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PAGE 4—The Southern Cross, May 27,1976
Where Are The Heroes?
Forty-nine years ago, a young airmail
pilot climbed into his single engine plane
and took off from Long Island to Paris --
and to instant fame. Charles Lindbergh’s
solo flight across the Atlantic opened a
new era in flight and brought the world
closer together. No matter what the
turns of his life and fame from that
moment until his recent death, he was an
authentic American hero.
And now, where have all the heroes
gone?
It seems that the cynicism of the last
decade or so has done away with heroes.
Books and articles and the modern
mentality seem to debunk everyone and
everything.
The revelations of recent years
especially in the political sphere have
created a huge credibility gap so that no
one is accepted at face value and the
very appearances of sincerity and
goodness are viewed - many times quite
correctly -- as the products of the public
relations experts rather than as the
externalization of inner character.
But there are still a few heroes left in
the world.
Perhaps the most striking example is
the small figure of Mother Teresa of
Calcutta. She would be the last to want
the title of heroine, indeed, would reject
the very thought quite quickly and with
some irritation. But she has captured the
imaginations and the hearts of all who
know her and know of her work.
Her stature comes not from any
fanciful trappings but from the very
simplicity and singlemindedness of her
life: “to serve the poor, the unwanted
and the lonely is to serve Christ.”
To say the words is one thing. Many
have said them over the centuries. To do
the deed is something else. And this is
the heroic mold in which Mother Teresa
fits. She does the work. And so she
offers them all the sacrifice, all the
difficulty, all the hardship that the work
entails.
Some understand this; some marvel at
it; some are baffled by it. But all see it
for what it is, and all recognize her for
what she is and for what she does.
All the heroes have not gone.
The Anchor, Fall River, Mass.
EVEN AS ONE - This theme is
illustrated in these readings for the
weekend of May 30, 1976. First - The
apostles elect Matthias to restore their
members to 12 (Acts 1:15-17, 20-26);
Second - If we love one another, we
are one with each other and with God
(1 John 4:11-16); Gospel ~ Christ asks
the Father’s blessings on the work of
the apostles (John 17:11-19). (NC
Sketch courtesy the J.S. Paluch Custom
Bulletin service
a guide to
positive
TELEVISION
U viewing
(Monthly column prepared as a joint effort of the
Savannah Diocesan Family Life Bureau,
Communications Department and Department of
Christian Formation.)
How many murders has your child seen this
year?
The question is not as strange as it might
seem, when we consider the current wave of
detective dramas and police stories which are
seen nightly on television. Not only adults
watch these whodunnit, cops-and-robbers style
shows. Children watch too. It has been
estimated that the average TV-viewer sees 1,000
violent deaths per year. “Kojak” may have been
the beginning of the present interest in police
stories. It has plenty of action, a good story,
some talented actors, and lots of thrills and
suspense. Its success has brought many
imitators, some good and some second-rate.
Every night now we can see a crime
committed. Police or “private eye” detectives
are called in. There are interrogations and
evasions. The plot thickens. Towards the end of
the story, there is the “chase,” when run-away
thugs are pursued by the law-and-order men, or
vice versa.
Why this big interest nowadays in TV crime
and punishment?
TV has its fashions and trends, just as music
does, or women’s clothing, or the styling of
new cars. Some years ago, the trend was
Westerns. The bad guys in those days were the
Looking Forward
Rev. James Wilmes
“Every man can win through till nightfall,”
wrote Robert Louis Stevenson, “Till nightfall”
with its welcome-home from those who
lovingly wait our home-coming. We “win
through” the day because we have something to
look forward to.
And so it is with projects of longer range.
Difficulties are more easily met and overcome,
if there is something pleasant to look forward
to beyond them. It may be no more than the
satisfaction of working them out successfully,
but that is not enough. An illness is more easily
borne if we believe recovery is sure to come.
And so is a business recession to live through if
we see that an essentially sound economy will
right itself in time.
So master the art of looking forward to
something pleasant. Adopt the philosophy of
“something better farther on.” This is not
“whistling past the graveyard.” This is realism.
For there is something better on ahead in God’s
good providence. Finding it will consist in
looking hard enough. And near enough. Too
many have been lured by the greener grass in a
distant pasture, to the neglect of their own.
Both the pleasant and the unpleasant are part
of every experience. Hold to the pleasant, and
take the unpleasant in stride. Certainly there is
a spot of brightness somewhere, to help you
through a dark day - if that brightness is only
the promise of another day. And who knows
what another day will bring forth!!! If it brings
only more of the same, - well, if you can win
through to one nightfall, you can win through
to another and many another after that. Keep
on keeping on.
The Southern Cross
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bandits, Indians, cattle-rustlers and others who
made miserable the lives of law-abiding folks
out West. The good guys were the sheriff and
his men. The “chase” took place on horseback.
Evil was destroyed when the Marshall smashed
his enemies into submission.
Perhaps the police story of today is simply
taking the place of the old Western. We enjoy
seeing the forces of evil overcome. It is
reassuring to find a simple answer to the
problem of evil, just as it was to the
Western-watchers who saw Dillon get his man,
or to readers of the Old Testament when God
threw a thunderbolt at the evildoer.
It is not only in the United States that this
interest in police action, or law-and-order versus
anarchy, is seen. The interest is parallel in
international cinema. Many new films from
different nations are showing the same trend.
Who is responsible for law and order?
On the police story, the person responsible
for crime prevention is the police officer or the
detective. Only now and then is a reminder
given that citizen input is also needed.
Does the nightly police action on TV make
us more aware of our own need to take an
interest in preventing crime? Does it alert us to
harmful influences in our own neighborhoods?
Does it encourage us to form neighborhood
crime-watch groups, or to assist elderly persons
living alone to protect themselves against
crime?
The danger is that, by watching police and
detectives solve each crime on TV within the
space of 45 minutes to an hour, we may absolve
ourselves from taking any personal action. We
forget that the community also has its part to
play in crime prevention.
What is the impact of all these shows, on our
families?
Some are good entertainment. Some, like
“Colombo,” have clever characterization and
plot, so that the detective himself - his
character and personality - become as
interesting as the story-line itself. Some rely
greatly on scenes of violence and brutality,
while others seldom show a violent act. Some
bring a certain artistic quality to a story,
elevating an issue to an heroic level, while
others debase and trivialize it. All members of
the family will have their favorites, and heated
discussions can ensue over the relative merits of
Adam 12, Police Story, Streets of San
Francisco, Hawaii Five-O, SWAT, Rookies, or
the sleuthing abilities of Cannon, Harry 0,
Mannix and others.
How can we tell when a TV show is actually
bad for us, or when too many shows of this
kind are having a harmful influence upon our
children? Studies of TV violence and viewers’
reactions have shown that television - while it
does not actually cause crime - reinforces
violent tendencies in people. Seeing murder
done before our eyes almost every night can
blunt our sensibilities, so that life - and death -
are cheapened in our eyes.
Stories are told about freshmen at a Catholic
High School in Georgia who were shown movies
portraying atrocities at Dachau. Far from being
shocked by the sight of bulldozers shovelling
dead and living Jews into mass graves, these
young people went back time after time to see
the sight. Perhaps there is more blood lust in
our children than we like to admit! And
repeated scenes of violence on TV may
encourage it.
A good antidote to what may be an overdose
of TV violence and crime is discussion about
the shows the family watches. Ask family
members questions like the following:
How many crime stories or police dramas
have you watched during the past month?
Why do you think you watch crime shows on
TV?
How many actual crimes or murders have
you ever seen in real life?
Do you think that the police departments
you see on TV are like the ones that operate in
your city or county?
Have you ever done anything about real-life
crime in your neighborhood? (Formed a
neighborhood watch, helped a delinquent boy
go straight, arranged talks for youth groups on
crime, drugs, etc.)
WATCH FOR THESE SHOWS, COMING UP
IN LATE MAY AND THROUGH JUNE:
(check your newspaper for actual dates and
times)
MAY 28th (FRIDAY) 10-11 P.M. (CBS):
CBS REPORTS - “BUSING” - This one-hour
special examines busing in two cities affected
by court-ordered integration of public schools -
Charlotte, N.C. and Boston, Mass. News
Correspondent Charles Collingwood interviews
Federal District Judge James McMillan who
handed down the order to integrate schools in
the Charlotte/Mecklenburg district in 1970. He
also talks to teachers and students in the
Bosten area, where some schools and
neighborhoods are still in a state of turmoil.
The contrast is drawn between relatively
peaceful schools in Charlotte and disorder in
Boston.
MAY 30th (SUNDAY) 5-6 P.M. (NBC)
UNDER GOD: “A WOMAN OF VALOR” - A
series of eight one-hour TV specials involves the
right of all Americans to Freedom of Speech.
The series of programs will be aired each
Sunday. Following programs will be “GOLDEN
SPRING” (June 6th) and “A GATHERING OF
ONE” (June 20th). The series is presented by
four religious organizations: the Jewish
Theological Seminary of America, the Southern
Baptist Convention, the United States Catholic
Conference, and the National Council of
Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.
JUNE 2nd (WEDNESDAY) 10-11 P.M.
(NBC) “FREE PRESS - FAIR TRIAL” - This
NBC news special is particularly relevant in
view of major trials held during the past two
years.
JUNE 9th (WEDNESDAY) 9-11 P.M. (PBS)
THEATRE IN AMERICA: THE YEAR OF
THE DRAGON — Repeat performance of an
important ethnic drama set in contemporary
Chinatown.
JUNE 13th (SUNDAY) 9:00-11:00 P.M.
(ABC) “LOVE AMONG THE RUINS” -
Laurence Olivier and Katharine Hepburn star in
this romantic comedy about a rich retired actress
who needs legal help and asks the advice of a
man who has worshiped her from afar for forty
years.
JUNE 16th (WEDNESDAY) 9-11 P.M. (PBC)
THEATRE IN AMERICA:
“ECCENTRICITIES” - A TV drama based on
Tennessee Williams’ “Summer and Smoke.”
JUNE 16th (WEDNESDAY) 10-11 P.M.
(CBS) THE AMERICAN PARADE: “WITH
ALL DELIBERATE SPEED” - Televised
drama telling the true story behind the South
Carolina lawsuit which was the cornerstone of
the 1954 Supreme Court decision ordering
American public schools to desegregate “with
all deliberate speed.”
JUNE 16th (WEDNESDAY) 10-11 P.M.
(NBC) THE SEARCH FOR SOMETHING
ELSE — This NBC news special explores the
search for “peace of mind” through new
therapies and spiritual systems. The program
looks into Zen, Yoga, TM and other movements
and will demonstrate how some of the
experiments in “biofeedback” have shown how
the mind can control the body.
JUNE 27th (SUNDAY) 8-9 P.M. (CBS) THE
BOLSHOI BALLET: ROMEO AND JULIET -
This gala performance will commemorate the
bicentennial of the Bolshoi Theatre.
JUNE 29th (TUESDAY) 8-11 P.M. (NBC)
“1776” — Amusing historical comedy based on
a successful Broadway musical.
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Called
By
Name
i(, Geo rgia - Carolina
Ministry”
By Rev. Frederick J. Hopwood
Rector Cathedral
of St. John the Baptist
Diocese of Charleston
■X*X-XvX*X-X*X-X*l
Offering God To God
In the cemetery at Maryknoll, there is a grave
of a young priest at whose ordination I was
present and at whose funeral Mass, a few days
later, I was present. My thoughts at that time
were identical with those of most of the other
seminarians, “What a waste.” However, my
perspective of the event began to change when,
a short time later, I saw the inscription on the
headstone: “He offered God to God once.” By
the time of my own ordination a couple of
years later, and in the twenty-five years that
have passed since that wonderful day, the
realization of the role of the sacrificing
priesthood has continued to grow. A priest
today fills many roles in the exercise of his
priesthood, but the one thing that gives
meaning and coheasion to these roles is his
almost daily offering of God to God.
In my twenty-five years as a priest in the
Diocese of Charleston, I have had many diverse
appointments. I hope that you will forgive me a
bit of reminiscing as I look back over the years
and recall just a few of the events that,
following on the Sacrifice of the Mass, make
the priesthood the great gift that it is.
My first assignment was to Summerville with
its mission at Bonneau. Having been raised in a
large parish in New Jersey, it was quite a shock
to have a congregation of about a hundred
people in Summerville and twenty-five in
Bonneau. However, the zeal, interest and
cooperation of the people in parish activities
made the numbers seem much greater.
The following two years as Assistant;
Chancellor and Master of Ceremonies to Bishop
John Russell gave me an opportunity to get to
know the Diocese and the priests from the
larger city parishes, to the small mission
churches. Living at the Cathedral enabled me to
continue working in a parish environment when
the opportunity presented itself. All of a
sudden, it was discovered that I was a “teacher”
and I was assigned to Bishop England High
School. Let me sum up that year by saying that
it was “quite an experience.” After a year of
“teaching” Latin, I was assigned to St. Paul’s in
Spartanburg with the missions at Gaffney and
Union. There are many consolations attached
to parish life, baptisms, weddings, but among
the greatest is when someone comes to
confession and you hear, “Father, it has been
fifteen years,” “It has been twenty years since
my last confession.”
Back to Charleston and I became a
“Teacher” again at Bishop England High
School, and again it was “quite an experience.”
Don’t get me wrong. Working with the young
men and women was a very rewarding and
enjoyable experience. During this time and for
the next few years, I was living at St. Patrick’s.
In 1958, in addition to teaching at Bishop
England, I was appointed as Catholic Chaplian
at the Citadel and began what was to be
fourteen years of close association with a
wonderful group of young men. Many of the
friendships which had their beginnings during
these years have continued. There is one
incident, of so many, that I would like to share
with you. Shortly after his return from Viet
Nam, I joined one of the men whom I knew
well at the funeral of another Citadel Graduate
who had been killed in Viet Nam. As we were
driving back to his home, he started talking
about Nam and the occasion when he was
wounded. I will always remember what he told
me. “I felt something hit the side of my head, I
put my hand up; I couldn’t see anything and I
felt blood flowing between my fingers. Padre, I
wasn’t afraid, I wasn’t concerned about - (His
wife) and the children. I felt as if I was in the
arms of God and I knew that He would take
care of me and my family.” Thoughts of a
cloistered sister - a Trappist Monk? No,
thoughts of a young man in the mud and slime
and blood of Viet Nam. It is remembrances
such as these that made all the hours of being at
the Citadel, listening and counseling and
consoling and the occasional frustrations, worth
while.
Four years ago I “came home” to the
Cathedral Parish. One particular joy on my
return was to see the participation in parish and
civic affairs of some of “My Altar Boys” of
twenty years before. The Rectorship of the
Cathedral Parish has been an opportunity to
bring together all the experiences of the
previous years.
What is a priest? What has my priesthood of
twenty-five years been? Associate in the
Missions, Administrative Staff of the Diocese,
Teacher, Chaplain at a Military College, Pastor,
Many Consolations, a few frustrations, some
mistakes. Through all of these priestly roles
there is one that gives meaning to them all -
offering God to God.