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GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 1964
VIGOROUS CONTROVERSY
Should The Church Ordain
Women To The Priesthood?
BY FATHER PLACID JORDAN,
0. S. B. (N. C. W. C. NEWS
SERVICE)
ZURICH, Switzerland —Should
women be ordained priests?
This question has stirred up
a vigorous debate in several
European nations lately, and
the affirmative answer to the
question has found supporters
among many serious Catholic
theologians.
A MEMORANDUM has even
been drawn up by two women
theologians in Germany, and
has been presented to many
leaders of the Vatican'Council,
promoting the thesis that fe
male priests are not only per-
missable, but necessary.
The arguments given infavor
of women in Holy Orders are
many, but they can be summed
up under four general head
ings:
• THOSE WHO point out that
Jesus and His Disciples were
all men are begging the quest
ion, because the social status
of women at the time of Christ
made it impossible for women
to be accepted as serious
teachers.
• The Messiah was a man,
but He represented all of
humanity, not men alone.
Humanity would have been
saved just the same had the
Messiah been a woman.
• ST. PAUL has been in
correctly interpreted, by St.
Thomas Aquinas among others,
as saying women cannot attain
Holy Orders. There were fe
male deacons in the early
Church, and if St. Paul were
alive today he would support
the notion of women in Orders.
• Those who accuse some
Protestant groups of hamper
ing the ecumenical movement
by ordaining women are them
selves hampering the ecumeni
cal movement by refusing to
admit the possibility of women
as priests.
THE DEBATE on the position
of women in the Church was
opened two years ago by a
Catholic woman attorney in
Zurich, Gertrud Heinzelmann.
She petitioned the Second Vati
can Council to reexamine those
provisions of canon law which
she said were discriminatory
against women, and which re
sulted from an inadequate un
derstanding of the Epistles of
St. Paul.
For a time the debate slum
bered among the pages of theo
logical journals, but the petit
ion was drawing some impres
sive support. Father Haye van
der Meer, S. J., studying at the
University of Innsbruck under
the ecumenical council expert,
Father Karl Rahner, S. J., wrote
a thesis entitled: "Theological
Considerations of the Proposit
ion —' Only Men Can Be
Ordained.’ ’’
FATHER VAN der Meer
argued that the priesthood of
women is not contrary to the
essence of Christianity by de-
vine right, and he asked for a
thorough review of the problem
by Catholic theologians to
establish "whether men alone
can represent sufficiently the ,
fulness of the divinity of
Christ."
Without pretending to offer
definitive conclusions, Father
Van der Meer suggested that
"greater opportunities be of
fered to women in the Church."
D’Youville Posts Honors
Ten percent of the D’Youville
Academy enrollment received
first honors during the third
quarter recently ended. Highest
on the list of honor students
was senior Michaels Ruppert
who achieved a 97.6 average,
leading the honor roll for the
second consecutive quarter.
Other first honor students in
clude senior Pam Parker, jun
iors Florence Farnsworth,
Maria de Give and Elaine Reil
ly; sophomores Leslie Laird
and Valerie Gornto; and fresh
men Judy Dieterle, Camille
Peachtree Road
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Second Honors went to sen
iors Mary Ann Lambert, Carol
Marchman, and Cathey Man-
guno; and juniors Wendy Jones,
Ann Marie Bradley, Carol Of
ten, Ann Gude, Cynthia Parker,
Helen Gude, Malin Davis, and
Danelle Grove. Underclassmen
who received second honors
were sophomores Pam Gatto,,
Carol Upchurch, Cathy Hare,
Camilla Capo, and Anne Farns
worth; and freshmen Suseen
Graham, Francine Dyer, Diane
Mix, Maria Gonzalex, Sophie
Gatins, Alison Chase, Karen
Skaggs, Natalia Schoeck, and
Julie Wenner. Total honor stu
dents constituted 31% of the
Academy registration,
Ed Curtin
Presents
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SEVENTH, EIGHTH GRADE
and
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
and their Parents
or# invited to participate in a
VOCATIONS DAY RALLY
Und#r Th# Joint Auspices Of
THE CYO
THE TENTH MAN CLUB
THE SERRA CLUB
A Pageant To Be Staged On
The Grounds Of St. PiuiXx High School
Sunday, April 26th., 7:30 PM
THE CRY for "greater op
portunities" for women was
not confined to scholarly works
alone. No less a personage
than Leo Cardinal Suenens of
Malines - Brussels, Belgium,
stood up at the Vatican council
and stated that "in our age
when a woman almost trav
els to the moon, it is indis
pensable to let her assume a
more important role in the
Church."
Father Josef Funk, S. V. D„
writing in an Austrian Journal
Archives of Canon Law, main
tained that the shortage of
clergy demands the admission
of women at least to the dl-
aconate. He based his argu
ments of practices on the early
Christians.
THE DEBATE moved Into the
open a 'short time ago when
Auxiliary Bishop Walter Kampe
of Limburg, Germany, in an
article distributed by the
German Catholic news agency,
KNA, criticized those Pro
testant groups, especially in
Scandinavia, which were or
daining women.
Bishop Kampe was willing to
agree that women should play
a greater role in the Church,
even in the ministry of the
Church. He noted the role play
ed by the Blessed Virgin in
the history of salvation, and
the role played by many holy
women in the Church. But, he
said, those Protestant groups
were causing "serious theo
logical misgivings," especially
since they are depending almost
entirely on Scripture and there
fore should not dismiss the
writings of St. Paul and the
fact that Our Lord chose only
men as His Apostles.
ONE SHOULD never forget,
Bishop Kampe went on, the
symbolic relationship that pic
tures the Church as the Bride
of Christ—a polarity that re
flects the position of men and
women in the Church.
His article drew an immedi
ate reply from Mrs. Heinzel
mann in Zurich's independent
dally, Tagesanzelger, who said
Bishop Kampe’s views would
make interfaith dialogue more
difficult. She noted that the
Mosaic Law at the time of St.
Paul placed women in an in
ferior position, on a par with
slaves, and that this could not
apply today.
ANOTHEK WOMAN attorney,
Lotti Ruckstuhl, in a letter to
the same paper, stated that St.
Paul was upholding the social
order of his day only because
he did not wish to undermine
existing society. The Roman
legal system was discrim
inatory to women, children and
slaves.
"St. Paul today," she said,
"as In his own day, would
urge men to love their wives.
But love Implies a recognition
and full acceptance of those who
are loved, which in turn should
have its practical con
sequences. Otherwise, love is
not sincere."
SUBSCRIBING TO this view
was Mary Daly, believed to be
the first American women to
receive a doctorate in theology,
who teaches in Fribourg, Switz
erland. Miss Daly said the ordi
nation of Protestant women may
be a barrier to interfaith co
operation, but "the establish
ing of such barriers in the
Catholic Church by its re
fusal to ordain women to the
priesthood" creates a similar
handicap.
Two theological students in
Muenster, Germany, Iris
Mueller and Ida Ramlng, have
gathered these arguments In an
extensive memorandum which
has been sent to the Vatican
council’s secretariat in Rome,
to the Secretariat for Promoting
Christian Unity, to Cardinal
Suenens and to all German
Ordinaries. Among other
things, the memorandum
alleges that canonical discrimi
nation against women runs
counter to Pope John XXIH’s
encyclical, Pacem in Terris,
which insists on equal rights
for all persons, regardless of
sex, race or social position.
THE MEMORANDUM is ex
pected to get further support
when the St, Joan's Internat
ional Alliance, a Catholic
women's group, meets in
Antwerp, Belgium, this sum
mer.
HOLY NAME SPEAKER
Warns Of ‘White
Collar’ Thefts
MR. CHARLES Hayes, President of Druid Hills Kiwanis Club, presenting the winning trophy
to Greg Beckham, Captain of Explorer Post 47 basketball team, sponsored by St. Thomas More
Church, Decatur. The basketball tournament was managed by Dr. William A. Hopkins (left) who
is the Advisor for Post 47.
AT FELLOWSHIP DINNER
Msgr. O’Connor Defends
Parochial School Progress
See picture on Page 1
Msgr. Patrick J. O’Connor,
pastor of St. Thomas More
Church, Decatur, and Arch
diocesan Secretary for Educa
tion, was the guest speaker at
the annual Fellowship Dinner of
the Home and School Associa
tion of St. Paul of the Cross
Parish.
More than 250 persons ga
thered at the Mays Building
in Morehouse College for the
Dinner which was also attend
ed by State Senator Leroy John
son and other Negro Civic Lead
ers.
An extract from Msgr. O’Con
nor’s remarks follow:
Without hesitation I say that,
though a small educational sys
tem ours is a very effective
one. It consists of some ^par
ish schools and three high
schools. A school named "Our
Lady’s Day-School for excep
tional Children" two private
schools: Marist school for boys
and D’Youville Academy for
young girls. We find in all of
the schools devoted and con
secrated priests and sisters,
loyal lay men and women. Over
and above their spirit of dedi
cated service to the cause of
Catholic education we know
them to be men and women es
pecially well trained in their
academic work, many with their
Master’s degrees.
Marist school, a private high
school under the administration
of the Marist Fathers, has been
operated in Atlanta for some
sixty years and it is to no small
degree that the spirit of Cath
olicism has spread through the
influence and the teaching of
these Fathers. They have labor
ed long and efficiently in these
parts and have had much to do
with dispelling ignorance of the
Catholic religion and creating
an atmosphere of good will to
ward the Catholic Church. Hav
ing moved to their new location
in recent years they are con
tinuing their vital contribution
in the apostolate of teaching.
St. Pius X High School, es
tablished only seven years ago,
Is the oldest of our archdioce
san high schools. It is safe to
say that no other school has
achieved a finer record of ac
complishment in so few years.
Ably staffed, many are the na
tional honors reaped by the stu
dents of St. Pius X. And this
school is signally honored by
receiving four national merit
awards.
St. Joseph High School this
year is graduating its first
class of seniors. A downtown
school, staffed by three priests,
seven sisters, and thirteen lay
men and women, this school,
(recently opened), got one na
tional merit award this year.
Drexel High School, with
which you are so familiar, is
ably staffed by two priests and
the sisters of St. Joseph and
the sisters of The Blessed Sac
rament plus a lay staff.
I think it is most important
for you to know that we are
working for.state accreditation
of all of o^lr schools. This will
mean meeting certain stand
ards, and toward this accredi
tation we are progressing. It
is the wish of our Archbishop
that quality education will be
the type of education given to
all of our children. Just re
cently I had the privilege of
appointing priests, sisters, lay
men and lay women to an advi
sory council to the secretary of
education and through these
members of this council we ex
pect to receive great assis
tance, guidance and coopera
tion: not only outlining a "Plan
For Progress" but in helping
to see it effected. I report to you
today, then, that the local scene
on the Catholic educational ho
rizon is one of brightness and
of promise.
Education is placing within
the reach, as Andrew Carnegie
stated, "The ladders upon
which the aspiring can rise".
But what about the national
educational scene? The leaders
in the Catholid Educational Sys
tem on the national scene will
be the first to admit deficien
cies in our system, but ways to
improve are being constantly
looked for. But what is most
annoying, what causes appre
hension today, is that some of
our own people should attack
the very existence of the paro
chial schools as if they had be
come an unbearable burden
dragging the church down, im
peding her progress and pre
venting her from fulfilling her
mission to the people of this
country. There is talk about
Catholic education being di
visive. We do not feel that the
training in our schools is "Di
visive". By the religious train
ing our children receive they
are being fitted to enter the
mainstream of life with sound
Christian principles. We are
training the young for citizen
ship here on earth and citizen
ship in the world to come. We
aim to train citizens who are
free, rational, responsible In
dividuals.
To law and to moral standards
we as Catholics are committed.
To those on the national scene
who say that the problems con
fronting Catholic education can
only be solved by closing Cath
olic schools, we say that they
remind us of those Georgians
who, five years ago, believed
that the only course open to the
state facing Integration was
abandonment of public schools I
How ridiculous that was 1
Since the time when the third
plenary council of Baltimore
wrote into our Church law the
famous statute of religious edu
cation, the parish school has
commonly been regarded as the
necessary instrument for the
preservation and development
of the Catholic Faith among our
people. Every phase of our
Catholic life has been profound
ly affected by it. Few can doubt
that the true strength of the
Church in the United States has
in large measure been the pro
duct of the parochial school
system. There Is no question In
any one’s mind that the system
is far from perfect. But the
great efforts made by religious
teaching communities and dio
cesan agencies of supervision
to improve and strengthen our
schools will bear witness to our
own consciousness of the short-
Guest Speaker
Monsignor P. J. O'Connor,
Archdiocesan Secretary for
Education, was guest speaker
at the recent Altar and Rosary
Society Meeting of Our Lady
of the Assumption Church.
comings of our school system.
By knowing the shortcomings
and having the desire and the
will to Improve, we will make
progress.
The struggle today on the na
tional scene is to keep God in
education. One main difficulty
of education emptied of reli
gious content arises from the
fact that religion forms the
necessary foundation for mo
rality. George Washington, the
father of our country, states,
"reason and experience both
forbid us to expect that nation
al morality can prevail in ex
clusion of religions principle."
From our God-centered schools
here in Atlanta come three
quarters of the graduates of
non-public schools. We are
proud of those and we, you and
I, as Catholics feel that we are
contributing by our educational
system to this city, state and
nation well trained, high prin
cipled young men and young wo
men. We must never fall to re
member that "greatness with
out knowledge Is weak and fee
ble; yet knowledge without
greatness is dangerous. But
united they form the noblest
character and lay the surest
foundation of usefulness toman-
kind".
"White collar workers steal
four million dollars a day from
their employers and put 250
companies out of business
•very year because of theft,"
Louis C. Fink told Sts. Peter
and Paul Holy Name Society
members at their regular mon
thly meeting, Sunday, April 12.
Speaking about "Morality in
Business," Fink, an assistant
vice-president at the Trust
Company of Georgia, said the
problem must be met and solv
ed as a matter of individual
responsibility.
"DON’T WORRY about
everyone else, " he explained.
"Instead, ask yourself whatyou
are personally doing to remedy
the situation. Become Involved
in the fight against the forces of
evil; Join the six million men
who recite the Holy Name pled
ge every month."
Fink called on the members
to exert a positive influence
through good example. "After
attending Mass on Sunday," he
said, "don’t turn around on
Monday and bring home paper
and pencils from the office for
the kids. This is stealing in
its simplest form."
HOLY NAME President
Arthur Ceconi commented on
the excellent attendence at the
meeting and gave credit to
hard-working membership and
publicity committees. Don
Kuhlman, vice president, an
nounced that the Sts. Peter and
Paul Holy Name Society now has
114 active members.
Plans are being completed
for a retreat at St. Ignatius
House on April 23 sponsored
Parents To Meet
Christ the King Parents’ As
sociation will hold their month
ly meeting on Monday, April
20th, at 1:00 p.m. in the
Cathedral Center. Father
Conald Foust, an assistant
pastor at Christ the King
Cathedral will present his new
ly formed Boys’ Choir as the
program. The business meeting
will follow.
by the Sts. Peter and Paul
group. A golf outing was also
discussed as well as prepara
tions for a Spring Dance featur
ing Tony Lawrence’s orchestra
to be held In the church cafe-
torium Saturday, May 23.
REV. MICHAEL Manning,
Sts. Peter and Paul pastor,
thanked the Holy Name mem
bers for their active interest in
church activities, "
Drama Club Play
The Marist Dramatic Club
presented a comdey, "Career
Angel", at the Oglethorpe Uni
versity Theatre April 10,11 and
12th. The play was written by
Father Gerard M. Murray and
opened on Broadway in 1943.
The play dealt with the finan
cial problems of a Catholic
boys’ orphanage and what hap
pens when a wise-cracking, ca
reer-seeking angel gets into the
picture.
Included in the cast were Jo
seph McCloskey, Timothy Mc-
Kane, Alfred Platt, Patrick
Waldron, Joseph Kayser, P.
Kenneth Davis, Dennis Wiley,
Sky Brown, Joseph Szabo, Dan
iel White, John Reardon, John
Hotard, Kenneth Cook, and
James Pent.
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