Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Cross, Page 4
Thursday, February 3, 2000
A Diocesan Development Appeal primer
D iocesan (adjective): of or pertaining to a dio
cese, that “portion of the Lord’s vineyard
entrusted to the pastoral care of a bishop.” From
the Greek word for “household,” the noun “dio
cese” refers to a “household” or “family of believ
ers in a particular area. Through their communion
with their bishop, and his with the pope, they are
in communion with the whole (or “Catholic”,
meaning universal) Church. The Diocese of
Savannah is celebrating its sesquicentennial
(150th anniversary) this year. Since Pope Pius DC
established this diocese in 1850, it has been head
ed by 13 bishops, from Francis X. Gartland to J.
Kevin Boland. Originally taking in the entire State
of Georgia and part of northern Florida, the
Diocese of Savannah now encompasses 90 coun
ties or 60% of the geographical extent of the
largest state east of the Mississippi River. Yet its
Catholic population remains relatively small,
about 3% of the total. Because the few Catholics
are spread out over such a large area, the diocese
has more parishes and missions than other dioce
ses of comparable population. In order to cover so
many parishes and missions, the diocese has had
to call on religious order priests and sisters, as
well as its own diocesan priests.
D evelopment (noun, sometimes used as an
adjective): the process of developing,
unfolding or growing. Despite south Georgia’s
small native Catholic population, the number of
Catholics, especially Spanish-speakers, is grow
ing at an accelerated rate. The Hispanic aposto-
late and other multi-cultural ministries are chal
lenged as never before and need increased sup
port to reach out to these newcomers, especially
those cut off from the mainstream by differences
in language and culture. At a time when there are
not enough priests and religious to undertake the
entire work of evangelization and catechesis, lay
ministry preparation has assumed an even greater
importance, while the work of promoting priestly
and religious vocations is being vigorously pur
sued. Catholic Social Services bring help to the
poorest of the poor. Education at all levels
remains a priority, while communications and
technology are being used to bring the members
of the widely dispersed Catholic community in
south Georgia in closer contact with one another.
All these efforts are signs of growth, of the
development that must continue for the diocese
to remain a living and vital community.
A ppeal (noun): a call, challenge and invita
tion, from the French appel. In the United
States, no church or religious body is established,
that is, supported by the government with tax
money. All religious groups are therefore volun
tary and self-supporting. They rely on their own
members for financial support. While Catholics
and Protestants gave to their respective churches
at approximately the same rate until the 1960s,
the Catholic rate of giving to the Church has not
kept up with the increasing wealth and prosperity
of the Catholic community. It is said that for
every $2.00 given by Protestants to their church
es, Catholics give $1.00. The Catholics of the
Diocese of Savannah, however, have responded
most generously to recent Diocesan Develop
ment Appeals, and especially to the One
Faith...One Family Jubilee Campaign for capital
improvements. That campaign included last
year’s D.D.A. As the D.D.A. resumes this year,
may that tradition of loyal support for the dio
cese’s efforts to meet the needs of the growing
Catholic community of south Georgia continue.
—DKC
Q uestion: Recently I’ve heard
conflicting interpretations
regarding the miracles of the New
Testament. What are we to believe
regarding Jesus’ miracles, particu
larly the “feeding of the five thou
sand”?
—Sally Kennedy
A nswer: Biblical miracles gen
erally have two purposes: to
benefit their recipients and to show
forth the power of God. For exam
ple, in healing miracles, the recipi
ent benefits from a cure, while all
who witness the cure directly or
indirectly through the Scriptures
experience the power of God.
Because of this second purpose, the
miracles of Jesus are called “signs”
in John’s Gospel. Scholars have
long noted that some of the miracu
lous events recorded in the Bible
could in fact be natural events—for
Questions
example, the 10 “plagues” inflicted
on the Egyptians, which also bene
fit the Israelites in their quest for
freedom. Although some of the
events, at least, are “natural” rather
than “supernatural” in themselves
(e.g., the plague of frogs, a not-
unknown occurrence in Egypt),
they occur at God’s command when
needed for the good of his people.
So their timing, if not their essence,
can be called miraculous. In the
case of the multiplication of the
loaves, the event itself is told as
miraculous: five loaves and two fish
feeding 5,000 men and their fami
lies. In addition, the event’s sym
bolic meaning refers to the ongoing
miracle of the Eucharist, by which,
through the humble forms of bread
and wine, the Lord Jesus feeds his
people with his own body and
blood. There is no doubt that the
Gospel writers considered the event
& Answers
“miraculous”, that is, an act that
shows the power of God for the
benefit of his people. It is hard to
understand how believers of any
generation would not also see this
event as miraculous.
—DKC
Q uestion: What is the National
Council of Churches in Christ?
as you know they are involved in
returning the Cuban boy to Cuba.
Who are they and what churches do
they represent? I was under the im
pression that the majority of Cubans
were Catholic, at least in Florida.
—John Connor
A nswer: The National Council
of Churches in Christ is an
organization of 35 Protestant,
Orthodox and Anglican commu
nions (denominations) in the United
States. The member bodies claim
52 million members. The Catholic
Church, which does not see herself
as a “denomination,” but rather as
the Mother Church, in which the
true Church of Christ subsists, is
not a member. The National
Council of Churches has long
emphasized social justice.
Elian Gonzalez’ mother was
bringing him from Cuba to the
United States, illegally, when their
boat capsized and she drowned. The
six-year-old survived and was taken
in by relatives in Miami. The
National Council of Churches has
been advocating his return to his
father in Cuba and has facilitated
the visit of his grandmothers to the
United States. The U.S.
Immigration and Naturalization
Service also wishes to send him
back to Cuba. Apparently most
Cuban Americans in Florida oppose
his return to the Communist island.
The Catholic Church is not
involved in the Council’s efforts
and, to the best of this writer’s
information, has not taken a public
position on this issue. It is very true
that most Cubans in Florida are
Catholics and that, even in Cuba
most Christians are Catholics.
The Catholic nun who hosted
Elian’s grandmothers on their visit
to Miami is now convinced that the
boy should stay in this country (see
page 2).
—DKC
601 E. Liberty St.
Savannah, GA
31401-5196
Thanks
Dear Editor,
Imagine my surprise to open The
Southern Cross and see Bill
Coleman in the special pictorial
article on Hispanic Ministry.
Thirty-three years ago I came to the
Diocese of Savannah at his calling
to work at Camp Villa Marie. I am
happy to see that after all those
years, Bill is still caring for God’s
little people.
Bill was great during those sum-
FAX: (912) 238-2339
E-mail:
DClark5735 @ aol.com
mer days with stories, homilies and
many other talents to instill faith
and community in the lives of the
children. I would love to see more
updates on our brothers and sisters
who for whatever reason are not
working any long in our Diocese,
but still serve the Church faithfully
and caringly.
Father Tom Peyton
Pastor, Saint Teresa of Avila,
Augusta
Letters
Weekly TV Mass Schedule
Augusta Sundays 5:30 a.m. WAGT-TV
Note time change in Augusta, made to accommodate
A BASKETBALL SERIES. SET YOUR VCR!
Macon Sundays 5:30 p.m. WGNM-7V
Savannah Saturdays 6:00 p.m. Comcast Cable 7
Savannah Sundays 6:00 a.m. WTOC-TV