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4 1 I v ' . . “Heartfelt Greetings And Good Wishes 99 My dear friends in Christ, As the great feast of Christmas approaches, I am pleased to send to all the people of the Diocese of Savannah heartfelt greetings and good wishes. The occasion is also a fitting one for me to share with you a few timely thoughts. The first sentiment I want to express is that of profound gratitude for the admirable generosity you have continued to show this past year. It is indeed a source of encouragement and edification that, in spite of the present economic conditions and uncertainties, your response to our diocesan needs, as especially demonstrated in the Confraternity of the Laity Drive, and to the various national appeals, such as the Mission Collection, the Bishops’ Overseas Relief Program, and the Campaign for Human Development, has been so magnanimous and generous. It is without doubt an indication of a living Christian faith finding its effective expression in charitable acts. I also want to give grateful recognition to those of you who give so liberally as well of your time and talents. I have occasions to thank our sisters, brothers and priests who, by profession and consecration, seek to “build up the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12) in our diocese. Now, I extend a word of profound gratitude to the many others who also serve the Church in so many different ways, whether in our parishes and institutions or as members and consultants of the various diocesan boards and commissions. Your work often goes unnoticed; be assured that it does not go unappreciated.” With the celebration of Christmas next week, the Church will bring to a close the celebration of the Holy Year. As we reflect once more on its twin themes of renewal and reconciliation, we are reminded that these two principles of the Jubilee are not confined to a calendar event we call the Holy Year; they are rather the twofold challenge which Jesus extends to us when He calls us to be His people. Just as they constitute the mission and purpose of the Church, so also they are the focal point of our identity as the members of that Church, His living Body. Only to the extent that we are renewed and reconciled can we ever hope to form with Christ that TOTUS CHRISTUS, “the whole Christ” of which St. Augustine speaks (cfr. Serm. 341, 1,1), that united communion of humanity in Christ, which is the great plan of God’s love for us. My dear friends, that is the mystery of Christmas, the full manifestation of the Father’s love for His children in sending His only Son to become one with us in our humanity. In closing, I want to share with you the privilege I will have to be present in Rome next week for the official closing ceremonies of the Holy Year. While I regret not being here with you in the diocese to celebrate the Christmas Liturgy of Midnight Mass at the Cathedral, it will be a joy for me to visit Rome at this time and to participate, in your name as well as in my own, in the concluding ceremonies of the Holy Year, the closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve. As a pledge of my good wishes for a blessed Christmas, I shall be pleased to carry with me on this pilgrimage and to make my own your intentions and prayers and to offer to the Holy Father your sentiments of abiding love and affection, testimony of that “fellowship in the spirit” (Phil. 2:1) which instils in us, “the community of believers ... one heart and one mind” (Acts 4:32). Devotedly yours in Christ, ids Bishop of Savannah The Southern Cross DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEWSPAPER Vol. 56 No. 45 Thursday, December 18,1975 Single Copy Price — 15 Cents 1 i f NCCB Head Asks Promotion Of Women’s Role In Church I ATRIX MADONNA AND CHILD - This unusual drawing of the Madonna and child is made up completely from the names of the Sisters, staff and children of the Angel Guardian Home in Brooklyn, N.Y. The home, run by the Sisters of Mercy, has about 2,000 children under its care. (NC Photo) CINCINNATI (NC) •• International Women’s Year has focused on women’s role in development and peace in 1975 but the role of women in the Church also needs to be promoted, Archbishop Joseph L. Bernardin of Cincinnati said at a Mass on the feast of the Immaculate Conception observing the close of International Women’s Year. Speaking at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral to approximately 400 women and men, the archbishop said women “are called today to a greater leadership role in the Church and their contributions to the decision-making process are needed at every level.” He called for “dialogue with the whole Church” about ways to “bring more women, with their unique talents and charisms, into the mainstream of the life of the Church.” He observed that in recent years the Church has grown more aware of the variety of ministries open to women and has become “more sensitive to the fact that they are called in very special ways to participate in the essential work of evangelization.” Acknowledging that there is “a heightened awareness of woman’s essential equality with man . . . based ultimately on the dignity of the human person who is created in the image and likeness of God,” Archbishop Bernardin stressed that “equality does not mean sameness; there is a distinction between man and woman. Though equal, they are different,” he said, calling these differences complementary rather than conflicting. Viewing the new sensitivity about equality between men and women as a catalyst that has had an impact in every area of society, Archbishop Bernardin also noted that it has given rise to “needed changes in the Church.” Women in the Cincinnati archdiocese, he said, “are very much involved in the life of the Church,” whether in parish councils, the pastoral council, archdiocesan commissions, old or new ministries. But “more will be done,” he stated, although “there might be misunderstandings and even disagreements as to the course we should follow.” “The important thing is that we never let anything stand in the way of our communication and dialogue with each other. In the final analysis only truth - the truth of Christ as handed on to us by His Church - can be the criterion by which we evaluate our efforts of the past and plan for the present future,” the archbishop said. and It is fitting to mark the closing of International Women’s Year on the feast of Mary, he said, noting that her place in the mystery of Christ and the Church makes her a model for men as well as women. “The example of Mary’s life can be of great help to us . . .” he said, calling her “a woman who because of her complete commitment to God’s will became the perfect disciple, the perfect Christian.” No Paper Dec. 25-EarIy Deadline There will be no SOUTHERN CROSS issued on Thursday, December 25. The long standing policy of not publishing the last week of the year allows our staff to spend the holidays with their families. As the issue of Thursday, January 1st, falls on a holiday, all local items to appear in that week must be received in the Savannah editorial office no later than Friday, December 26th. A m HEADLINE HOPSCOTCH Ford Asked For Extension Pope Paul Says Hope A ‘Breakthrough’ VATICAN CITY (NC) - One of the “breakthroughs” of the 1975 Holy Year has been an upsurge in hope, needed to walk the “rough road” of Christian living, Pope Paul VI said Dec. 10. “There is another consequence, another consignment, another ‘souvenir’ of the Holy Year for the pilgrimage in the near future of the People of God ... hope,” the Pope told his general audience. “If virtue, we are our not supported perseverance is by this not a certainty. We could get lost on the way, and today, unfortunately, that is so easy to do.” The Pope gave reasons why Christian ideals can be lost without hope. The ideals seem “difficult and far off.” They are threatened by contemporary hedonism and opportunism and by the tendency to believe only in the tangible world, he said. The Pope said that God’s providence “unfolds for the faithful inestimable treasures, some of them already given and enjoyed, but the greater part only promised ... to the person who knows how to wait for, to wish for and to hope for them.” The Pope declared: “Without destroying immediate human hopes, the unfailing and incomparable hopes of the Christian cosmos get the better of the brief, unsure and misleading hopes of those who try to construct a pagan and materialistic humanism.” He said that hedonism, which “seems to be the overriding force in the lives of so many people,” is the “enemy of virtue which aims for goods which are lofty, still to come and whose possession is not guaranteed.” Speaking of today’s “opportunism,” the Pope said: “replacing people’s enthusiasm for resistance, courage and sacrifice are the criteria of utility, the acceptance of fashion, trust in the majority, and aversion for maintaining a precise, strong and discomforting stance.” WASHINGTON (NC) -- A Catholic Press Association (CPA) official has asked President Gerald Ford to provide for the funding needed to extend the time during which second class postal rate increases for newspapers and magazines are to take effect. In a letter to Ford, the official, John F. Fink, chairman of the CPA government relations committee told the President that many religious publications might fold if they must pay even higher rates than those now scheduled. Eucharistic Congress Invitation WASHINGTON (NC) - Archbishop Joseph L. Bernardin of Cincinnati and Cardinal John Krol of Philadelphia have invited Catholics through the world to participate in next year’s 41st International Eucharistic Congress. The invitation was sent (Dec. 8) to the presidents of all episcopal conferences, who were asked to extend its message to the bishops, clergy, religious and laity of their respective nations. Pastoral Planners Meet OMAHA, Neb. (NC) - If pastoral planners endorse “every new idea that comes along” the job of caring for the needs of Catholics is “reduced to faddism,” Archbishop John R. Quinn of Oklahoma City told diocesan pastoral planners here. Keynoting the third annual National Pastoral Planning Conference Dec. 14, Archbishop Quinn said there is a danger in dismissing the “institutional Church as a mere adjunct to the real Church.” “This spiritualized vision of a purified Church may be enchanting,” he noted, “but it is not true and it is certainly not the Church revealed by Christ.” Christmas Collection For St . Mary’s Dependent children of the Savannah Diocese are beneficiaries of the annual Christmas Collection. We ask our readers to bear this collection in mind and to give their first gift to The Christ Child for the children of St. Mary’s Home.