Michael J. O’Keeffe; Vice-president, Rev. Trent Howell, First Presbyterian; Secretary, Rev. J. N. Williams, Friendship Baptist; Treasurer, Rev. Johnny B. Ware, Williams Chapel. In his address to the Ministerial Association,'Fr. O’Keeffe said he was honored to be president of the Ministerial Association. He went on to say that in this ecuminical age “his election showes that the power of the Spirit is bringing us together to confront common problems as a spiritual body in this city.” Fr. O’Keeffe pledged that on his part, he would uphold the dignity of the office of president and to be a bridge builder, between the many denominations. OFFICERS INSTALLED -- Officers of the Waycross Ministerial Association were installed recently. Left to right are the Rev. Jim Chester, pastor of First United Methodist Church, outgoing president and member of the executive committee: Rev. Johnny B. Ware, pastor of William’s Chapel, treasurer; Rev. J. N. Williams, pastor of Friendship Baptist, secretary; Rev. Trent Howell, pastor of First Presbyterian, vice president; Rev. Michael O’Keefe, pastor of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, president. (Photo courtesy of Waycross Journal-Herald) John E. Markwalter has been named editor of THE SOUTHERN CROSS. The appointment was made this week by Bishop Raymond W. Lessard, of Savannah. Announcing the appointment Bishop Lessard said, “We are indeed fortunate and blessed in having such a person as Mr. Markwalter in the position of editor of THE SOUTHERN CROSS. His many years of Church-related activities in this area and his long experience in the field of Catholic journalism make him eminently qualified for the post. I personally am confident that, along with his continued responsibilities as managing editor of THE GEORGIA BULLETIN, of Atlanta, and THE CATHOLIC BANNER, of Charleston, he will, as editor of THE SOUTHERN CROSS, maintain the high standards which have made our newspaper an award-winning publication.” Markwalter began his career with the Savannah Diocesan newspaper on a full-time basis in 1948. He became Managing editor in 1962 and served in that post until 1969, when the newspapers of Savannah, Atlanta and Charleston began a joint printing venture with publication offices located in Waynesboro, Ga. Markwalter was named Managing Editor of all three papers. In May of 1974, he was named a Knight of St. Gregory the Great by Pope Paul VI. The honor was bestowed in recognition of over twenty-five years of service in the field of Catholic Journalism. The new editor is married to the former Louise D’Antignac. The couple has three children and are members of St. Mary’s parish, Augusta. John E. Markwalter