Newspaper Page Text
Newspaper Of The Diocese Of Savannah
Vol. 67 No. 17 Thursday, April 23, 1987 $10 Per Year
Of Life
By Pope
delivered Easter greetings in 51 languages, including
Hebrew, Tamil and Chinese.
In his message, the pope said Christ’s resurrection, a
triumph of life over death, shows the “eternal source’’ of all
human life. The life in a mother’s womb is fashioned in
God’s image, he said.
“May reverent wonder for the mystery of love that sur
rounds his coming into the world not die out in contem
porary man,’’ the pope said. “Grant that the man of the
technological age may not reduce himself to a mere object,
but may respect, from its very beginning, the unre-
nounceable dignity that is proper to him.’’
A major document issued in March by the Vatican’s Con
gregation for the Doctrine of the Faith spelled out the
church’s opposition to several procreative techniques, in
cluding in vitro fertilization and surrogate motherhood. The
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Diocese
Dioceses throughout the United States
are mobilizing staff and volunteers to
assist in registering undocumented aliens
who qualify under the new Immigration
Reform and Control Act of November 1986
for amnesty Working with parishes
throughout the Savannah Diocese, and
especially in the areas with high concen
trations of migrant farmworkers, the Of
fice of Social Ministry will provide training
for volunteers and technical assistance to
aliens in applying for legalization.
Four groups qualify for legalization
under this law: persons who have been in
this country in an illegal status on a con
tinuous basis for the past five years, since
before Jan. l, 1982; illegal aliens who have
worked 90 man-days in agriculture from
May 1, 1985 to May 1, 1986; Cuban or Hai
tian nationals who entered the U.S. before
Jan. 1, 1982 and were designated a Cuban
or Haitian entrant (status pending) or who
have a record with the Immigration and
Naturalization Service before Jan. 1, 1972;
illegal aliens who entered the U.S. before
Jan. 1, 1972 and have had residence in this
country since that date.
There are more than 12,000 illegal aliens
in Georgia according to the 1980 census
estimates, not counting the thousands of
migrant farmworkers, some of whom also
are undocumented. The diocese intends to
focus efforts on aiding these migrants and
their families and expects to register ap
proximately 1,000 aliens. This is another
example of the Church’s on-going interest
in immigrants and refugees. It is a special
challenge and opportunity to put our faith
To Assist Illegal Aliens Register
into action and welcome the stranger in
our midst.
Throughout the complicated process of
applying for legalization, volunteers are
needed to schedule meetings, coordinate
publicity, assist with office work and help
register clients. Volunteers who have at
least a working knowledge of both Spanish
and English would be particularly helpful
in this last area.
In the final review process volunteer
lawyers are needed to review completed
files for accuracy of information and
documentation before the client files with
the Immigration and Naturalization Ser
vices.
Father Thomas Healy, pastor of Sacred
Heart Church in Savannah, is presently
recruiting lawyers to help with this
technical review. Other persons interested
in volunteering may contact the Office of
Social Ministry, St. John’s Center, Grim-
ball Point Road, Savannah, GA. 31406,
(912) 238-2351 or their pastors.
Training sessions are already planned
for all volunteers in some locations and
others will be scheduled as needed. Please
feel free to attend the one most convenient
to you. All sessions will take place at the
parish church in the towns listed; with
parishioners from nearby towns invited to
attend as indicated in parenthesis:
Bainbridge: Tuesday, April 21, 2:00 -
4:00 p.m. (Thomasville, Donaldsonville,
Cairo)
Warner-Robins: Saturday, May 2, 1:00 -
3:00 p.m. ( Macon, Perry, Fort Valley)
Vidalia: Friday, May 8, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
(Metter. Reidsville, Claxton, Glennville,
Baxley >
Americus: Saturday, May 9, 3:00 - 5:00
p.m. (Cordele, Montezuma)
Albany: Friday, May 15, 7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
(Tifton, Camilla, Moultrie)
Valdosta: Saturday, May 16, 2:00 - 4:00
p.m. (Thomasville, Adel, Quitman,
Lakeland)
LOU ORTIZ explaining the new Immigration Law to undocumented
aliens in Augusta.
EASTER BLESSING — From the balcony of
St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope John Paul II gives his
Easter blessing to the crowd in St. Peter’s
Square after delivering the traditional “Urbi et
Orbi” message. (NC photo from UPI-Reuter)
"Wonder'
Stressed
BY JOHN THAVIS
VATICAN CITY (NC) - Pope John Paul II, in an Easter
greeting to the world, urged people to keep a sense of
“reverent wonder’’ for birth and life and avoid reducing the
human being to an object of technology.
The message, which echoed a recent Vatican document
on procreation, asked that people rediscover life as a gift
that “reveals the Father’s love.”
The pope spoke April 19 in an “Urbi et Orbi” message to
the city of Rome and to the world, before giving a blessing
from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. The bless
ing ended Rome and the Vatican’s traditional Holy Week
liturgical events, which this year were accompanied by
sunny weather and throngs of tourists.
The pope celebrated Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square,
which overflowed with an estimated 200.000 people. Then he