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Thursday. March 23. 1972
$5 per year
Vol. 10 No. 12 Form 3579 to 202 East Sixth Street, Waynesboro, Georgia 30830
(Photo by James Brown)
Archbishop Donnellan congratulates Leon Main, new president of the archdiocesan pastoral council. Left to right: Frank Watson,
new vice-president, Sr. Janet Valente, new secretary, Gene Stelten, former president, Main, the archbishop, and Hoyt Birmingham,
new treasurer.
Atlanta Pastoral Council
Elects Allain President
Leon G. Allain, an Atlanta architect, was elected president of the archdiocesan pastoral council at its meeting
last Saturday. Allain, 47, is a member of St. Paul of the Cross Parish.
In congratulating Allain, Archbishop
Thomas Donnellan also expressed his
gratitude to the outgoing president, Gene
Stelten of Holy Spirit Parish, who was
presented with a decorative candle in
appreciation for his service.
Addressing the pastoral council, which
is the central representative and
consultative body of the archdiocese,
Archbishop Donnellan urged the
members to take a broad perspective on
the needs of the Church in North
Letter On
Education
The Five Bishops
And One Abbot Of The
Atlanta Province Have
Issued A Pastoral Letter
On Catholic Education.
The Full Text Is
On Page 6.
Georgia. Operation Eye-Opener had
focused specifically on the Church’s role
in fighting poverty. Now, he said, the
pastoral council should direct its
attention to other important matters, like
liturgy, ecumenism, lay leadership
development and the vitalization of
parish councils.
Allain, who moves up to president
after two years as vice-president, is a
lifelong Catholic and a native of New
Orleans. He holds a Bachelor of
Architecture degree from the University
of Michigan. He has lived in Atlanta since
1958 with his wife and two daughters.
Other officers elected Saturday were
Frank Watson of Athens, vice-president,
Hoyt Birmingham of Carrollton,
treasurer, and Sr. Janet Valente,
secretary.
- JJM
Local Parishes
Support Open Housing
Seven local parishes have joined the Atlanta Region Open Housing Coalition. They
are: Christ the King Cathedral, Holy Cross, St. John Vianney (Austell), Our Lady of
Lourdes, Our Lady of the Assumption, Sacred Heart and Sts. Peter and Paul (Decatur).
At St. Jude’s Parish, the question of membership was discussed at a parish council
meeting, then tabled for future consideration.
Membership in the Coalition implies commitment to open housing and the dispersal
of public housing through the five-county metro area, as well as to the preservation of
residential areas.
-JJM
MODERN SEMINARY PROFILED
Atlantans studying at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore meet in the “Pub,” a lounge and recreation area operated by the School of
Theology students. Left to right: Terry Young, Ron Bono, Pat Bishop, Rick Men and Chris Mussell. Story on page 2.
Atlanta Representatives
T ell Of Priests’ Meeting
Priests’ Resolutions
Here are some of the resolutions passed at the Denver convention of the National
Federation of Priests’ Councils:
FRATERNAL CLUBS:
WHEREAS it is our responsibility to live and proclaim the principles of the
Gospel;
WHEREAS certain civic, patriotic, benevolent and fraternal societies have
discriminatory provisions in their constitutions and statutes; and
WHEREAS it is our duty to protest against such statutes
BE IT RESOLVED that we ask these groups to change their constitutions and
statutes at their next national convention or membership meetings.
Specifically: we ask the Elks (B.P.O.E.), the Moose and the Eagles, to make
these moral decisions which will help rectify past error. We also ask private clubs
and country clubs to declare themselves willing to accept all people into full and
equal membership. We ask for the elimination of all those qualifications not
relevant to the purpose of the club or organization with regard to membership.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all local councils encourage the priests of
the locality to either work for changes in constitutions and statutes of such
organizations that they are members of, or if this is not possible resign from
membership.
HOMOSEXUALS:
WHEREAS the Church’s concern for and ministry to homosexuals is practically
invisible and thereby non-existent in the United States; and
WHEREAS the homosexual community as a minority group is subject to a great
many unjust and oppressive laws, and social and societal restrictions which serve
as obstacles in the Christian liberation of that minority group; and
WHEREAS the Gospel demands that every minister of the Gospel actively work
for the liberation of every human person from oppressive restrictions; and
WHEREAS individual priests and ministers, working with homosexuals, usually
encounter social and psychological stigma as a result of their work, and this
stigma is the single most effective obstacle to ministers who want to work with
homosexuals;
Now therefore, BE IT RESOLVED that the Role of the Priest Committee
establish a task force to develop a model for a Christian ministry to the
homosexual community.
PEACE MOVEMENT:
WHEREAS, a ministry of peace and justice was exercised long ago by Frs. Phillip
and Daniel Berrigan and others.
BE IT RESOLVED, THAT the NFPC publically acknowledge the debt owed to
Frs. Phillip and Daniel Berrigan, and others who have shown opposition to the
Vietnam War; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, THAT the NFPC recognize the non-violent
witness of persons in the peace movement as a true form of prophetic ministry
and political invovlement; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, THAT member councils be requested to solicit
voluntary contributions to support the legal defense of the Harrisburg 7; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, THAT the NFPC encourage participation in the
pilgrimage for peace and freedom converging on Harrisburg during Holy Week.
Two Atlanta priests, Fr. Joseph Beltran
and Fr. Joseph Sanches, were among the
200 delegates from all over the country
who attended last week’s annual meeting
of the National Federation of Priests’
Councils in Denver.
Fr. Beltran is pastor of Corpus Christi
Church in Stone Mountain. Fr. Sanches is
assistant pastor of Sacred Heart Church in
downtown Atlanta.
While both Atlantans found the
sessions rewarding, they complained that
the priest-delegates had to deal with too
many resolutions in too short a time.
One of the more than 50 resolutions
passed last week called for a special
“Christian ministry to the homosexual
community” (see box). Fr. Sanches saw
some need for local application of this
resolution. “Atlanta has a rather large gay
community to which no one is paying
any attention,” he said. “Perhaps there
could be a specialized ministry out of
Sacred Heart Church.”
Another resolution protested the
discrimination practiced by some
fraternal societies and private clubs. The
FR. SANCHES FR. BELTRAN
two Atlanta priests felt this particular
resolution should be strongly promoted
in North Georgia. Fr. Beltran said that he
had personally once dropped his
membership in a private club when he
discovered the club had an exclusionary
racial policy.
An almost unanimous vote of the
priests at Denver condemned American
participation in the Vietnam war and
specifically called attention “to the
immorality of the automated air war”
(see box). Fr. Beltran disclosed that he
was of the few priests who voted against
that particular resolution. “I can’t accept
the word ‘immoral’,” he said. “I think the
morality of the war is doubtful.”
A related resolution acknowledged
“the debt owed to Frs. Philip and Daniel
Berrigan, and others who have shown
opposition to the Vietnam war.” The
resolution,, passed by a large majority,
requested financial contributions for the
Harrisburg 7 defense fund and
participation in a Holy Week
“pilgrimage” to Harrisburg. Fr. Beltran
expressed his dissent to this resolution
also: “I can support the Berrigans as
fellow priests, but not their overt acts.”
VIETNAM WAR:
WHEREAS concurrent with the withdrawal of United States ground forces from
South Vietnam, United States participation in the IndoChina war continues
through heavy air bombardment and logistical support of both governmental and
mercenary forces, and
WHEREAS there can be no political settlement while military solutions are
sought, and
WHEREAS prisoners on all sides are not likely to be freed while the war
continues
The matter of priestly celibacy was
once again discussed. A resolution was
passed by a 128-70 vote which called for
“change in the celibacy law for priests of
the Latin rite.” Both Atlanta delegates
voted against the resolution, as they had
been instructed by the local senate of
priests.
Other notable resolutions passed at the
Denver meeting called for a guaranteed
annual income for all U.S. citizens and
the admission of women to the diaconatd.
BE IT RESOLVED that the NFPC reaffirm its condemnation of American
participation in the war in Southeast Asia, and take action against that
participation by:
A. Encouraging local priests councils to purchase and use the NARMIC slide
presentation as a means of educating their constituency with regard to the
continuing automated air war
Reflecting on the convention as a
whole, both Fr. Beltran and Fr. Sanches
felt the high point was a Mass
concelebrated by all the priests with
Archbishop Casey of Denver and Bishop
Flores of San Antonio. “It was a true
liturgy of reconciliation,” said Fr.
Sanches.
B. Calling upon the American Bishops to address themselves, as their April
meeting, specifically to the immorality of the automated air war; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in order to develop mutual awareness and
reconciliation, the Executive Board of the NFPC be authorized to participate in,
and/or help initiate contacts between the religious communities, especially
Roman Catholic, of the United States and of Vietnam - both North and South.
The two Atlanta priests are in the
process of preparing a full report on the
Denver meeting, to be submitted in the
near future to all the priests of the
archdiocese.
-JJM