Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 3—The Georgia Bulletin, November 15, 1973
TV PLAY FROM NOVEL -- Cyril
Cusack as Father Manus elevates the
chalice during an pre-Vatican II Mass
for pilgrims gathered on a rainy hillside
in “Catholics,” a CBS Playhouse 90
adaptation of Brian Moore’s novel.
Trevor Howard (left inset) portrays an
abbot tormented by the lack of faith
shown by the people he serves. The
program will be broadcast on
WAGA-TV in Atlanta on Thursday,
Nov. 29, at 9 p.m.
Canadian Bishops Consider
The Sequence of Sacraments
'Sheer joy'...
Dear Editor:
I would like to say in a
very few words how much I
appreciate your efforts to
make the BULLETIN of
value. I remember the paper
when Sherry was doing his
best. You have out-Sherryed
Sherry, I think. I have the
June 21 issue at hand. From
the superb front page with
Monsignor Cassidy
cake-cutting, to page two
where Marie Mulvenna got
the true facts of the
Charismatic Conference from
Helen Mueller, to the
editorial page with Bishop
Gumbleton’s fine tribute to
Archbishop Hallinan, to the
final page, the issue (and all
the other issues) is a sheer
joy.
A PRIEST
PLACE WITHHELD
Bishop's itinerary . . .
Dear Father:
Why doesn’t the
BULLETIN list the itinerary
of where the Archbishop will
be week to week like you
used to? I found it very
helpful, and would like to see
it put back in the
BULLETIN.
PAUL KANE
DECATUR, GA.
Rosary Rally . . .
Dear Father:
We would like to thank
you for the interest and
support you and your staff
gave the Rosary Rally.
The rally was a success, in
spite of the rain, due in no
small measure to the
publicity in the GEORGIA
BULLETIN. The issue on the
rosary was a wonderful
tribute to our Blessed
Mother.
May God continue to guide
you in your very awesome
responsibility of spreading
His word.
MARGARET SHEA
ATLANTA, GA.
OTTAWA, Canada (NC) -
The Canadian bishops have
declared that children must
be introduced to the idea of
sorrow for sins and have the
opportunity to go to
confession at the time of
their First Communion so
that they may “confess the
faults which trouble their
consciences.”
A Vatican declaration of
May 24, 1973, ordered an
end to the experimental
practice of admitting children
to First Communion without
introducing them to
Confession.
The Canadian Catholic
Presidential
Resignation
Called For
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (NC)
The TENNESSEE
REGISTER, newspaper of
the Nashville Diocese, has
called for the resignation of
President Nixon as a service
to the common good in an
editorial written by Father
Owen Campion.
Conference (CCC) of bishops
said that although the
Canadian catechism “Come
to the Father” series puts the
study of Penance in the
third-year program, children
may receive the sacrament on
the occasion of First
Communion, provided they
are properly prepared.
The statement on Penance
and Communion was made at
the recent semi-annual
meeting of the CCC in
Ottawa.
Bishop William Power of
Antigonish, Nova Scotia,
immediate past president of
the CCC, told the
CATHOLIC REGISTER of
Toronto that “there is no
need for any kind of revision
of the Canadian Catechism.
The section on confession can
easily be brought into the
area of First Communion.”
“The intention of the Vatican
declaration,” Bishop Power
said, “was to correct possible
abuses in not offering the
sacrament of Penance at the
time of First Communion.
“The intention of the Holy
See was simply to safeguard
the availability of the
sacraments if the parents and
priest decide the jhild wants
to go to confession.
“There is no obligation for
anyone to confess unless they
are in mortal sin. But children
should be encouraged in this
coming together with the
forgiving Lord.”
The decision of the
conference was made after
recent discussions and
meetings in Rome among
Bishop Powers, Archbishop
Jean-Marie Fortier of
Sherbrooke, Que., CCC
president, and Cardinal John
Wright, prefect of the
Congregation for the Clergy
and one of the authors of the
Vatican declaration.
“The CCC decision is in
agreement with the exchange
we had with Cardinal
Wright,” Bishop Power said.
“The wording of the
Vatican declaration was
succinct and may have
sounded harsh,” Bishop
Power said. “But you have to
take into account the human
dimension of expression and
the fact that it was being
written for the Universal
Church. In a document of
that nature, it is impossible to
go into every detail.”
No Abortion Support
F rom March of Dimes
NEW YORK (NC) - The
March of Dimes does not
support abortion, and pro-life
organizations would be wrong
in asking people to withhold
donations to the March of
Dimes, according to
Dominican Father Bruce A.
Williams.
Writing in the HOMILETIC
AND PASTORAL REVIEW
p ublished here, Father
Williams said he studied the
problem in detail and found
that “the prospect that
abortion may occasionally
intrude, to a very minor
extent and in a way undesired
by either the (March of
Dimes) Foundation or its
pro-life contributors, is not
an automatic warrant for
these contributors to cease
their support.”
Although the March of
Dimes does support
amniocentesis, Father
Williams concluded, there are
morally legitimate uses for
the diagnostic technique.
Amniocentesis, which can
reveal that the unborn child
suffers from severe and
irremediable genetic defect, is
accomplished by extracting a
small amount of fluid from
the amniotic sac and then
analyzing the fetal cells
contained in the fluid.
This procedure is said by
some to be immoral because
it sometimes leads potential
parents to agree to an
abortion after learning that
the fetus has severe genetic
defects.
The prenatal management
of the Rh problem, Father
Williams noted, can be
effected by use of the
amniocentesis technique. It
can also be used to help
delivery of the child at the
best time and can help detect
fetal enzyme disorders which
threaten the child and which
can be treated before birth.
These uses and not aiding
in determining the efficacy of
abortion, Father Williams
said, “account for more than
90 percent of the total
number of amniocenteses
performed. ”
Throwing Stones . . .
Dear Editor:
I’m just a simple man. I
have no great philosophy on
life. I have no Ph.D. degree. I
have no loud mouth (thank
God!). But I must try to say
the words that Christ would
say if he was here at this very
moment.
We have become, in my
opinion, a people who Jesus
despised. We suffer severely
from hypocrisy. Was it not
Christ who said: “Ye without
sin, cast the first stone.” God
knows I have no right to
throw stones at President
Nixon or Ted Kennedy. Yes
Ted was involved in the loss
of a human being’s life and
yet President Nixon has the
integrity to not even bring
this up. But behold the stones
that Ted has thrown at our
President. How would Christ
view this type of conduct?
Even the Church has had
Popes it could not be proud
of. Is it not possible that a
mere President could be
slightly imperfect, yet still be
a man we can respect and
pray for? I believe that only
God can look into a person’s
heart and determine his
motives. He is the final judge
and He has already told us
that vengence is His.
My final thought is this:
Let’s pray for our fellow
human beings. Let’s look into
our own hearts. . . and
observe what we find. God
says that sweet and bitter
water can not flow from the
same fountain.
Remember this: “The devil
makes a wound and God
heals it.” The devil divides us.
God brings us together, in
harmony. The devil
persecutes us. God consoles
us. The devil is bad. God is
good. Whom do you choose?
The water from your
fountain shows your answer.
O.L. THOMAS
CARROLLTON, GA.
Energy crisis . . .
Dear Editor:
This past Wednesday
President Nixon addressed
the nation about the serious
energy crisis which confronts
us and called upon all citizens
to voluntarily participate in
efforts to conserve heating
and motor vehicle fuel. It
would seem that we as
Christians, who have been
schooled in the virtues of
self-denial and self-discipline,
should give prayerful
consideration to the
President’s appeal.
This appeal comes at a
time when every Catholic
parent and every religious
education teacher is being
called upon to explain to
Catholic children of almost
every age the why’s and
wherefore’s of Sunday Mass
attendance.
Of course we tell them that
we attend Mass on Sunday
because Church law requires
such attendance; because we
are a community which draws
closer together as we draw
closer to Christ; and because
attendance at Sunday Mass
provides us all with a special
opportunity to reflect upon
our relationship to Christ and
to each other.
However we are not
required to attend Sunday
Mass where there is a serious
reason for our failing to do
so. We suggest that for the
duration of this fuel crisis the
Ordinary of each diocese
might determine that the
national emergency
constitutes such a serious
reason as to require a
temporary discontinuance of
the Church law requiring
regular Sunday Mass
attendance. Such a temporary
suspension of the Sunday
Mass rule might continue
throughout the winter
months, or might apply to
only one or two Sundays
each month.
Any such suspension of the
Sunday Mass rule should be
coupled with a requirement
that all Catholics join with
their neighbors (Catholic or
others) in home liturgy
services which could very well
include the appropriate
readings for the particular
Sunday. Such home services
could have enormous benefits
resulting from bringing
relatively small groups
together to worship and give
thanks to our Savior in this
special hour of national need.
Special services and
instructions could be devised
for and by our young people.
Appropriate arrangements
could be made for continuing
financial offerings. And more
importantly, arrangements
could also be made for lay
distribution of the Eucharist.
It is to be expected that
this proposal will meet with
some serious objections.
Certainly even a temporary
suspension of such a
time-honored rule should not
be undertaken without
prayerful deliberation. For
that reason we would suggest
that this proposal should be
studied immediately by the
Archdiocesan Pastoral Board,
Priests’ Senate and Liturgy
Commission with a view
toward forwarding
appropriate recommendations
to the Archbishop promptly.
Perhaps it would be well for
these bodies to consider the
fact that Belgium and
Holland have already banned
all Sunday driving; that the
people of the United States,
with only six percent of the
world’s population, are
consuming more than 30
percent of the world’s energy
supplies each year; and that
the penitential seasons of
Advent and Lent are
approaching.
Surely we cannot believe
that our faith or the Church
structure are too frail to
stand this test. Truly the
needs of our fellow citizens
and of our brothers and
sisters abroad require us to
address this national crisis in
a spirit of true Christian
sacrifice.
In recent years we have
witnessed many different
“marches” for a variety of
worthy causes. Let us now
consider marching for the
purpose of conserving energy.
FERDINAND AND
MARIANNE BUCKLEY
ATLANTA, GA.
Rosary editorial ...
Dear Father:
The editorial by Father
Richard Lopez on the rosary
in the October 18 issue of the
BULLETIN was most
inspiring and very much
appreciated.
We are grateful to this
young priest for his efforts to
encourage us to pray the
rosary.
A READER
ATLANTA, GA.
Holiday gifts you can enjoy year ’round.
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Atlanta Gas Light Company
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