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The Southern Cross
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEWSPAPER
Vol. 57 No. 18
Thursday, April 29,1976
Single Copy Price — 15 Cents
AUGUSTA CONVENTION - Pictured prior to
Saturday evening Banquet of 37th Annual Convention
of the Savannah Diocesan Council of Catholic Women
are: Rev. John Burke, O. P. Banquet Speaker; Mrs.
William A. Kempton, DCCW president; Bishop
Raymond W. Lessard, Bishop of Savannah; Msgr.
Marvin J. LeFrois, Spiritual Moderator of the Augusta
Deanery Council. (Photo by George Champion).
Pope Appoints New Cardinals
VATICAN CITY (NC) - The Vatican
announced that 1 will
create 21 new cardinals at a eonsistory
to be held here May 24.
Other high prelates named for
elevation to the college of cardinals,
were:
Archbishop Victor
Razefimahatratra of Tananarive,
Madagascar;
Among the new cardinals is
Archbishop William Wakefield Baum of
Washington, D.C.; the new primate of
Hungary, Archbishop Laszlo Lekai of
Esztergom; and Archbishop George Basil
Hume of Westminster, England, who
was ordained a bishop only a month
earlier.
-- Archbishop Octavio Beras Rojas of
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic;
-- Bishop Dominic Ekandem of Ikot
Ekpene, Nigeria;
- Archbishop Juan Carlos Aramburu
of Buenos Aires, Argentina;
- Archbishop Opilio Rossi, apostolic
nuncio to Austria;
-- Archbishop Hyacinthe Thiandoum
of Dakar, Senegal;
- Archbishop Giuseppe Maria Senai,
apostolic nuncio to Portugal;
The Pope will also create two
cardinals “in pectore” (in his breast),
meaning that their names will be known
only to Pope Paul himself. This is a
practice often used to honor men
working in socialist bloc countries or in
politically difficult areas where their
elevation to the Sacred College of
Cardinals could provoke persecution.
Archbishop Lawrence Trevor
Picachy of Calcutta, India;
Archbishop Corrado Bafile,
proprefect of the Vatican’s
Congregation for Saints’ Causes;
-- Archbishop Emmanual Nsubuga of
Kampala, Uganda;
-- Archbishop Jaime Sin of Manila,
the Philippines;
-- Archbishop Joseph Schroeffer,
secretary at the Vatican’s Congregation
for Catholic Education; and
The only non-bishop named a
cardinal was Monsignor Boleslaw
Filipiak, dean of the Roman Rota, the
high Church Court.
- Archbishop Reginald John Delargey
of Wellington, New Zealand;
-- Bishop Eduardo Pironio, proprefect
of the Vatican’s Congregation for
Religious.
-- Archbishop Aloysio Lorscheider of
Fortaleza, Brazil;
HEADLINE
HOPSCOTCH
A 49-year-old native of Dallas, Tex.,
Cardinal-elect Baum was ordained in
1951. Following two years of study in
Rome, he was awarded a licentiate and a
doctorate in theology from the
University of St. Thomas Aquinas there.
Law Requires Medical Treatment
He served in a number of pastoral
capacities in Kansas City, Mo., and was
chancellor of the Kansas City-St.
Joseph, Mo., Diocese at the time of his
appointment as Bishop of
Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Mo., in
1970.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (NC) - Minnesota Gov. Wendell Anderson has signed into law a
bill requiring that medical treatment be administered to any child born live as the
result of an abortion. The new law requires a physician other than the abortionist be
“immediately accessible’’ to care for the child in any abortion performed after 20
weeks of gestation.
In early 1973 he was named to
succeed Cardinal Patrick O’Boyle as
head of the Washington archdiocese.
New York’s Problems Addressed
NEW YORK (NC) - The Catholic cardinal and the Episcopal bishop of New York
both addressed their city’s continued fiscal crisis in Easter messages. Cardinal Terence
Cooke called for “the precious gift of hope” and repeated his concern that “the poor
and disadvantaged” will bear a “disproportionate” share of the burden caused by the
crisis. Episcopal Bishop Paul Moore Jr. accused corporations leaving New York City of
“betrayal” because they remove needed jobs and income from the city.
Noted primarily for his leadership in
the ecumenical movement,
Cardinal-elect Baum was the first
executive director of the Commission
for Ecumenical and Interreligious
Affairs of the National Conference of
Catholic Bishops, serving in that post
from 1964 to 1967.
Says Recruit Students
CHICAGO (NC) - The chairman of the U.S. Catholic Conference’s (USCC)
education committee appealed here to every Catholic schoolteacher to recruit two new
pupils each by next September. The 150,000 full-time Catholic elementary and
secondary schoolteachers in the country can recruit 300,000 additional pupils by then,
said the USCC committee chairman, Bishop William E. McManus, auxiliary of Chicago.
“Our success will reverse the perilously downward enrollment trend which even more
than the perennial shortage of funds threatens the future of some Catholic schools,”
Bishop McManus said during a liturgy opening the 73rd annual convention of the
National Catholic Educational Association.
He is also a member of the NCCB
Administrative Committee, chairman of
the bishops’ Committee for Ecumenical
and Interreligious Affairs, an advisor to
the Doctrine Committee, and a member
of the Committee for Bishops’ Welfare
Energy Relief, Committee for Pastoral
Research and Practices, and the
National Catechetical Directory
Committee.
Public Housing Ruling
WASHINGTON (NC) - The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that courts may require
the placement of public housing in the suburbs of a city which has discriminated
against minority groups in its public housing. In so ruling, the Supreme Court agreed
that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Chicago
Housing Authority were both guilty of discrimination in their public housing policies.
The cardinal-elect, to be one of the
nine active and three retired American
cardinals, has had ties with the Vatican,
serving as a member of the Joint
Working Group, consisting of
representatives of the Catholic Church
and the World Council of Churches, a
member of the Mixed Commission of
Catholics and the Lutheran World
Federation, and as a delegate to the
world Synod of Bishops in Rome in
1971. Most recently he was named a
member of the Vatican’s Congregation
for Catholic Education and its
Secretariat for Non-Christians.
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DCCW CONVENTION TOLD:
Women Prominent In Christ’s
Mission Since The Beginning
BY MRS. ERNEST DINKINS
“Women have been prominent in
Christ’s mission since the beginning of
Christ’s Church” Bishop Raymond
Lessard told the gathering at the
Thirty-seventh Annual Convention of
the Savannah Diocesan Council of
Catholic Women in Augusta on the
weekend of the 23rd, 24th and 25th of
April.
“Women were present at the moment
of Christ’s death and at the first
moment of His risen life. This, I am
confident,” the speaker continued, “is
no mere coincidence, but a design of the
Eternal Father concerning the special
role that women have in Christ’s mission
and His Church.” Bishop Lessard said
that the prominence of women in the
beginning of the Church explains their
identity of a prominent place in the
Church today. “We are simply trying to
respond to the call of the Holy Spirit in
the extension of the role of women in
the ministry of Christ in permitting
them at this time to participate in some
ministries,” Bishop Lessard informed
the group. “At no time in the Church
have women been absent, and the
presence of women in the Church is as
old and traditional as the Church itself.
You go in the Name of Jesus and the
name of the Church in whatever
ministry you serve,” he included in his
remarks at the Sunday morning session
of the convention.
At the concelebrated Mass on Sunday
at the Church of The Most Holy Trinity,
Bishop Lessard told those attending that
“If our faith is a living faith, it will also
become a witnessing faith. Because of
the incredible gift of the resurrection of
the Lord, we contemplate it, we behold
it, and we rejoice in it, not only as an
historical fact, but having much more
profound reason than that. We sing, we
praise, and we thank the Lord for we
have experienced the spirituality of His
resurrection, and we know that He is
present and living among us today. And
for that reason, we sing and we proclaim
alleuia.”
Bishop Lessard’s concluding remarks
were addressed particularly to the
women, and he said, “As you come
together as a band of women, women of
Christ, you are proclaiming yourselves
to be women of faith, and you are
accepting that call to be a living and
witnessing faith.”
Concelebrants of the Mass with
Bishop Lessard were Msgr. Daniel J.
Bourke, moderator of the D.C.C.W.;
Msgr. Marvin F. Le Frois, Vicar Forane
of the Augusta Deanery; Father John A.
Kenneally, Chancellor of the Diocese;
Father William F. Simmons, pastor of
The Church of The Most Holy Trinity;
and Father William Collins, Assistant
Pastor.
The music at the Mass was under the
direction of Mrs. G. B. Hannon, and the
organist was Mr. Robert Moore.
Father John Burke of the Dominican
Order of Preachers and Executive
Director of the Word of God Institute in
Washington, D. C., opened his talk at
the Saturday evening banquet with this
prayer:
“Heavenly Father we ask you to
clothe us in your armor, and make us
effective witnesses by making us
effective hearers of your Word.” He
quoted the tenth through the sixteenth
verses of the Sixth Chapter of St. Paul’s
letter to the Ephesians urging Christians
to “Grow strong in the Lord” and
“Carry the shield of faith.”
“Many persons do not experience
Jesus Christ as a source of joy, as the
only true and lasting source of peace, of
self identity and happiness.” Father
Burke continued, “We cannot
experience the saving power, every day
of our lives unless we really know Jesus.
And we cannot know Jesus if we just
know him in the abstract. We need to
know Jesus Christ as a living human
being who died for love, and we need to
know the power that we share today,
through His Spirit.”
The speaker stated that a number of
Catholics simply “hang on to their faith;
they grit their teeth and endure.” He
further stated that some Catholics after
completing their formal study of
religion in schools never study their
religion further. “As a result some have
the mind of a child when they try to
live an adult life in a totally secular
world.” He commented that some
former programs failed to generate an
enthusiam for continuing study of
religion. He further stated that a lack of
appetite for knowledge makes Catholis
often run to a priest whenever the
slightest problem arises.
was the title of the talk by Sister M.
Julian Griffin of the Vincentian Sisters
of Charity, who is Vicar for Social
Affairs in the Diocese of Savannah.
Sister began her address with the
prayer, “Dear God, help us to remember
that our lives are shaped by those who
love us and by those who refuse to love
us.” Sister stated that “No organization,
agency, community or religious group
can solve all the problems associated
with human poverty and misery in this
country. However, there is an important
place for organizations, community
groups and religious groups such as the.
DCCW.”
“How can we today grow and enjoy
religion?” the speaker asked. “Read the
Sacred Scriptures. God wrote the Bible,
and from the scriptures, you can learn
the wisdom that leads to salvation.
Scripture should be read for guidance
and for holiness.”
Sister emphasized that there must be
an improvement in attitudes, and that
present situations must be faced with
courage. “We must begin to take
positive social actions to achieve
positive change,” Sister remarked.
“The Church has always venerated
the Scriptures just as she venerates the
Body of Christ” the speaker continued,
and he gave a quotation of St. Jerome
which says “Ignorance of the Scriptures
is ignorance of Christ.” He further urged
everyone to “Put on the mind of Christ
by reading the words of the Bible.
Through Bible sharing, we are able to
strengthen one another and be witness
to the world.” he stated.
“Poverty or injustice does not need
to be defined here,” Sister added, “I
suspect each of us here has witnessed
poverty directly or indirectly at times,
therefore, I think most would agree that
poverty in the midst of plenty is
barbaric,” Sister stated.
Father Burke urged that groups of
Christians come together on a
continuing basis, studying the Word of
God as a fruitful source of growth in
faith, and therefore experience the
power of God as set forth in the “Good
News.”
Msgr. Bourke in his expression of
appreciation for the guest speaker’s
address said that “A better knowledge
of the Scriptures and a greater love of
the scriptures is needed if we are to go
confidently into the future.”
Sister »Jut-liar mentioned several
positive ways for bases of involvement.
She urged that all read the local press
for facts and situations peculiar to the
area of each of one of us. She suggested
that we listen to people who know
about situations, and take an interest in
proposed legislation. She warned that
personal risks were often costly and
painful whenever any one has the
courage to stand up to the status quo.
She stated that failures are involved, but
encouraged each to try again.
During the banquet, instrumental and
vocal selections were rendered by
Martin Spitek and Gary Henning, two
young men who play for folk Masses at
Fort Gordon Chapel.
Sister continued, “It might seem that
there is little that one can do, but every
person, even the most humble, controls
the tiny segment of society which
consists of his own interpersonal
relationships, and he can strive to make
this tiny segment as nearly perfect as
possible.”
‘A Humane and Generous Concern’
Sister told of frustrations and
discouragement in Social Action, and
(Continued on page 7)
Bishop’s Office
Diocese of Savannah
P. O. BOX 8789
Savannah , Geohgia
01402
April 29, 1976
My dear friends in Christ,
This coming week, the Bishops of the United States will be gathering in
Chicago for their semi-annual meeting of the National Conference of Catholic
Bishops. /
The major item on the agenda will be an examination and reflection on the
nature and purpose of the conference of bishops in carrying out the mission
of the Church in this country. It is felt that without a clearer vision and
understanding of the conference’s role, it is not possible to formulate
adequately its goals and programs. Such a discussion will inevitably include
consideration of the nature and role of bishops, because the work of the
episcopal conference should evidently be an extension and exercise of the
pastoral ministry of bishops.
I need not remind you, my dear people, of the crucial importance of this
discussion. The need for it has been felt and expressed by many bishops, not
only in terms of their individual ministry in their own dioceses but also as
they come together as a national conference to confer on the broader pastoral
needs of the Church in this country.
In addition to informing you of this vital meeting that will take place next
week, I want to ask all of you in the Diocese of Savannah to join in prayer for
the success of discussions and deliberations that will take place at that time.
During the three days of the meeting, a special Blessed Sacrament Chapel will
be set up at the meeting place, to which people from the nearby area will
be coming to spend time in prayer for the intentions of the Bishops’ meeting.
May 1 ask that during that same period you too come together in your homes
and parish churches to pray for the same intentions.
Anticipating a word of gratitude for such prayerful support and with every
good wish during this blessed season of Easter, I remain,
Devotedly yours in Christ,