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DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEWSPAPER
^ Vol. 57 No. 31
Thursday, September 9, 1976
Single Copy Price — 15 Cents
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PHOTO BY REV. WAYLAND BROWN
LOTS OF IDEAS from lots of different places
around South Georgia were shared and a lot of fun was
had by all, despite a lot of hard work, as the 93 youth
delegates and advisors from 24 different parishes
PAPAL REQUEST
gathered for the Youth Leadership Workshop at Camp
Villa Marie, Savannah, August 20-22. (See Story on
Page 8)
A
Prayers For Archbishop Lefebvre
Director Of Spiritual Renewal
Named For Savannah Diocese
VATICAN CITY (NC) - Pope Paul
VI, declihing lengthy comment on a
public Tridentine Mass offered Aug. 29
by suspended traditionalist Archbishop
Marcel Lefebvre, asked Catholics and
people of “good sense” to pray for a
change of heart in the dissident prelate.
At the beginning of his Sept. 1
general audience here, Pope Paul
declared that the actions of the
suspended French archbishop were
“very damaging to the Church” and
“for us personally very painful.”
“It is clear that we must forcefully
deplore this incident,” the Pope told
7,000 people in the modern Vatican
audience hall. “But for now we ask you
and all faithful churchmen and good
Catholics, not to mention all persons of
good sense who are following this sad
situation with anxious interest, to pray
the Lord to inspire in this confrere and
his followers better counsels and active
fidelity to the Holy Catholic Church.”
Pope Paul VI suspended Archbishop
Lefebvre July 24 from all priestly
functions after the prelate ordained 13
priests illegally June 29 at the
traditionalist seminary in his Econe villa
in Switzerland.
Archbishop Lefebvre, who took an
active part in the Second Vatican
Council and signed most of its decrees,
has rejected the council as “heresy.”
Among the reforms he rejects are the
liturgical reforms, and his insistence on
saying only the Tridentine Mass - the
rite instituted after the 6th-century
Council of Trent but banned as the
reformed rites mandated by the Second
Vatican Council took effect -- had
Up to 25,000 persons, including
bishops, deputies, delegates to the
women’s meeting, visitors and special
guests are expected to attend the
General Convention of the Episcopal
Church next week. Site of the triennial
meeting, to be held September 11-23,
will be Minneapolis, Minnesota.
According to a news account in THE
EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN GEORGIA,
publication of the Diocese of Georgia:
“The Rt. Rev. John M. Allin,
Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal
Church, will preside over the sessions of
the House of Bishops, and the Rev.
John B. Coburn, Boston, Mass.,
Bishop-elect of the Diocese of
Massachusetts, will preside over the
meetings of the House of Deputies.
“Issues expected to come before the
Convention for action include the
ordination of women to the priesthood
and the episcopate; the revision of the
Book of Common Prayer; world and
domestic hunger; theological education;
ecumenical relations; the structure of
the Church; work with ethnic
minorities; evangelism; Christian
education; lay ministry; social concerns;
already become a symbol of his
opposition to the council. It took on
added significance as his suspension
meant he was forbidden to say Mass at
all.
The Pope’s 200-word statement made
no mention of further Church sanctions
or excommunication for the rebel
archbishop, but he left open the
possibility of further disciplinary action.
In a talk on Aug. 29 Pope Paul
condemned a Tridentine Mass the
archbishop offered at Lille, France, as a
“challenge” to papal authority.
Archbishop Lefebvre was reportedly
planning to celebrate another public
Tridentine Mass at Besancon, France,
Sept. 5.
In his audience statement, the Pope
said that the archbishop has made “very
serious public accusations against this
apostolic See, against the ecumenical
council and against our own person.”
He added that the situation has
become “objectively more serious for
the Church and, for us personally, more
painful.”
Reports in the Italian press in recent
days that a descendant of Pope Pius IX’s
family has been conducting negotiations
for the Vatican with Lefebvre followers,
were denied by the Vatican daily
newspaper Sept. 1.
The Vatican press office also said that
the alleged negotiator, Gabriele Molteni
Mastai Ferretti, was never asked to be
intermediary by the Holy See.
Rumors reaching Rome from France
development/stewardship; and others.
The Convention will elect members to
serve on the Executive Council and the
House of Deputies will elect a President
and Vice President.
Bishop Lessard To Attend
Bishop Raymond W. Lessard, of
Savannah, will be present at the opening
ceremonies of the Triennal General
Convention of the Episcopal Church,
USA.
The bishop who is co-chairman of
ARC -- Anglican-Roman Catholic
Consultation U.S.A. - will remain for
the first two days of the session as
official observer of the Roman Catholic
Church.
He will be followed by other Catholic
bishops, giving the church an official
observer throughout the 10-day
meeting.
said that Archbishop Lefebvre might be
planning to ordain a bishop for his
traditionalist movement. The
archbishop has already said that he
plans to establish traditionalist parishes.
Many traditionalists are hoping that
another Catholic bishop, either in
Europe or another part of the world,
will openly declare himself to be on
Archbishop Lefebvre’s side.
In Rome, however, even many
conservative clerics say they oppose the
course taken by the archbishop, though
they admit being sympathetic to some
of his stands.
In his audience talk here, Pope Paul
insisted that in building up the Church,
“It is not enough to offer to the Divine
Architect one’s personal cooperation.
“We must offer to Him our very lives.
“No one can be an apostle without
carrying the cross,” the Pontiff
declared. “To build up the Church we
must work ourselves very hard, we rhust
suffer.”
The Pope, who helicoptered to the
Vatican from his summer home in
Castelgandolfo for the audience,
appeared somewhat tired during the
audience and stumbled over some
passages of his text.
At Castelgandolfo, the Pope has been
closely following the Lefebvre affair. On
Aug. 31 he received in extraordinary
audience the papal nuncio to France,
Archbishop Egano Righi-Lambertini, to
discuss the Lefebvre case. He also met
with Archbishop Vincenzo Fagiolo, a
canon law expert.
Next Week
“According to the agenda that will be
proposed to the two houses, the first
major item of business will be a
consideration of the Draft Proposed
Book of Common Prayer, which will
probably be considered by the
Convention, September 13-14. If this
Draft Proposed Book receives an
affirmative vote of the two houses, it
will become the Proposed Book of
Common Prayer, and will require a
second affirmative vote at the
Convention in Denver in 1979 to
become the Standard Book of Common
Prayer.
“The proposal to enact legislation to
permit the ordination of women to the
priesthood and episcopate will be
offered as the second major issue for
debate and action in the two houses.
“The opening service of the 65th
General Convention will be on
Saturday, September 11, at 4 p.m., at
the St. Paul Civic Center. At this Service
of Praise and Witness, which will include
a procession of the Convention
principals - bishops, deputies, delegates,
ecumenical guests, Executive Council
members - Bishop Allin will give his
address to the Convention.”
Bishop Raymond Lessard has
announced the appointment of Fr.
Michael Smith as diocesan Director of
Spiritual Renewal. This new post was
created as the result of more than a year
of discussion and planning by the
Senate of Priests in consultation with
other groups and individuals throughout
the diocese.
“Spiritual renewal,” Bishop Lessard
said, “means revitalizing our core faith
in the gospel which is the basis of our
whole life as a church. What a retreat is
intended to do for the life of an
individual, or a mission seeks to do for
the life of a parish community, this is
what Fr. Smith’s new position is
intended to foster and promote in the
life of our diocese. A key dimension of
his work will be to provide increased
opportunities for prayer and help us
integrate prayer more fully into all that
we do as a church.”
Concern for the spiritual renewal of
our priests - initially voiced in a meeting
of the Board of Vicars - was the origin
of the deliberations finally resulting in
the establishment of this new position.
The Senate of Priests later ratified this
concern and voted it a top priority for
the diocese. Their Committee on
i riestly Life and Ministry was asked to
draw up a proposed job description.
Last April 14, the Senate approved the
proposed job description and sent it to
Bishop Lessard with a resolution
• queuing funding for the coming year.
The job description finally
BY JIM CASTELLI
WASHINGTON (NC) - Six bishops
representing the leadership of the
National Conference of Catholic
Bishops (NCCB) discussed abortion and
a number of other issues in an hour-long
meeting with Democratic presidential
nominee Jimmy Carter.
A similar meeting is planned with
President Gerald Ford, the Republican
nominee, for Sept. 9.
The NCCB president, Archbishop
Joseph Bernardin of Cincinnati, told
reporters, “the meeting was courteous;
there was a good exchange of
information.”
Carter, through his press secretary,
Jody Powell, called the meeting
“interesting and very worthwhile.”
Powell said each side understood the
other’s positions better than before the
meeting. He said Carter and the bishops
would continue to exchange
information on a number of issues,
probably through the mail.
Archbishop Bernardin repeated his
position that the Church did not
endorse candidates. He said there was
“very substantial disagreement”
between the bishops’ support for a
constitutional amendment to restrict
abortion and the Democratic platform
opposing such an amendment.
But he said there was “no substantial
disagreement” with the rest of the
platform on issues such as hunger,
poverty and health care.
Archbishop Bernardin said the
abortion issue was discussed
“extensively” and that the bishops
“continue to be disappointed with the
governor’s position” on a constitutional
amendment.
“The governor repeated his personal
opposition to abortion and his
opposition to government funding for
abortion,” Archbishop Bernardin said.
“He also indicated that he would not
oppose an effort to obtain a
constitutional amendment.
“However, on the crucial point of
whether he would support an
amendment, he did not change his
position,” Archbishop Bernardin said.
“At this time he will not commit
recommended was much broader than
the original concern about the spiritual
renewal of priests. The committee
reasoned that since priests do not grow
spiritually in isolation from their
people, any efforts at renewal must be
broadly based.
Of the five goals finally approved for
the Director, two will be given priority
during the coming year: 1) To assist
parish organizations, particularly parish
councils, in prayerfully reflecting on
their vision and service of parish life;
Fr. Michael Smith
himself to supporting an amendment.
We, therefore, continue to be
disappointed with the governor’s
position. And we repeat our call for a
constitutional amendment.”
Archbishop Bernardin read to
reporters a statement which he read to
Carter at the opening of the meeting.
The statement focused mainly on
support for an amendment. It made
reference to an Aug. 16 statement
issued by Archbishop Bernardin
outlining the role of the Church in
politics.
That statement said the Church
would not take partisan stands or
endorse candidates, but according to
Archbishop Bernardin, would “call
attention to the moral and religious
dimensions of secular issues and . . .
keep alive the values of the Gospel as a
norm for social and political life.”
Most of the issues the Church is
concerned about, Archbishop Bernardin
told Carter, “have to do, in one way or
another, with the sanctity of life which
is the most important issue of all.
“Human life is threatened in many
and 2) To serve the spiritual renewal of
our priests by helping plan various
opportunities for prayer and sharing.
“We have two specific projects
already in the planning stage,” Fr.
Smith said. “The first is a series of
evening or afternoons of prayer for
members of parish councils, tentatively
scheduled for October and November in
each deanery. The second is developing
a list of possible resources - speakers and
ideas - for use in planning the regular
monthly days of prayer for priests held
in each deanery.”
The three other goals attached to the
position are: to serve, coordinate and
guide recognized and approved renewal
movements within the diocese; to aid in
the planning, execution and follow-up
on parish missions and retreats; and to
be responsible for advising priests on
opportunities for their continuing
education and personal renewal.
Because of limitations of time, these
three will be left in a planning stage
during the coming year. Fr. Liam
Collins and Fr. Robert Teoli will
continue to be the diocesan
representatives to the Charismatic
Renewal Movement and Marriage
Encounter groups respectively.
Fr. Smith will be working at this new
post half-time, continuing to serve as
Coordinator of the Department of
Christian Formation and Vicar for
Education.
ways in our society: by hunger,
inadequate health care, the lack of
decent housing and quality education,
by the proliferation of nuclear weapons
and by a host of other evils, many of
which the Democratic platform has
addressed well.
“Abortion, however,” he said, “is a
direct assault on the lives of those who
are least able to defend themselves: the
unborn.
“It is for this reason that the Church
is particularly concerned about abortion
at this time: if we become insensitive to
the violation of the basic human right to
life, our sensitivity to the entire
spectrum of human rights will
ultimately be eroded.”
“If there is agreement that abortion is
a moral evil because it violates a
person’s most basic human right,” he
said, “then the only logical conclusion is
that something must be done to correct
the evil; and the only remedy is a
constitutional amendment.”
Archbishop Bernardin noted that he
had expressed a willingness to meet with
(Continued on Page 8)
Official Appointments
Bishop Raymond W. Lessard announces that:
FATHER MICHAEL A. DELEA has been appointed pastor of St. Mary’s
on-the-Hill Church, Augusta, effective September 25,1976. Father Delea has
previously served at Saint James, Savannah and most recently as pastor of
Saint Peter Claver Church, Macon.
FATHER RICHARD C. KEIL has been appointed pastor of Saint Peter
Claver Church, Macon, effective September 25, 1976. Father Keil has
previously served at Saint Joseph’s, Waycross and at Saint Joseph’s, Augusta.
FATHER WILLIAM P. DOWLING has been appointed temporary associate
pastor of Saint Joseph’s Church, Augusta, effective September 25, 1976.
Father Dowling has just completed a year on sabbatical leave, during which
time he persued graduate studies at Valdosta State College.
The bishop has filled two other diocesan positions by re-confirming
FATHER J. KEVIN BOLAND as Vicar General for another three year term as
well as naming him Personnel Director of the Diocese of Savannah.
In addition, the bishop has named FATHER MICHAEL SMITH as Director
of the new Diocesan Office For Spiritual Renewal. (See news story in this
edition.)
WOMENS ORDINATION ON AGENDA
Episcopalian’s Convention
Bishops, Carter Discuss Issues