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POPE IN IRELAND Violence Condemned — Faith Praised DUBLIN, Ireland (NC) - In his third “pilgrimage of faith,” Pope John Paul II became a “pilgrim of peace.” In Ireland he constantly stressed the need for ending the civil strife in Northern Ireland. The peace message was delivered to Protestants and Catholics, priests and politicians, bishops and laymen. All were asked to heed church teachings against resorting to violence as a means of redressing injustice. The pope also praised the strong faith of the Irish and had that faith demonstrated to him by the millions who thronged to his open-air Masses and liturgical services. About 2.5 million people of Ireland’s 3.5 million Catholics saw the pope in person during his visit. The whirlwind weekend tour (Sept. 29-Oct. 1) crisscrossed the country and covered more than 300 miles of Irish territory. The issue of violence was on the pope’s mind as he travelled the 1,200 miles from Rome to Ireland. On the papal plane, he said he was aware of the possibilities of violence during his trip. “I am travelling in the hands of God,” he told journalists travelling with him regarding the possibility of violence during the trip. When asked if he was afraid of violence, he replied, “Maybe - but not much.” As Pope John Paul stepped from the airplane at Dublin’s airport around 10 a.m. on Sept. 29, he became the first pope to visit Ireland and its overwhelmingly Catholic population. Symbolically placing his pastoral visit under the patronage of Mary, a wind-blown pope kissed the tarmac beneath his feet and waved long and often to the tiers of Irish welcomers. Buffeted by a breeze which once took away his skull cap and which played havoc with his red cape, the pope acknowledged the formal greeting of Irish President Patrick Hillery, reviewed the Irish Army troops and greeted members of the Irish government after the flagship of the Aer Lingus airline, the St. Patrick, deposited him on Irish soil. Pope John Paul told the thousands in the terminal, on its roof and on the runway that he was “happy to walk among you - in the footsteps of St. Patrick and in the path of the Gospel that he left you as a great heritage. Among those greeting the pope was Cardinal Tomas O’Fiaich of Armagh, Northern Ireland, Irish primate. As the pope’s white hair flapped in the wind, Cardinal O’Fiaich said, “He comes, a messenger of peace to a troubled land.” The first papal Mass in Ireland was celebrated shortly afterwards at Dublin’s Phoenix Park before about 1.2 million people, the largest gathering ever recorded in Ireland. They provided living, breathing proof of the strong Irish faith praised by Pope John Paul in his homily. The Irish clapped and cheered and Editorial Challenges Comments Of Father Greeley - Page 4 sang the parts of the Mass in Gaelic, English and Latin. “As I stand here in the company of so many hundreds of thousands of Irish men and women,” the pope said in his 45-minute homily, “I am thinking of how many times, across how many centuries, the Eucharist has been celebrated in this land.” The pope also had words of warning for the Irish. Ireland “is not immune from the influence of ideologies and trends which present-day civilization and progress carry with them,” he said. The country faces “a new kind of confrontation with values and trends that up until now have been alien to Irish society,” the pope said. He named “pervading materialism” and “false pretences concerning freedom, the sacredness of life, the indissolubility of marriage, the true sense of human sexuality, the right attitude toward the material goods that progress has to offer.” z The solution is to “steep ourselves in the truth that comes from Christ,” especially in the Eucharist, he said, praising the Irish crowds that regularly attend Mass on Sunday. (Continued on page 7) BREEZY ARRIVAL -- A gust of wind lifts the robe of Pope John Paul II as he greets the million-plus who were on hand for his arrival Saturday at Dublin’s Phoenix Park. He later celebrated Mass from the high altar constructed specially for the event. front office personnel. Did I have an appointment? Yes, I did. The Public Service Director would be right with me. Could she get me a cup of . coffee? That would be fine. Then she 17N „ . asks the bomb-shell question. What Vol ‘ 1 ' °‘ parish am I with? Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta Thursday, October 4,1979 $6.00 Per Year Well, I’m not with any parish. I work with communications for the Church, newspapers and electronic media. That’s why I’m here to see the Public Service Direct or. No parish? I see her darting looks at my collar. How can you be a priest and not work in a parish? That’s where a priest belongs. Parish and priest go together. She begins to think imposterous thoughts. Maybe I’m a fake. Maybe she should call the police. Luckily I’m rescued by the familiar greeting of my appointment. But I know I leave her wondering. Priest without a parish, huh? As we watch this week, Pope John Paul II is taking a 9,000-mile stroll across two continents, through a portion of his parish. In the past, we have said, with gushing, imposing piety, that every Pope is a parish priest. But deep down, no one ever believed it. The Pope is that kindly, saintly, white-clad head of countless millions and he lives in Rome. He is the chief of Vatican State. He meets world leaders and he influences the balance of delicate international decisions. He is the pastor of every Catholic parish and at the same time he’s the pastor of none. John Paul II is different. You look, wet-eyed, emotionally drained, at his sweep down 5th Avenue. This is no transient vision. This is no passing VIP. You even forget he is the Pope. This is your pastor. The million plus parishioners respond from sidewalks. Hysterically they stretch to touch, to speak, to command even for a second the bond of his stare. They want it, not for future personal instant replays, but because he is their pastor and he owes it to them. You forget a language barrier in his presence. Bless me. Bless my child. You are welcome. Come back. His blue eyes dance, his hands conductor-like, glide, his head nods. There is perfect communication. He dreads his return to papal palaces. He belongs here mixing in the mixed up lives of his parish and his delirious parishioners. He wants to get closer. Security is somewhere having cardiac arrest. Forget it, you cannot separate a priest from his parish. Already the Vatican has announced that this Polish Pastor may go to the Olympics in Moscow. What an occasion to vision. What a moment in history. What a reconciliation possibility. As you watch him climb up onto that gigantic altar to offer Mass for his people, you feel certain that Moscow will see this man and Peking, Havana, wherever human hearts beat. After all, as world-wide parish priest, he belongs to them all. Evangelization Celebration Set As Year Of Outreach Highlight KEYNOTE SPEAKER for the Archdiocesan Celebration of Evangelization will be Paul Carlson, a convert to Catholicism after being unchurched for 20 years. Catholics from all over North Georgia will be converging in hundreds on St. Pius X High School, in Atlanta, on Sunday, October 14, for the Archdiocesan Celebration of Evangelization. Representatives from every parish are expected to fill the St. Pius X Gym to capacity to celebrate with archdiocesan leaders the mission of the Church in North Georgia to evangelize. The Celebration marks a new phase in the YEAR OF OUTREACH currently being observed throughout the Archdiocese of Atlanta. It celebrates the beginning of the implementation of parish efforts to reach out and share faith with inactive Catholics and churchless persons. The program has been planned by the Archdiocesan Committee on Evangelization. Robert Beck, program coordinator, stated that he expects the celebration to be “an exciting expression of our unity in (Continued on page 6) OUTREACH ‘79 - ‘80 Special Supplement Inside This Issue Monsignor P. J. O’Connor Will Meet Pope John Paul BY MICHAEL MOTES In his capacity as a former Director of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D. C., Monsignor Patrick J. O’Connor has accepted a very special invitation to be among those to greet Pope John Paul II when the Holy Father addresses representatives of Women Religious at the Shrine on Sunday, October 7. SPORTING GEORGIA CATHOLICS A1 Ciraldo — Mr. Yellow Jacket The invitation to Monsignor O’Connor came from Cardinal William Baum of Washington, who serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Shrine, and from Monsignor John J. Murphy, present Director of the Shrine. “What rejoices me particularly,” said Monsignor O’Connor in discussing his upcoming meeting with the Pope, “is that the Holy Father will be visiting the Shrine, which is so very dear to me.” Pope John Paul II will not be the first pontiff whom Monsignor Related Story Page 2 O’Connor has met. During the period he served as Director of the Shrine, from 1950 to 1956, he often led pilgrimages to European Shrines honoring the Blessed Mother and had the opportunity of presenting the pilgrims to Popes Pius XII, John XXIII and Paul VI. Of the pontiffs, Monsignor O’Connor most often met Pope Pius XII, the first time being in private audience. He says that he recalls “at least a dozen” meetings with Popes, the majority of which were with Pius XII. Monsignor O’Connor also vividly remembers his three meetings with Pope John XXIII and laments that he only met Pope Paul VI on one occasion. A native of Savannah, Monsignor O’Connor says that his association with the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception dates back to 1920, when he was a student at the Catholic University of America and attended the laying of the cornerstone at the Shrine. “Coming from an area where we had so few priests, not to mention bishops, I was amazed at the number of bishops and cardinals attending the laying of the cornerstone. James Cardinal Gibbons officiated at the ceremony and I was most impressed - never dreaming that 30 years later I would be the Director of the Shrine!” Monsignor O’Connor has promised the BULLETIN a full account of his most recent encounter with a Pope following his return from Washington. BY MONSIGNOR NOEL C. BURTENSHAW (Third in A Series) It was November 11, 1977. A1 Ciraldo, far from his beloved Atlanta and his most beloved Georgia Tech campus, was into his commentary. Unlike the colorful Al, who embroils himself heart and soul in every Tech game, his mind was wandering. “All I could think,” says the famous voice of Tech, “was would he come.” He did. As the game between the famous Yellow Jackets from Georgia and the midshipmen from the Naval Academy progressed, there in Annapolis, into the broadcast booth walked the President of the United States. “He said he would come,” remembers Al proudly, “but he was having trouble persuading the Secret Service. I motioned him to sit and pointed to the mike. He knew what to do.” And President Jimmy Carter, alumnus of both Tech and Navy did it. For seven pride-filled minutes Al Ciraldo did the commentary and President Carter did the color. It is a tape dearly prized by Al and the most thrilling few minutes of his life. Alfred Joseph (his confirmation name) Ciraldo was bom in the tire town of Akron. His father, Alfredo, came steerage from Italy and married Rose Detola. On September 2, 1921, Al, the middle boy three sons, was born. “We lived seven miles from Annunciation Church,” remembers Al, “so we couldn’t go to Catholic School. But Sunday School was a must. My father would say, ‘No Sunday school - no sports.’ So we went, most times on foot.” Al’s love for sports led him mostly not to the field of winging balls, but to the pages of books. “Ask me and I could tell you who played left field for the Yankees in 1928. I would know. My memory has faded now but I was a whiz; a walking whiz in those days.” This powerful love of sports facts led his Italian feet to the door of WJW Radio in Akron at the ripe old age of 15. Amazed at his knowledge and his comfort behind that big mike, they took him on. “I would broadcast the first three innings of the Akron Yankees, do the color and everything else. I knew this broadcasting thing was for me.” And after high school, so it was. But not before he would play on General McArthur’s team in the Pacific. From 1942 till 1945, he was out there in the jungles. In late 1945, Al came home from the wars to Akron. “It was then I met this little belle from the South,” remembers the smiling Al. “She was from (Continued on page 6) Al Ciraldo and friend.