Newspaper Page Text
VOL. 6, NO. 21
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
THURSDAY, MAY 23, 1968
CHURCH
IN RACE
CRISIS
COLUMBUS (RNS)-Most
Negroes today feel “skepticism”
about the Church but have not
dismissed it as “totally irrelevant
to the black man’s struggle for
justice,” a Negro priest told the
58th annual convention of the
Catholic Press Association here.
Negroes are seeking a new
black identify and a growth of
black leadership in the Church as
elsewhere, Father Herman A.
Porter of Rockford, Ill., said.
They “are painfully aware of the
tokenism of the past.”
Father Porter, who convened
the Black Catholic Clergy Caucus
in Detroit in April, said that the
present crisis is an opportunity
for the Church, an “invitation to
give a massive Christian witness
to truth and justice.”
'He called the Church “the
greatest single force for moral
good in our country.”
But he added that it “pains”
him when he sees the reactions of
many Catholics who condemn
non-violent demonstrators as
“rebels, extremists and traitors”
or endorse orders to “shoot to
kill” during disturbances.
“The young black intellectuals
have written the Church off,” he
said, “for they say that the
Church has written them off.
They hear black militancy, black
power derided by prominent
members of the Church. They
read a garbled account of their
methods and their goals in the
Catholic press as well as in the
secular press.”
THE BLESSINGS flowed Saturday at the Cathedral of Christ the King after three priests were ordained for the archdiocese. In photo
at left, Father David L. Patterson kissed his father after blessing his parents, Mr. and Mrs. William L. Patterson while Father Jacob A.
Bollmer Jr. greets his parents, who live in Atlanta. At their right are Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Horan. At right. Father Raymond Horan
blesses Bishop Joseph L. Bernardin, who ordained the three priests.
Seek Voice In Church
Priests Form National Organization
By WILLIAM RYAN
These young men “fill a very DES PLAINES, Ill. (NC) -
essential role in the community, Delegates from throughout the
he said. “They do for the black United States have put together a
community what the adrenal historic national organization of
glands do for the human body.” Catholic priests which they
expect will give them a more
effective voice in shaping the
affairs of the Church.
The 233 delegates
unanimously approved a
constitution for a national
TERM TO EXPIRE.
Father Brennan To Be Honored
FATHER BRENNAN
Priests and laity will honor
Father Vincent P. Brennan S.M.
for his 25 years of service to
Marist School and the Church in
Georgia.
The Parents Club of Marist
School will hold a reception in
his honor Sunday from 3 p.m. to
5 p.m. at the Marist cafeteria.
Alumni, former members of
the Parents Club and friends of
Father Brennan are invited to the
' reception.
Priests of the archdiocese will
honor Father Brennan
Wednesday, May 29, at a
testimonial dinner at the Marriott
Motor Hotel. A social hour will
precede the 7r30 p.m. dinner.
Father Brennan, a native of
Quincy, Mass.,came to Georgia in
1942, and has been connected
with Marist since then, except for
a period in 1942-43 when he
attended the Catholic University
of America.
He has been president of the
Marist School and community
since 1961 and was principal
from 1953 until 1960. His
appointment expires June 30 and
he will be transferred.
Father Brennan spent his
novitiate year in Staten Island,
N.Y. and his major seminary
years at Catholic University. He
was ordained June 8, 1941 by
Bishop Michael J. Keyes S.M., at
that time bishop of Savannah.
As Marist principal Father
Brennan spearheaded the drive
for the new school facilities on
Ashford-Dunwoody Road. The
new school, gymnasium and
residence were opened in
September, 1962.
Federation of Priests Councils,
which welds together the senates
and associations of priests which
have taken root in nearly all U.S.
dioceses since the Second Vatican
Council.
THE SENATES are groups of
priests, partly appointed by the
bishop and partly elected by the
priests, which consult with the
bishop on the broad pastoral
concerns of the diocese. An
association is an independent
organization of priests begun by
the priests themselves to
represent their views. Some
dioceses have both senates and
associations.
Delegates here represented
127 such councils--20
associations and 107
senates-from 104 dioceses
throughout the country. One
hundred and fourteen of the
councils voted to affiliate with
the national organization; the
others deferred membership for
the present time; none rejected it.
Those affiliating with the new
national organization claimed
they were representing almost
40,000 priests, some two-thirds
of the priests in the nation.
They included not only
Latin-rite priests but also those of
Eastern rites. A delegation was
present from the Pittsburgh
Byzantine-rite diocese.
THE PREAMBLE to the
national federation’s
constitution, approve by the
delegates, states:
“We priests of the United
States of America, of Western
and Eastern rites, united in our
respective councils, cognizant of
the spirit of co-responsibility
expressed in the Second Vatican
Council by which we share with
the bishops the work of providing
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 2)
INSIDE
There’s a wrap up on
graduation activities at St.
Joseph’s, St. Pius, Marist and
D’Youville on Page 8 in this
week’s Georgia Bulletin. The
story includes graduation
speakers, pictures of honor
students and a list of graduates.
Catholic high schools are also
discussed on Page 3.
The role of a priest is
discussed by Bishop Joseph L.
Bernardin (Page 10) The page
also has pictures of the three
recently ordained priests.
The “Son Sacre,” a group of
Marist folk singers, have had a
good time singing at churches in
the archdiocese. Their story is on
Page 7.