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PAGE 6 - April 2,1970
IN TEXAS & OKLAHOMA
‘Trust Gap’ Bridged
By Bishops - Priests
SAN ANTONIO, Tex.
(NC) — Five bishops met with
about 60 priests here in a
dialogue on selection of
bishops, the possibility of a
national pastoral council,
priestly celibacy, and other
current topics.
wondered whether they and
the laity might have a
democratic voice in the
process.
The bishops, from dioceses
in Texas and Oklahoma, were
invited to the meeting by the
Federation of Priests Councils
of the San Antonio province,
which encompasses the two
states.
Noting it would appear
there is not much democracy
in the naming of a bishop,
Archbishop Furey said:
“There is actually a large
amount, but it is not on the
surface.”
While nQ issues were
settled, Archbishop Francis J.
Furey, one of the bishops
present, observed: “I hope
that if there is a trust gap,
meetings like this will help
close that gap.”
He and the other bishops
pointed out that in most
dioceses the bishop polls a
number of clergy asking them
to submit names of possible
candidates for the hierarchy.
He added that in some
cases, as in the Galveston-
Houston diocese, all the
priests are polled.
Father Robert Schmidt of
Moulton, Tex., vice chairman
of the federation, called the
exchange “a great step
forward” toward bridging the
trust gap.
Other bishops attending
were John L. Morkovsky of
Galveston-Houston, Vincent
M. Harris of Beaumont, Tex.,
Victor J. Reed of Oklahoma
City-Tulsa, and Lawrence De
Falco of Amarillo, Tex.
Archbishop Furey said
there is “a certain sense of
democracy” in the present
system of selecting bishops in
the United States. He
questioned the wisdom of
opening the process entirely
to the public: He noted that,
in Cleveland, the laity were
invited to participate in the
naming of a new bishop by
placing their nominations in
the collection basket.
Considerable discussion
centered on the procedures
involved in the selection of
bishops. Some priests
“Everyone just voted for
their pastor,” the archbishop
said.
Bishop Reed expressed
WELFARE DECISION
Head Of Charities
Praises S. Court
WASHINGTON (NC) -
Msgr. Lawrence J. Corcoran,
director of the National
Conference of Catholic
Charities, called the U.S.
Supreme Court’s (March 23)
decision on welfare “a large
step forward in bringing
about an equitable welfare
system.”
“I do not believe,” he
added, “there is any provision
in our Constitution that
should thus paralyze the
government’s efforts to
-protect itself against making
'‘payments to people who are
not entitled to them.”
The 5-3 court decision
ruled that welfare recipients
are entitled to an evidentiary
hearing before their payments
can be stopped. Justice
William J. Brennan, Jr.,
speaking for the majority,
said ( halting of payments
without a hearing constituted
deprivation of the due
processes of law.
Msgr. Corcoran told NC
News the question of
entitlement is the key issue in
the welfare debate.
Under the new ruling,
which affects cases in New
York, California, Iowa,
Texas, Georgia and Florida,
“the recipient must be
allowed to retain an attorney
if he so desires” and “the
decisionmaker should state
the reasons for his
determination and indicate
the evidence he relied
on...
Dissenting from the
majority opinion, Justice
Hugo Black said the ruling
renders a state helpless to
stop payments to welfare
recipients.
IN PROPOSED BUDGET
NCCC Unit Raps
‘Welfare Freeze’
CHICAGO, m. (NC) - A
restriction on funds for social'
services in the proposed
federal budget of President
Nixon was deplored as a
“welfare freeze” by a
commission of the National
Conference of Charities,
(NCCC) at a meeting here
(March 23-24).
The NCCC Commission on
Families and Children urged
the President to reconsider
his action.
1970. The “freeze,” the
commission said, will limit
“effective delivery of
rehabilitation services” which
are “designed to help people
achieve their maximum
potential for self-support and
personal growth.” It will also
impede efficient planning for
the most effective use of
social and rehabilitation
services, the commission
added.
According to the budget
for fiscal 1971, federal
expenditures for social
services, staff training and
administration may not
exceed 110% of the aggregate
amount estimated for these
purposes for the fiscal year,
It said not only is the 10%
increase over the 1970 budget
inadequate, but it also places
a ceiling on expenditures for
social services. The
commission complained that
the new appropriations will
become “closed” whereas
previously they have been
“open-ended.”
concern over “politics” in the
selection of a bishop. He
speculated that “if the gates
were left open, the priestly
ministry might become to a
great extent just a popularity
contest.” He said that
situation would be bad for
the Church.
In any event, the
monsignor concluded, he
decision should bring about
not only “a more equitable
welfare system, but one
which gives recipients as
much respect as
possible ... it should give the
nation both a more just and a
more merciful system.”
The Oklahoma bishop said
he felt that participation of
the laity in the selection of
bishops would come “in
time.” He said the laity could
gain necessary insights for
judging priests as candidates
for the episcopacy through
involvement in the
democratic processes of
parish councils, diocesan
pastoral councils, personnel
boards and similar Church
units.
Father Emile Farge of
Houston, diocesan director of
the Galveston-Houston
Community Relations
Council, suggested a
resolution asking that the
National Conference of
Catholic Bishops (NCCB)
outline the procedure for
selecting bishops.
“Our ignorance on this
matter is appalling,” he said.
Bishop Harris said the
entire procedure has already
appeared in the Canon Law
Digest. Bishop Morkvosky
admitted he knew nothing of
the procedure until after he
had been named a bishop
himself.
Commenting on the
proposed national pastoral
council, Archbishop Furey
said he was “very much in
favor” of the concept. But
while a national council
would bring about a greater
cooperation in the Church, he
said, there were some
practical difficulties in time
and distance in forming such
a council to represent all of
the United States including
Alaska and Hawaii.
“By stating that welfare is
part of the government’s
effort to ‘promote the general
welfare,”’ the monsignor said,
“Justice Brennan comes close
to saying that those who
cannot earn enough money
for survival have a right to
receive funds from the
government.”
The San ' Antonio
archbishop also observed that
a national council would pose
a “delicate question.” He said
canon law would have to be
revised before laymen, priests
and bishops could collectively
make final decisions for the
Church. Such decisions, he
noted, are now reserved to
the bishops.
On celibacy,, Archbishop
Furey referred to Pope Paul’s
recent statement in which the
Pontiff turned down a
suggestion that priests who
have left the ministry to
marry be allowed to return to
their duties.
If this is true, Msgr.
Corcoran added, then welfare
is a right of American citizens
and not merely a charity,
which he said Justice Black
seems to indicate.
“In the future, however,
we could see the possibility,
perhaps even the necessity, of
ordaining as priests, married
men who are tried and true
Christians and have proven
their value in many ways,”
said the archbishop.
Bishop Reed declared he
was personally committed to
celibacy, but added: “I am
persuaded that there are some
good reasons for married
clergy, but I think there are
some much better reasons for
unmarried clergy.”
Bishop Reed said he
viewed celibacy as
“extrordinary and unique
evidence” of a strong faith in
the Catholic clergy. He said a
few sacrifices are greater, but
celibacy is a sign of a priest’s
life-long commitment to his
vocation.
Some priests at the
meeting suggested celibacy
was to blame for a decline in
vocations and an increased
number of priests leaving the
active ministry. But Father
Paul Donovan of Tulsa,
chairman of the Oklahoma
City-Tulsa diocesan priests
senate, said rabbis and
Protestant ministers are
experiencing the same crises
in their ministries.
“This is hardly due to
celibacy,” he said, “since
almost all of them are
married clergy.”
“It would be ridiculous to
say that celibacy is not an
issue,” Father Donovan
added, “but to make it ‘the
issue’ is an altogether
different question.”
RUSSIAN VISITOR - Metropolitan Nikodim, Patriarch of Leningrad and Novgorod, chats with
Msgr. Marvin Bordelon, director of the International Affairs Department, U. S. Catholic
Conference, while visiting (March 23) in the Nation’s Capital. (NC Photo)
IN VIETNAM
‘Junkie Priest’ Hits
Troops Abuse Of Drugs
By Sue Cribari
said Father Egan.
WASHINGTON (NC) -
Marijuana may be an
occupational hazard for
American troops in Vietnam,
a priest famous for helping
addicts told a conference of
50 military chaplains here.
Father Dan Egan, a
Graymoor Franciscan called
“the junkie priest” because of
his work among New York
City’s drug users, said
without referring directly to
the alleged My Lai shootings:
A Defense Department
spokesman confirmed his
assertion, saving individual
doctors and military hospitals
treat addicts but there is no
long-term treatment unless an
addict was wounded in
action, in which case his drug
problem is treated at the
same time.
cross-section of men in the
armed forces reflects values
and problems already present
in American society.
“GI’s who act out of all
context may have been
hopped up on marijuana.”
Father Egan came to
Washington for a symposium
on “ministry to the drug
user” at Walter Reed Army
Medical Center. By
coincidence, the meeting was
a few days before the Senate
subcommittee on juvenile
delinquency started hearings
(March 24) on drug use in
Vietnam.
The spokesman said an
addict can turn to federal
treatment facilities after his
military discharge. All three
branches of the service have
programs for men court
martialed on various charges,
some of whom are dope
addicts. The programs include
“character building” and
psychiatric treatment if
needed, but no medical care
is included.
He said some men enter
the service with high school
drug experience and think
they can handle marijuana.
But they run into a problem
with the Vietnamese variety,
which he said is about 50%
more potent than “domestic”
marijuana, due to climatic
conditions.
Servicemen who start
smoking the more powerful
marijuana in Vietnam think
they will get “the same kick”
from domestic marijuana
when they return to the
states, Father Egan said.
When they find it less potent,
some become disillusioned
and jump into heroin.
Sen. Thomas J. Dodd
(D-Conn.), subcommittee
chairman, scheduled detailed
discussion of both My Lai
and drug abuse among U.S.
troops.
Subject of the book “The
Junkie Priest,” now in its
ninth printing, Father Egan
has campaigned around the
country for the opening of
rehabilitation centers for drug
addicts. He established the
first “halfway house” in the
United States for female
addicts trying to kick the
habit.
The junkie priest said his
“challenge to the big brass”
at the Walter Reed chaplains
conference was this: if the
armed forces are getting “the
cream of American youth”
and if there is a possibility of
dope addiction because drugs
are available in places like
Vietnam, then the military
has an obligation to return
American youths to society
in the same condition as
when they entered the
service.
The priest said the Walter
Reed chaplains conference
was appropriate because it
has been a military tradition
for years to “see the
chaplain” if a soldier has a
personal problem. He said
chaplains ‘ ‘ have a
confidentiality about
themselves that can’t be
broken.” ‘
Although Father Egan’s
experience has largely been
with big city drug addiction,
he based his comments about
Vietnam djrug use on
interviews with “real, human,
gut-level chaplains” who have
been there and servicemen in
New York City who have
either been “phased out” of
the service for drug addiction
or put into military jails for
drug offenses.
“Army installations are no
different from any other
typical American
community,” Father Egan
said.
But the real problem in
terms of drug use and
treatment, he said, is “what
does the chaplain do when he
gets this trust?”
The armed forces are just
beginning to face up to the
fact that their ‘children’ going
to school at the post can’t
just be immunized.”
“There is not one single
rehabilitation center for
addicts in the armed forces,”
Father Egan stressed that
drug problems in Vietnam
and elsewhere are not all the
fault of the military, since the
Servicemen at some bases
can easily “pool their money
and go into the next town
and get grass,” he said.
Scripture-
(Continued from Page 5)
way he usually does. Such
lack of artistry is so unlike
Luke that I think some later
editor must have tucked the
saying in here.
acknowledged as such even
by the specialists in religious
observance known as the
Pharisees.
He said some men who
served in Vietnam have told
him: “We have no ice-and
what good is liquor without
ice? The beer is stale, and
marijuana is available.”
But these are minor
blemishes. Consider the more
typical kind of masterpiece in
chapter 14, verses 1-24,
where Luke gives a miracle
and two parables paced by
the stages of a dinner “at the
home of one of the leading
Pharisees.” The miracle
comes as Jesus arrives at the
house. The first parable
comes as the guests are
looking for their seats. The
second parable comes when
all are seated and the first
course is being served.
We have been looking at
Luke’s stylistic qualities, but
enough references have been
given so that you can also see
how Jesus presented himself
as a prophet, or inspired
teacher, and was
The disciples of Jesus also
acclaimed him as the
promised King and Messiah.
The Pharisees would not go
that far, nor will their
successors, the devout and
observant Jews of today. But
some Pharisees obviously
were friends of Jesus (see
13:31), even some of the
“leading” Pharisees (14:1),
although obviously that
friendship was strained when
Jesus welcomed “outcasts”
and even ate with them
(15:1). If Jesus were a King,
they obviously felt, he was
not the kind of king they
were expecting. That was the
feeling of the Pharisees, and it
is the feeling of learned Jews
today, some of whom will,
however, acknowledge Jesus
as a prophet. We shall now
look closer at Jesus, King and
Messiah, as presented by
Luke.
Defense Department
spokesmen have consistently
stated that drug use by the
military is not statistically a
serious problem. Recent
Defense Department statistics
record 6,490 marijuana
investigations in Vietnam in
1969. This means
investigation of about 15 men
in every thousand. Figures for
1 967 showed 1,267
marijuana investigationsr-one
for about three men in a
thousand.
Defense Department
statistics for hard narcotics
are lower. The number of
cases investigated in 1967 was
89, increasing to 243 in 1969.
Both figures represent less
than one man per thousand
investigated.
Worship And
The World
BY FATHER JOSEPH
M. CHAMPLIN
PROTESTANT OUR FATHER BN CATHOLIC MASS
Is it true we now sing
or say the Protestant Our
Father in our revised Catholic
Mass? Well, yes and no. Yes,
if you mean that the
doxology, “For thine is the
power and the kingdom and
the. glory forever and ever,”
does in substance appear after
the Lord’s Prayer at the Holy
Sacrifice. No, if you are
asserting we will recite this
prayer with the same wording
or in the exact fashion
followed by those of
Protestant persuasion.
Christ’s Bodv: at occasions
when Communion is
distributed outside of Mass
the Lord’s Prayer prepares
people for this eucharistic
meeting with Jesus; in
baptism all say the PATER
NOSTER at the ceremony’s
conclusions as a reminder
that this sacrament bears an
intimate connection with and
should eventually lead those
newly baptized to participate
in the Eucharist.
First of all, we should
understand that the Lord’s
Prayer with this doxology
appended to it (yet missing in
the Roman Catholic
tradition) has been
inaccurately dubbed the
“Protestant Our Father.”
True, in our pluralistic United
States we have come to
distinguish Catholics as those
who pray the short form Our
Father and Protestants, the
long one, Catholics as people
who stop at “Deliver us from
evil” and Protestants as
persons who continue on
with “For thine is the
power . . .” But these
concluding words of praise go
back far beyond the days of
Martin Luther of Calvin or
Knox. The end of the first
century we find in the
DIDACHE, that common
source book for out study of
primitive Christian worship,
this doxology: “For thine is
the glory and the power
through Jesus Christ forever
In similar fashion, the
Communion Rite begins,
“Let us pray with confidence
to the Father in the words
our Savior gave us.” We join
as one in the more customary
Our Father. The celebrant
then expands on our petitions
with a brief prayer called the
embolism.
more.
Moreover, Christian
Churches of the East, both
those in communion with
Rome and those separated
from the Pope, have always
included in their liturgies
such a familiar formula
directed to the Father
through Christ his Son as an
ending for prayers of
petition.
This technical term
denotes a series of
supplications which
constitute an interpolation, a
development, an expansion of
the last phrase of the Lord’s
Prayer, “Deliver us from
evil.” Labeled also the
“Libera nos” from the first
two Latin words in its older
Mass formulary, our renewed
edition is shorter, more
direct and eliminates the
intercessions of Mary and
certain saints (a needless
repetition since these occur
earlier in the eucharistic
prayer proper). The initial
petition links this embolism
with the final phrase of the
our Father which precedes it.
“Deliver us, Cord, from every
evil.” Successive requests ask
God to “grant us peace in our
day, keep us free from sin
and protect us from all
anxiety.” It terminates with
an expectant thought about
the return of the Lord in final
glory: “As we wait in joyful
hope of the coming of our
Savior, Jesus Christ.”
This doxology, therefore,
even though not, according to
the best scholarship, divinely
inspired and part of the Bible,
is still an ancient, Christian,
liturgical text.. For that
reason we find it
incorporated into the revised
Order of Mass as a part of the
Communion Rite after the
Our Father.
The congregation puts a
seal of approval on their
celebrant’s prayer by
concluding with the
acclamation: “For the
kingdom, the power, and the
glory are youm, now and for
ever.”
From Christianity’s earliest
moments, the Lord’s Prayer
has been considered and used
as a preparatory prayer for
Communion. We see that
practice maintained in our
modern Roman Catholic
services. On Good Friday a
congregation recites the Our
Father before receiving
A difficulty remains.
Certain musical renditions of
the Lord’s Prayer include,
without interruption, the
doxology. To sing the Our
Father in unison, hear the
priest pray the embolism, and
them pick up a sung
doxology as he finishes is an
awkward procedure to say
the least. It will be interesting
to observe how musicians,
celebrants and congregations
resolve that question in the
days ahead.
AGAINST BLACK MUSLIMS
Ala. Bishops
Deplore Crime
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.
(NC)--The spiritual leaders of
Alabama Catholicism
deplored a “cowardly and
cynical” denial of civil rights
to a community of Black
Muslims and asked that law
enforcement officials punish
the crime.
property and moving across
the state to a site in Greene
County. After the killing of
the cattle, the remaining herd
of more than 200 head was
moved to the Greene County
farm:
“The honor of our state
demands no less,” said
Bishops Joseph G. Vath of
Birmingham and John L. May
of Mobile in a joint
statement.
011ie Hall and John Henry
Davis, the Ashville farm
managers, decided against
selling the property because
conditions were
unsatisfactory.
They referred to the fatal
poisoning and shooting of 64
cows on a farm run by Black
Muslims near Ashville.
Father Egan said some of
the chaplains who heard such
official statistics at the Walter
Reed conference considered
them “conservative.”
The Black Muslim
community bought the tract
of land last fall for $220,000
from Ray Wyatt, a Pell city
automobile dealer.
Opposition within the white
community cropped up
immediately. Wyatt’s
automobile agency building
was virtually destroyed by
fire.
As Ku Klux Klan-type
threats spread, the Black
Muslim community at first
considered selling the farm
“In the interest of justice
in the discharge of our
responsibilities as religious
leaders in the state of
Alabama we feel compelled
to speak out,” they declared.
“We differ with much of
the ideological position of the
Black Muslims. But we
deplore this cowardly and
cynical denial of their civil
rights in our state. We call
upon our law enforcement
officials to make every effort
to punish this crime. The
honor of our state demands
no less.”
Bishops Vath and May said a
in their joint statement that
“Alabama has been again
dishonored” and “the entire
nation shocked” by the cattle
poisoning and shooting.
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