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The Georgia Bulletin
August 31,1978
Back To School
We are well and truly distracted by
the pomp of the Papacy this week.
Almost every other story fades as the
newly named, cleverly titled successor of
Peter ascends.
But furious activity is not limited to
the eternal city. There is ant-like activity
here at home. The schools are open.
Cringing reluctant mites are returning to
the hard-surfaced learning desks. Their
minds will hardly dwell on the miracle of
Cardinal Luciani. Long, lazy hot summer
days fading, will more likely crowd
chock-filled memories.
During the summer of 78 much
criticism has been leveled at school
systems everywhere. The end product,
we are told, is most disappointing.
Smiling illiterates are graduating to be
uselessly dumped on society like
dropouts. If the criticism is justified,
then a new school year is a time of
watchfulness and hope. Both educators
and parents owe our children and
communities the vast superiority our
resources can well afford.
The high adventure of education is a
weighty responsibility. Those who have
accepted this vocation deserve our
admiration and our support. Our
displeasures should certainly penetrate
their busy doors, but the back slapping,
well deserved applause should resound
too. They are among our most faithful
underpaid, nonappreciated servants.
So, as we welcome Pope John Paul I
into his new arena of responsibility in
this new school year, we remember him
coming from a lifetime of many roles,
including the role he cherished as
teacher.
- NCB
' >
Resound
‘Miracles’ Clarification . . .
ATLANTA - In writing the letter entitled
“Miracles” in the August 17,1978, issue of this
paper, I left out a few words which totally
destroyed the meaning of the second paragraph.
This should have read that, “ ... it saddens me
to hear the humanity of Jesus stressed in the
pulpit to such an extent that His miracles are
explained away by “natural” explanations, to
hear the idea that the Virgin Mary had an
“intuition” that she was the Mother of God
rather than hearing this from an angel, and to
hear that Jesus had to realize “gradually” what
His mission was, as Saints have held that the
child Jesus knew he would make reparation for
our sins on the Cross.”
The point of the letter was that such
homilies could be the occasion of people
leaving the Church in order to “seek the
miraculous” in cults since they would have
been led to believe there was nothing like this
present in the Church or approved by the
Church.
DEBORAH ANN DEDUCK
Publication No. 574 880
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Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
Most Rev. Thomas A. Donnellan — Publisher
(USPS 5 74 880)
Rev. Noel C. Burtenshaw — Editor
Michael Motes - Associate Editor
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Teens Go To Fatima
Teresa Gernazian
On July 10 Mary Ann, Kathy and Denise
Peek, daughters of Joe and Mary Peek of
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, found
themselves merrily flying to Fatima, Portugal,
with 100 other teenage girls on a
never-to-be-forgotten pilgrimage. The sisters,
aged 16, 15 and 14 ( a junior, sophomore and
freshman at St. Pius X High School) had come
into some money and voted to use their funds
on this two-week trip which was the first of its
kind for young girls.
After viewing their beautiful colored slides
and listening to these spiritually-motivated
young ladies, I believe their experience will
have an effect on many young people in
Atlanta. Only a fraction of one percent of the
Catholic youth in America will have the
opportunity to visit the place where the Mother
of God appeared to three peasant children to
announce her requests for prayer and penance.
Since the Peek girls were the only ones from
Georgia, it seems Providence has singled them
out for a much needed apostolate - to spread
the message of Fatima among the young.
How did this idea of a Youth Pilgrimage
originate? In the summer of 1976 Father
Robert Fox, well-known columnist, lecturer
and Pastor of St. Bernard’s Church in Redfield,
South Dakota, directed a pilgrimage for 100
teenage boys and the project went off so
successfully that he has conducted one every
summer, although this was the first for girls.
This dedicated priest gave a talk nearly every
day of the pilgrimage stressing the need for
sacrifice, penance, modesty and purity.
“Everything today is self-expression,” the girls
said he told the group, “not self-repression as
Christ taught.” The girls said he made it clear
young people should not attempt extraordinary
penances without consulting a spiritual
director.
He told them the extreme fasting practiced
by the three children whom the Blessed Mother
had appeared to - Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia
- was not for the average young person to
follow. He said these children had received
special graces for the mission God had chosen
for them.
The girls explained to me the three stages of
sacrifice that Father Fox taught them. First,
offering up things that come your way that are
difficult as well as your daily duties. Second,
giving up sweets or other little extras. Third
giving up big things like a dance or special event
or going a long time without watching
television. When many of the girls wanted to
make the “knee walk” which is the path
marked off in front of the main basilica at
Fatima, he insisted they wear knee pads.
(Pilgrims are often seen crawling for quite some
distance as an act of penance, some with pads,
some without.)
Two nuns and two counselors assisted
Father Fox, intertwining basic teachings with
the facts surrounding the approved apparitions.
The past came alive for the girls as they hiked
over the rugged terrain where the children
played and took care of their sheep; visited the
bedrooms of the saintly children; took pictures
with the 80-year-old brother of Jacinta and
87-year-old sister of Lucia; visited the Carmelite
monastery in Coimbra, Portugal where Sister
Lucia is a cloistered nun, visited the tombs of
Jacinta and Francisco in the Basilica, and
prayed almost daily at the Chapel of the
Apparitions where the Blessed Mother appeared
to the children. Everywhere they went, the
echo was the same - prayer, penance,
simplicity, humility - the nothingness of
Fatima makes it everything.
Except for a few days in Spain, the girls
stayed at the Domus Pacis, Blue Army
Headquarters in Fatima. For sure there were
headaches, falls, unexpected delays, and Father
Fox’s sudden announcements of activities to
come that would shorten their time for sleep,
but it wouldn’t do a bit of good to complain.
“Offer it up,” would quickly be yelled by
someone in the crowd.
Thousands of pilgrims poured into the town
on July 12 for the big celebration on the 13th,
which consisted of a magnificent concelebrated
Mass at the Basilica, Rosary procession and
blessing of the sick. While this occasion was
surely a highlight of the trip, there were many
other places and events that will hold special
memories for the girls.
Denise Peek, the second youngest in the
entire group, said the trip made her understand
her faith better and she enjoyed the family
atmosphere with the other girls. Kathy,
showing deep insights for being so young said:
“Those people (the Portuguese peasants who
live so austerely) are more civilized than we are.
Their humble devotion to God’s mother is
something our people should learn about.”
Mary Ann said Father Fox cleared up many
questions the group had and she enjoyed
exchanging little spiritual customs and practices
with the other girls. Mature for her sixteen
years, Mary Ann realizes what a big job lies
ahead for the three of them in sharing what
they have learned. Future plans include slide
presentations of the Fatima Pilgrimage and
forming a Blue Army Cadet Prayer Cell. If
readers are interested in more information, they
can reach the Peeks at 325-1059.
Anyone wishing more information on the
Fatima Pilgrimage for boys or girls for 1979 or
to obtain a Cadet Prayer Cell Kit for $1.25,
write Sister Mary Celeste, Ave Maria Institute,
Washington, New Jersey 07882.
Reflections On The Papacy
Father Jeremy Miller, O.P.
J
In the short time since Paul VI died -1 am
writing this four days later - newspapers and
television have been filled with information
about Giovanni Battista Montini, about the
events of his pontificate, about the process of
conclave elections, and with the irresistible
speculations about the “papabile” (the so-called
“front runners” for the papal voting.) Some of
this coverage is perceptive, some of it not so.
For example, I was somewhat ill at ease with all
the attention given to Paul’s Encyclical,
HUMANAE VITAE, as if his pontificate were
to be measured by that alone seemingly, and
almost no appraisal given to his really
astounding reflection on human justice in
POPULORUM PROGRESSIO.
My aim in this reflection, however, is in a
completely other direction and into that area
which has been completely bypassed in the
journalistic coverage. What are we to think, at
this moment when the world’s attention has
been focused on the vacant Papacy, about the
papal ministry itself? That is to say, let us
abstract from Paul VI, or John XXIII, or Pius
Xn, and pause to consider what it is that the
papal office represents and seeks to accomplish.
To suggest this particular aspect, let me use a
phrase from the biblical scholars, the “petrine
ministry”. What is the significance of the
petrine ministry for the Church?
Now I realize that the particular personality
and saintly gifts, and let us also honestly say,
the particular limitations of the one who is
Bishop of Rome, leave their mark and style,
their stamp as it were, on the petrine ministry.
But still, something can be said about the
petrine ministry itself, and this is what we
cannot expect secular newspapers and television
to do.
Let me give an example. This happened to
me the day after Paul died. As I prayed the
Canon of the Mass that Monday evening, I came
to the words, “in union with ( ) our Pope,
with (Thomas) our Bishop ...” I had to catch
myself in mid-phrase. The feeling of what that
phrase meant, now that it went unsaid, came
upon me. It was not the feeling of mourning for
the dead Paul VI, but the feeling of what that
phrase means to the Mass.
Our Eucharist is expressive of the mystery of
the whole Church. St. Augustine, and St.
Thomas Aquinas after him, taught that the
Eucharist is the sign of the unity of the Church
and deepens that unity. So in the Mass we
affirm that our celebration is not an isolated
event but one celebrated in communion with
the Church universal. “In union with (name)
our Pope” immediately expresses this. The
petrine ministry is a sign of universal Church,
the Church in communion with its many local
expressions (dioceses). But on that Monday
night, the sign of universal unity was obscured.
Do not read this too critically as if the Church
momentarily without a Pope is lacking unity. 1
describe a small aspect of petrine ministry
without all the necessary nuances and
footnotes.
To be, then, the sign and fostering of Church
unity is one role of the petrine ministry. The
Church is not a loose federation of local
independent churches (dioceses), just like the
AFL-CIO is a loose federation of independent
trade unions. Rather the Church is a
communion of local Churches, in a unity of
faith and love and without a surpression of
local differences, by being in fellowship with a
common center. A recent document of
Anglican and Roman Catholic theologians
phrased it this way. “The teaching of these
councils (Vatican I and II) shows that
communion with the Bishop of Rome does not
imply submission to an authority which would
stifle the distinctive features of the local
churches. The purpose of this episcopal
function of the bishop of Rome is to promote
Christian fellowship in faithfulness to the
teaching of the apostles.”
There is another role to the petrine ministry,
one which must be the greatest personal
responsibility of the Bishop of Rome. He is to
be the sign and promoter of faithfulness of all
the Churches to the one unique Head of the
Church, Christ. Not that the Pope alone is
faithful or need be the most saintly. But he,
particularly, must confirm (strengthen) his
brethren. What an awesome responsibility. I can
fully appreciate what every just-elected Pope
must say to his conclave electors. “But I am not
worthy of this task.” Who would dare to say
what Isaiah the Prophet said, “Here I am, send
me.”
But one does not, and cannot travel this
responsibility alone, it is, and must be, “in the
power of the Holy Spirit,” as Archbishop
Donnellan responded to an election-type
question of a TV interviewer this past week.
The petrine ministry “must guard and promote
the faithfulness of all the Churches to Christ
and one another,” as our document mentioned
The Breadwinner and I have been promising
each other a trip to Asheville, North Carolina,
for at least 15 years and this past weekend on
the spur of the moment, we took off.
The trip north is a beautiful one and seems
shorter than the actual time spent because of
the scenery. We had begun the trip after
midday and we stopped several times along the
way, including a side trip along the southern
portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway, so we
arrived in Asheville at about 7 p.m. With no
reservations in advance we felt fortunate to find
a room in a motel only five minutes from
Biltmore House which we planned on visiting
the next day.
Saturday night we ate at a little seafood
restaurant in downtown Asheville and it was
here that I learned about Pope John Paul. A
number of customers and help had gathered
around a TV set and displayed such interest in
the event that I thought I had fallen into a hot
bed of Asheville Catholics. Not a one, they
were all Protestants who were genuinely excited
and interested in the choosing of our new
Pontiff.
Later that evening, leaving the restaurnat we
were drawn to the park in the center of town
by the sound of square dance callers. A
Bluegrass Festival was in progress and we spent
several happy hours making our way in the cool
night air from group to group and listening to
them practice for their moment in the
spotlight. Each group drew a crowd as they
played their lively tunes under an umbrella of
oaks and a star-studded sky. Normal* Rockwell
would have had a fieldday here recording in his
inimitable fashion this bit of true Americana.
Next morning at Mass we heard the gospel of
Peter the Rock and were struck as were
Catholics everywhere that this was a good omen
for the healing papacy of Pope John Paul.
above puts it. Not all Popes have had the same
charisma and impact in doing this. Not every
one has been a Leo the Great or Gregory VII.
But in times of wavering faith, there has been
someone chosen “in the Holy Spirit” and
confirmed his brethren.
There are so many other dimensions to the
petrine ministry which can and perhaps ought
to have been sketched. The evolution of it from
biblical times, its relationship with other
Patriarchs and with local Bishops, its
ecumenical role, the problem it poses for
ecumenical reunion (as Paul VI himself
confessed to visiting Protestant churchmen), its
function in infallible teaching and its role in
relation to Ecumenical Councils, its relation to
the city of Rome (need the petrine ministry
always be located there?), etc. I leave these
dimensions, important in their own right, to
another time perhaps.
Instead I have sought to underline but two
“sign-values” as it were. Unity and Faithfulness.
With each year, both of these take on increasing
importance. The union of Churches overcoming
ancient divisions. The relevance of Christian
belief in a secularizing world. Let us join in
prayer the electors, now gathering at Rome,
that the one on whose shoulders falls this
petrine ministry will unite us in our purposes
and confirm us in our faith. An awesome
ministry!
In the afternoon we visited Biltmore House
and for those of you who have never been
believe me it is well worth the lovely 200-mile
drive. Biltmore House was built as a country
home by George W. Vanderbilt who loved the
beautiful mountain country of western North
Carolina. Construction began in 1890 and it
was completed in 1895. Originally he owned
125,000 acres surrounding Biltmore House, but
after his death in 1914 a large portion of the
estate was deeded to the U.S. Government as
the nucleus of the beuatiful Pisgah National
Forest. Later still more of the land was sold for
the Blue Ridge Parkway leaving the house and
10,600 acres which still belong to his
descendents.
Biltmore House and its marvelous gardens
has been open to the public since 1930. It is
mind-boggling to look at this fantastically
beautiful home, so exquisitely furnished with
its shaded terraces and formal gardens and
think that one man owned this as well as all Jhe
land almost as far as the eye can see, including
mountains and a goodly stretch of the French
Broad River.
Leaving Biltmore House, we traveled south
again on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Pisgah
Inn. The Inn is about 26 miles out of Asheville
and is situated on the Blue Ridge Parkway at
5,000 feet above sea level. It has * magnificent
view of (I counted them) 12 moJntain ranges.
The Inn is run by the Depatment of the
Interior and every room has a small terrace
overlooking this beautiful mou*tain view.
Monday morning I rose 'arly and was on
time to see the sunrise lik' a fiery explosion
over the Eastern mountains After watching the
mist lying like lakes in «e valleys and then
gradually each range con- into view as the sun
rose - I knew what the Balmist meant when he
said “He restoreth my s'hl.”
Working Women
By Sheila Mallon