Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6 - Thursday, January 21, 1971
BIAS CHARGED
Farmers Take Dim View
Of Church’s Labor Stand
OAKLAND, Calif. (NC) -
In the 1890s farmers and
cowboys feuded in the
Oklahoma territory over land
boundaries. Three-quarters of
a century later, farmers
further west were in the
midst of another fued - this
one with farmworkers.
Heated arguments over
farm work reorganization
through unionization have
become more intense, fed by
a fire of verbal ammunition
and boycotts.
And the arguments heard
in the Brentwood-Byron area
of East Contra County - the
only real farming area left in
the Oakland diocese - are
probably typical of the
dispute that has spread across
the country.
Farmers generally feel
they’re getting a raw deal
ST. LOUIS - A judge has
authorized a Roman Catholic
doctor to intervene in behalf
of unborn children in a suit
which seeks to abolish
Missouri’s abortion law. Dr.
M.H. Backer, Jr., father of 13
children and doctor .of
obstetrics and gynocology,
will be allowed to argue in
behalf of “infant doe” an
existent but unborn child in
the litigation. The suit
contends that a woman and
her doctor has the right to
decide whether to bear a
child. But Backer, at his
office, Jan. 16, and his lawyer
said there was no one to
speak for infant doe, and
they asked to argue for the
unborn child. (NC PHOTO)
NEW YORK (NC) - The
decision of an American
company to present a series
of 12 films for showing at
matinees throughout the
United States has been
described as “a major
breakthrough in providing
worthwhile entertainment for
children.”
The National Catholic
Office for Motion Pictures
offered the words of praise to
Xerox Films, a producer of
movies of many kinds
primarily intended for school
and library.
Support for the company’s
entry into the theatrical
distribution field was asked
by the film office in the
initial copy of its Catholic
Film Newsletter for 1971.
“You can help, of course,
by bringing your children
to . . .the first of the Xerox
matinees when it appears in
your neighborhood,’ the
publication declared. “Not
just in order that the theater
will book the rest of the
series, but that the success of
the idea will stimulate what
we need most: our own
national supply of children’s
- not just family -- motion
pictures.”
The initial offering in the
Xerox Films series is “The
Wishing Machine,” a fantasy
about two Czechoslovakian
boys whose visit to an
trom the press, the
government and the Church
when it comes to taking sides
in the argument that began
about five years ago. It was
then that labor leader Cesar
Chavez pulled together the
United Farm Workers
Organizing Committee
(UFWOC).
Brentwood farmer Jack
Bloomfield resents that the
Catholic Church is so
identified with Chavez and
the UFWOC. “With priests in
the picket lines and Mass
offered at labor rallies, what
else can you deduce?” he
asked.
“The Church says that
farm workers have the right
to organize, but I don’t
recognize the right of
agricultural workers to
organize in the same way as
individual workers do because
farming is a different ball
game.
“The only way it might
work would be if strikes were
outlawed and mandatory
mediation enforced instead,”
Bloomfieid added. “The
Church tries to solve the
problems of farmers by
telling them to form their
own associations and
cooperatives, but that’s easier
said than done.”
In an interview with Msgr.
Francis A. Maurovich, editor
of The Catholic Voice in
Oakland, Bloomfield said he
feels wronged and is
pessimistic about things
getting better. Labor costs are
rising, credit is getting tighter,
over-production keeps prices
down, taxes have doubled in
the last eight years and more
competition is on the way. It
all adds up to smaller return
in proportion to his
investment.
But, what really
preoccupies 41-year-old
Bloomfield and other farmers
like him is the union
question. Brentwood farmers
hear the sounds of the union
horn getting closer.
According to Bloomfield,
farm workers are doing well
without a union. He opened
his books to show that his
full-time employees made
between $8,000 and $9,000
annually the past two years.
His part-time employees
average $6,000 to $7,000
annually with the option of
picking up another $1,200 in
industrial fair leads them to
imagine they can make a trip
to the moon. In a review in
the Newsletter, NCOMP calls
the motion picture a
“pleasant story that small
children will thoroughly
enjoy because it is, from
beginning to end, entirely
made for them.”
The other films in the
series will also be
foreign-made and dubbed
into English. This technique
was employed for the
Children’s Film Festival on
television which received
much critical and popular
praise.
In its discussion of
children’s films in a separate
article in the Catholic Film
Newsletter, NCOMP pointed
out that “the American film
tradition has been to make
general audience movies, a
type of production which in
most cases contains material
that is beyond the experience
and interest level of the
youngest viewers.”
“While it would be
harmful,” the NCOMP
continued, “to try to shield
children completely from the
adult world, it is necessary
that they also have their own
kind of movie to enjoy.
Xerox is making a significant
contribution toward this end,
and hopefully it will
influence future American
production in this direction.”
off months by pruning trees.
Hoers and sorters make about
$1.75 an hour, he said.
Bloomfield and others
generalized that the press -
especially the Catholic press -
is exaggerating the plight of
the farm worker and not
publicizing the problems of
the farmer. The government,
too, they said, even with its
subsidies and price supports,
is interested in keeping farm
prices down, not in helping
the farmer.
Leo and Aldo Mantelli
agree with Bloomfield in
opposing unionization of
farm workers at a time when
the growers’ situation is so
precarious. The brothers said
that the Church seems to be
only in favor of farm
workers.
“If the Church is really
looking for solutions,” Leo
argued, “it should not take
sides but should encourage
contracts by which farmers
and farm workers both would
benefit. Both have to go up
together.
“The farmer has to be
assured of a fair profit. He’s
not going to sign a labor
contract that is going to put
him out of business,” he said.
That’s the way the farmer
sees it. Unionization for him
means only one thing: higher
costs - costs which he can’t
pass on to the consumer. The
year 1970 was the worst for
farms in the Brentwood-
-Byron area since the 1930s.
Farmer Tino Bacchina,
president of the St. Vincent
de Paul Society of
Immaculate Heart of Mary
Parish, thinks the Church has
made a mistake in letting
itself be identified with only
one side of the farm problem.
“What the Church should
do,” he explained, “is pull
the grower and labor
organizer together and then
push for proper legislation so
that all sides will benefit. The
way it is now, we are all
fighting one another when we
should be moving together
toward similar goals.”
Another farmer, Louis
Souza, is also pessimistic that
the growers will form
associations and cooperatives
strong enough to insure him a
fair price for his crops.
“Farmers traditionally
have been an independent
breed of people,” he said.
“It’s something in his blood.
The crux of the problem is
that he will not give up his
prerogative to sell what he
wants, when he wants, to
whom he wants, for how
much he wants - and a lot of
them have gone broke
preserving that prerogative.”
Despite his opposition to
unionization, Souza admitted
that it is coming and most
growers are doing little to
prepare for it.
“We should be talking to
attorneys in the labor field,
to growers who have signed
union contracts, to our own
workers as well as union
people. Agriculture may be
different from industry, but
it is still a business and we
should be facing our
problems in a business-like
way instead of just hoping
that the storm clouds will
somehow blow away,” Souza
said.
Father Vladimir Kozina, a
pastor in the Brentwood
-Byron area, feels the
animosity of the farmers in
his parish - not towards him
personally, but against what
they think is the Church’s
unreasonable position.
“The farmers don’t believe
that the Church has as much
interest in them as in the
farm worker,” the priest said.
“The U.S. bishops have
clearly recognized the farm
workers’ right to organize,
but they have never endorsed
any particular union. The
farmers, however, have
difficulty believing that when
priests say Mass at labor
rallies wearing an Aztec Eag!~
symbol (emblem of UFWOC)
on their vestments, and a'
not criticized for it
Church authorities.”
CHILDREN’S SERIES
Film Office
Lauds Xerox
i r t
THE PRIEST STANDS TODAY at the open window of change affecting the sacrament of
Penance. Will the upswing in numbers of persons going to Confession at one church lead to a
similar trend in others? (NC PHOTO)
Worship And The World
Know Your F aith
An Upswing in
Confessions
By Father Joseph M.
Champlin
I haven’t heard recently of
many places with an upswing
in Saturday confessions, but I
do know about one. That
parish is in Macon, Georgia,
and its weekly bulletin
describes the congregation: a
community steeped in
tradition but on the move in
our modern world.
“Saint Joseph’s is the
mother church of Middle
Georgia. It served Catholics
scattered from the Florida
border to the mountains of
Tennessee. Even the great
metropolis of Atlanta was
once its mission. Rich in
history and strong in faith,
St. Joseph’s today is striving
to keep alive the traditions of
the past and give them a
vitality in keeping with the
exciting times in which we
live.”
Gray-haired and
hard-working Father William
Coleman shepherds this flock,
aided by an associate pastor,
Father Thomas Healy, “the
young priest with the very
black hair.” They alternate
hearing confessions at the
customary 4:00 - 5:30 and
7:30 - 8:30 periods, but
penitents know exactly who
will be in the “box” at what
hours. An announcement in
the bulletin one week, for
example, reads: “Confessions
on Saturday will be heard in
the afternoon by Father
Healy and in the evening by
Father Coleman.” Moreover,
each priest attaches a name
plate to the confessional
during his own tour of duty.
At St. Joseph’s, however,
sinners kneel, not in a
conventional box, but in the
more comfortable setting of a
confessional room. The
carpeted and spacious area
for penance is actually a
converted baptistry, a space
made available when the
pastor renovated this church
and moved its font forward
to the sanctuary. A partition
within the room gives
penitents the option of an
anonymous, behind - the -
-screen arrangement or of an
open, face-to-face encounter.
In either case, the individual
no longer must whisper, but
can speak normally, yet with
an assurance of secrecy.
Father Coleman has
ordered a pamphlet rack for
the confessional room, a shelf
: ; SS
The Yardstick—
(Continued from Page 4)
now Administrator of the John F. Kennedy
Library: “The whole point is that if there IS
gaiety and laughter at an Irish wake, it’s simply
because if this is what we believe: that when
people die they go to heaven; so rejoice! . . .1
believe that Bobby is in heaven, so I’m not
going to waste any tears on him. God put us on
this earth. He never said it was going to be easy;
it isn’t easy-it’s a trial period, and if you
succeed then your reward is heaven, so
rejoice!”
Miss Keyes is a good theologian in the
Pauline tradition. In other words, what she is
saying here in her own simple way is what St.
Paul was saying to the Thessalonians almost
2,000 years ago-long before the Irish wake was
invented:
“We want you to be quite certain, brothers,
about those who have died, to make sure you
do not grieve about them, like the other people
who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died
and rose again and that it will be the same again
for those who have died in Jesus: God will
bring them with him. With such thoughts as
these you should comfort one another.”
The editorial by Mr. Reardon which
occasioned this column was entitled “Let’s Get
Rid of Funeral Homes.” I have too many
relatives and friends in the undertaking business
to want to get involved in this particular
argument, but whatever we do about funeral
homes, for goodness sake let’s not get rid of the
old-fashioned Irish wake. Or, in any event, if we
do make the mistake of getting rid of this
ancient tradition which has served us so well,
let’s not say that we did so because we wanted
to shift the emphasis “from the body to the
religious meaning of death,” Fiddlesticks.
to contain appropriate
literature for this sacrament.
The priest will then be able
easily to assign passages from
these publications as
penances or suggest particular
booklets which complement
his own words of advice. In
addition, the pastor hopes
soon an artist, through proper
colors, symbols and paintings,
may add to the room a
special atomsphere radiating
warmth, joy, forgiveness and
peace.
Confessions are up in
Macon, but not simply
because of a change in the
furniture. The clergy preach
and teach about this subject,
indicate a willingness to listen
and help plan programs
geared for the Christian
growth of their parishioners.
A few excerpts from the
“Parish Programs” brochure
illustrate what I mean:
“Confession - Confessions
are regularly heard . . . .Many
people prefer to spend a
longer time than the regular
hours allow. In this case call
the rectory for an
appointment for a counseling
type confession.”
“Counseling - Any person
wrestling with a problem will
find in the parish priests
someone very willing to listen
and help discover possible
solutions. In any time of need
you are always welcome at
St. Joseph’s rectory.”
“What is a parish? A parish
is people - united at the altar
in worship of God through
His Son, Jesus. The most
important thing we do is pray
together. Yet, readying
ourselves for prayer by a
good life requires help. In
many ways our parish
program provides us with
such help.”
Just how much are
confessions at St. Joseph’s on
the increase? According to
Father Coleman the parish
formerly averaged half-dozen
penitents in the afternoon
and again in the evening.
Today the number has risen
to about 25 on each occasion.
What kind of people come?
The saved? Older persons?
Traditionalists reverting to
habits of earlier days? Some
fit these categories, of course,
but many have long hair or
thick beards, wear beads or
carry babies in their arms.
They represent the younger,
now generation. So much so
that an elderly lady living
nearby complained about the
great crowd of “hippies” who
drop into this Macon,
Georgia, church every
Saturday afternoon and
evening.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. What factors would you
say have contributed to the
increase in confessions in Si.
Joseph’s Church in Georgia?
2. How does frequent
confession benefit a
Christian?
Human Development
Guidelines Set
SAN ANTONIO, TEX (NC>
A nine-member Executive
Committee was elected as the
first meeting of the National
Committee for Human
Development held here
(January 8-10).
While there has been a
flood of inquires seeking
some of the funds, Rev.
Charles Burns, associate
director of the program, says
that none may be acted upon
until the final forms are
published. This form will be
decided upon at the February
6-7 meeting of the executive
committee in Washington.
The new committee,
composed of three officers
and six subcommittee
chairmen will give the
national committee a more
functional structure in its
task of establishing criteria
and recommendations for the
distribution of funds for the
American bishops’ self-help
anti-poverty program, the
Campaign for Human
Development.
The officers are: Dr. Albert
Wheeler, director, Christian
Service, Archdiocese of
Detroit, chairman; the
Honorable Leopoldo
Sanchez, Superior Court
Judge, County of Los
Angeles, vice chairman; and
Miss Lenore Mullarney,
officer, Nashville Diocesan
Social Action Board,
secre tary- treasure r.
Selected from across the
country for expertise in the
problems of poverty of direct
association within poor
communities, the 40-member
National Committee was first
backgrounded by USCC staff
personnel on the campaign.
Then, dividing themselves
into six subcommittees, they
formulated priority lists by
particular areas for guidelines
in determining eligibility for
Campaign support.
The various subcommittees
and their chairmen are: Rev.
Louis Vitale, O.F.M., social
development worker in the
Black community of Las
Vegas, Nevada, communica
tions; Sister Maurita,
Executive Director of the
Catholic Hospital Association
of St. Louis, Missouri, health;
Rev. A1 McKnight, C.S.Sp.,
organizer and director of the
parish co-operative store, Our
Lady of Lourdes Parish,
Abbeville, Louisiana, social
development; Mr. John Little,
Director of the Valley
Migrant League, Woodburn,
Oregon, education and
training; Mr. Steve Sifuentez,
director of Spanish speaking
cursillo, active in Spanish
speaking community affairs,
Dallas, Texas, legal rights.
One recommendation from
Father McKnight’s Social
Development subcommittee
is that “All monies collected
be deposited in minority
controlled financial
institutions and that all
companies participating in
Project Equality be given
preference.” (Project
Equality is a national equal
employment program.)
Some general areas of
discussion during the meeting
were: amount of projects to
be funded; whether an effort
should be made to fund
self-help projects in all areas
of the country; whether
political organizatoin groups
should or should not be
funded.
Tfie subcommittee
recommendations will be
analyzed and shaped into the
final set of criteria and an
application form when the
Executive Committee meets
in Washington, February 6-7.
The National Committee
will meet again in April.
The cut-off date for
funding applications to the
Campaign for Human
Development is March 31.
Once the final forms are
ready, applications may be
sent to: Most Reverend
Michael R. Dempsey,
National Director, Campaign
for Human Development,
United States Catholic
Conference, 1312
Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20005.
QUESTION IN FRANCE
To Build Or
Not To Build?
PARIS (NC) — To build or
not to build churches - that
is the question for French
Catholics. And a recently
published study of their views
on the issue failed to indicate
a clear-cut answer to the
question.
The study was done under
the auspices of the Society
for Sociological Study
(SARES) at the request of
the bishops’ National
Committee on Church
Construction.
About 2,500 Catholic
churches have been built in
France since 1945, The
government undertook
payment for about 1,000 in
war restoration programs, but
the others cost varying
dioceses about $90 million.
If this building policy
continues, another $90
million will be necessary in
the next 10 years to provide
for the 6 million to 8 million
newcomers to the cities.
Where the money is to be
found has been overshadowed
by another, more
fundamental, question that
divides the most active
French Catholics into two
camps: is it still necessary to
build churches?
For the study, a random
sample of 1,000 persons was
interviewed.
The study indicated that
the French generally think of
the church in the context of a
village, but a village of their
imagination that symbolizes
an idealized past. Many have
difficulty accepting the
architecture of modem places
of worship, which they feel is
in contrast to the image of
the church of the past.
The French, the study
indicated, are attached to
their churches because the
churches still evoke the past.
In this respect, the church
functions as a “landmark,” a
point enabling them to get
their bearings.
In discussing churches,
almost all those interviewed
spoke of their father or
mother. A great many
Frenchman feel that the
church somehow plays a role
in transmitting norms and
values. Seventy-eight percent
of those interviewed favor
churchgoing for children,
because it seems to adults
that this provides children in
some way with models of
attitudes necessary for
integration into society. The
church was seen as the heart
of the community by those
surveyed.
The church was also seen
as the means of breaking with
the daily enviroment - a
refuge that, the study said,
“facilitates an escape from
the constraints of ‘real’ life.
Or, at least, it embodies and
strengthens the impression
that this liberation from
constraints is possible.”
Eighty-one percent of
those interviewed held that
going to church must be a
spontaneous act.
The church appears, the
study also indicates, as a
place where one can
communicate with God and
the supernatural. But
experiencing this aspect of
the church does not
necessarily imply acceptance
of a codified set of norms of
action.
Of those interviewed, 48.5
percent said they prefer to
visit a church when no one
else is there.
The existence of a church
in a new town was considered
indispensable by 39.3 percent
of the French, the study
indicates; very useful by 41.4
percent; of little use by 11.7
percent; and useless by 4.5
percent
4