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The
forgia
Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
Vol. 13 No. 18
Thursday, May 1,1975
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MOTHER OF THE YEAR? - Mother’s day is on the way. We will take
time to offer tribute to all those who have shown loving concern for their
children in a lifetime of service. In Vietnam there will be no time for such
commemoration. There, persons such as this mother and child in Hue will
be struggling just to hold onto life. Her struggles may make the
Vietnamese woman the mother of the year.
Nuns Missing in Indochina
LONDON (NC) -- Early reports to reach London of the fate of Catholic institutions
in the rout of South Vietnamese troops convey a picture of wrecked convents and
homeless nuns in the teeming masses of refugees.
Seventeen of the 18 convents of the Lovers of the Cross, a largely Vietnamese
congregation of Sisters, have been destroyed in Cambodia and South Vietnam. About
200 of the Sisters have struggled into Saigon on foot. The fate of the other 3,800 nuns
is not known.
Noel Charles, an official of the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development (CAFOD),
said in reporting the arrival of the 200 nuns in Saigon: “We do not know the fate of
the other 3,800 nuns.”
Foreign Catholic workers have left the war zones in Cambodia, but about 300
Cambodians were still working with Catholic relief agencies in Phnom Penh just before
the Cambodian capital fell to the Khmer Rouge.
CAFOD, the Church’s official group in Britian for aid to the Third World of
developing nations, was asked by Caritas Intemationalis, the Vatican’s coordinating
agency, to appeal to the bishops of England and Wales for special collections for aid to
Cambodia.
The goal for Cambodian relief was the equivalent of $600,000 for immediate relief
of destitute refugees who are pouring into Catholic Churches and centers. About half
the sum has been sent, and tjie rest is promised. But this is for immediate needs, and
not long-term relief.
Holy Year Influx
VATICAN CITY (NC) - Few of the rich may be making the European grand tour,
but the Holy Year has brought to Rome a great influx of people of modest means,
especially young people and workers. That was the message which the secretary
general of the Vatican’s Central Committee for the Holy Year gave journalists April 23
in a press conference on the Jubilee Year, now about a third over. Bishop Antonio
Mazza also announced that the flow of pilgrims was so great that papal general
audiences and Masses celebrated by Pope Paul VI after May 1 will take place in St.
Peter’s Square.
Gen. Lane Dies
WASHINGTON (NC) -- Maj. Gen. Thomas A. Lane, a proponent of many
conservative views on public and religious affairs, died of cancer at Walter Reed
Hospital here on April 20 at the age of 68. Lane was the author of a syndicated
column that was carried by The Wanderer, a conservative Catholic weekly published in
St. Paul, Minn., the St. Louis Globe-Democrat and other newspapers across the nation.
Priest Protests to IRS
JERSEY CITY, N. J. (NC) - In a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) a
pacifist priest with a long record of involvement in social causes has stated his
intention not to file an income tax return. Father John P. Egan of St. Boniface’s
church here informed the IRS that he would not file the required tax form as a protest
over what he called the “war-making” policies of the U.S. government.
Women’s
BY MARIE MULVENNA
In observance of the International
Women’s Year a special evening
celebration entitled “The Impact - Past
and Present - of Catholic Women in
Georgia” will be presented Thursday,
May 8, as a joint effort of the Atlanta
Sisters Conference and the
Archdiocesan Council of Catholic
Women (ACCW).
The special program, scheduled for 8
p.m. at St. Pius X cafeteria, will include
a film on Flannery O’Connor and a
NC DOCUMENTATION
Following is the text of the letter
sent by Archbishop Joseph L. Bemardin
of Cincinnati, president of the U. S.
Catholic Conference (USCC), to all U.S.
bishops, concerning the need to find
jobs and homes for refugees from
Southeast Asia.
The tragic events in Southeast Asia
have reached a climax even more rapidly
than was expected just a short time ago.
On April 16,1 wrote you suggesting that
a special appeal be made in the dioceses
of the United States to assist the victims
of this upheaval. The Church has always
responded to the needs of people in
time of crisis.
In addition to funding, it now
appears that a desperate need exists for
homes and jobs for persons coming to
the United States from Southeast Asia.
Here, too, our record and our
NOTRE DAME, Ind. (NC) - Three
Chicano bishops here branded the U.S.
government’s proposals to bring
thousands of South Vietnamese to the
United States and the government’s
insistance on deporting illegal aliens
already here as “inconsistent.”
In a sharply worded telegram to
President Gerald R. Ford, the three
bishops joined with the Midwest
Council of La Raza and the
Spanish-speaking Catholic Commission,
a Midwestern group, in opposition to
the government’s proposed action. The
Protestants
PHILADELPHIA - Two top
Protestant church leaders were named
today for key roles in the 41st
International Eucharistic Congress, to
be held here Aug. 1-8,1976.
They are the Rt. Rev. John Maury
Allin, presiding Episcopal bishop of the
United States and the Rev. Dr. Robert
J. Marshall, president of the Lutheran
Church in America.
The announcement was made by
Archbishop William W. Baum of
Washington, chairman of the Committee
on Participation of Christian Churches
for the congress.
panel presentation on “Involvement of
Women in Georgia.”
Sister Jeanette Abi-Nader of the
Atlanta Sisters Conference said the
program was the first collaborative
effort of the Sisters Conference and the
ACCW and would be the launching
point for future programs and work
together, with expansion expected for
next year.
Sister Jeanette said the initial impetus
for the evening came from the local
committee of the National Association
commitment are clear; since the end of
World War II the Church in this country
has often rendered such direct
anassistance to persons forced to flee
their homelands because of oppression.
Obviously, our domestic economic
and social needs are pressing. Yet, the
needs of those who are fleeing, many
due to fear of oppression because of
their Catholic faith, cannot be ignored.
I have asked John McCarthy, Director
of USCC Migration and Refugee
Services and coordinator of our
Southeast Asia Resettlement Program,
and his associate, Edmund E.
Cummings, to work closely with your
designated representatives in efforts to
provide the homes and jobs now
required for these new refugees. In the
past, the necessary assistance has
repeatedly been forthcoming through
united diocesan efforts, coordinated by
bishops were here to participate in a
University of Notre Dame symposium
on “Human Rights and Social Justice
and the Church.”
The three bishops signing the
telegram were Archbishop Robert F.
Sanchez of Santa Fe, Auxiliary Bishop
Gilbert E. Chavez of San Diego and
Auxiliary Bishop Patrick F. Flores of
San Antonio.
Several hundred persons of
Mexican-American heritage and others
interested in their cause attended the
symposium.
The two church executives will serve
as vice chairmen of Archbishop Baum’s
committee, a group of clergy and lay
persons with national representation
from major religious denominations.
The committee plans to build a
unique ecumenical dimension into the
congress, expected to draw more than 3
million persons here.
Initial planning calls for an
ecumenical service focusing on the
origins of the Eucharist in the Passover
meal and a demonstration of both the
of Women Religious which is chaired by
Sister Barbara Lee Walter HM. The
purpose of the joint effort, Sister said,
was to get together to know one
another and to look at each group’s
involvement. “Not just in Church life,”
Sister said, “but anywhere the Catholic
woman has made or is making a
contribution to life in Georgia.”
Sister Frances Ann Cook RSM said
the program would be geared to
“gradually increasing the attentiveness
to what women in Georgia have
diocesan resettlement directors and
their associates who, under the direction
of the bishops, have provided the help
required.
Primary responsibility for any refugee
movement to this country rests of
course with the United States
government. Although no formal
arrangements have yet been made, it is
our expectation that funding for
expenses incurred in this effort on the
diocesan level will be available, as was
the case in previous programs.
It would be most helpful if you or
your diocesan resettlement director
could inform Mr. McCarthy of what
might be expected of your diocese.
Such information will be of great
assistance to those coordinating the
Church’s refugee resettlement efforts in
the United States.
Many participants added their
signatures to those of the bishops.
The text of the telegram follows:
“Dear Mr. President: We strongly
disapprove of both your intentions of
bringing 180,000 South Vietnamese
persons to the United States and our
government’s insistence on the
deportation of illegal aliens in our
country. These actions are
inconsistent.”
separateness and the unity-of Christian
churches.
In preparation for the event, churches
throughout the country will be asked to
participate during the Week of Prayer
for Christian Unity, Jan. 18-25, 1976.
The theme for the Congress is “The
Hungers of the Human Family.” All
liturgy, conferences and ecumenical
services will focus on the hungers for
God, food, freedom, justice, love, truth,
understanding, peace and Christ, the
Bread of Life
contributed to the state and to the
Catholic Church here.” She said women
are involved in many varied areas of
concern and action.
Highlight of the evening will be a film
on Flannery O’Connor which was
loaned to the Sisters Conference by the
Milledgeville College which maintains an
extensive collection of her mementoes
and translations of her writings.
Sister Jeanette said the film, never
shown in Georgia except for one literary
symposium, was selected because the
late Miss O’Connor was a Southern
Catholic writer who is extremely well
known.
Panelists for the program include
Lithangia Robinson, president-elect of
the Georgia Education Association and
teacher at Ozbome Junior High School.
She is a parishioner at St. Paul of the
Cross. Another panelist will be Dr.
Loraine Donaldson of Christ the King
who is professor of economics at
Georgia State University. Sister Ellen
Nolan HM, member of the Jesuit team
in spirituality and Christian Life
Community, will be the third panelist.
Sister Ellen does interdenominational
work at the University of Georgia,
Athens in counseling, retreats and
prayer groups. The fourth panelist is
Mrs. Helen Beltran of Atlanta, mother
of Msgr. Eusebius Beltran of St.
Anthony’s and Father Joseph Beltran of
Corpus Christi, Stone Mountain. Mrs.
Beltran is well known in the archdiocese
for her activity in the Church and
volunteer work.
The program at Pius is open to all and
will conclude with a social hour.
Msgr. Regan
/ —\
Official
Archbishop Thomas A.
Donnellan has announced the
appointment of Reverend
Monsignor Michael J. Regan, V.F.,
Pastor, Church of Our Lady of
Perpetual Help in Carrollton as
Archdiocesan Coordinator for the
1976 International Eucharistic
Congress.
>™ "" —Mil >
Archbishop Bernardin on Refugees
Actions on Aliens Is i Inconsistent 9
in Eucharistic Congress
Top School Orators in Verbal Contest
BY MARIE MULVENNA
Maureen McLaughlin of St. Jude’s
may have had to stand on a Coke case
to be seen but she certainly was heard at
the archdiocesan oratorical contest held
recently at St. Paul of the Cross school.
Maureen captured the first prize award
in the annual competition which pitted
winners from all archdiocesan Catholic
schools speaking on the topic “Crime
Prevention: Everybody’s Business.”
Maureen, an eighth grader at St.
Jude’s school, was no newcomer to the
oratorical podium, having won the St.
Jude’s contest last year as well as this
year and having placed second in last
year’s archdiocesan-wide runoff. The
diminutive speaker was proud to bring
the large trophy back to St. Jude’s
where it was carried through the halls.
The energetic orator is an active
young lady at St. Jude’s where she is an
outstanding student, co-president of the
school’s student council and associate
editor of the school newspaper, “The
Holy Hotline.” She is also a member of
the parish folk group and an avid soccer
player with the Northside “Y”
Supersonics who have two
championships under their belts.
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas
McLaughlin of Dunwoody, Maureen is
the oldest of four young McLaughlins
and is planning to attend St. Pius in the
fall. Her father is a member of the
Archdiocesan Board of Education and is
a CPA and vice-president of Coastal
States Life in Atlanta.
Last summer Maureen worked as a
volunteer in arts and crafts with the
Atlanta Area Services for the Blind.
That seemed to fulfill her oratorical
ORATORICAL CONTEST
WINNER, Maureen McLaughlin,
proudly displays the trophy won
in a recent speaking contest for
Catholic schools in the
archdiocese.
topic of last year which was “Volunteer
Community Involvement.”
Mr. and Mrs. McLaughlin said they
were very impressed with the entire
group of students vying for the title and
added they had to smile when Sister
Madeline, superintendent of schools,
told the nervous group of contestants
that “courage is fear that said its
prayers.” Maureen later commented
with a laugh that Sister was certainly
right, adding, “boy, was I ever praying.”
Placing second in the competition
was Michael Mohr of Ss. Peter and Paul
and third place winner was Mary Evan
of OLA. Other participants, winners in
their respective schools, were: Kevin
Kern of Christ the King, Mary Schmitt
of Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Christopher Benjamin of Our Lady of
Lourdes, Angela Yoing of St. Paul of
the Cross and Deanna Dooley of St.
Joseph’s in Athens.
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