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You Are A Priest.... Journalist’
BY MONSIGNOR
NOEL C. BURTENSHAW
I must send a word of
jubilant thanks to Father
Maurice Fox, Director of
Communications of the
Archdiocese of Washington. He
is the one who made my trip to
Washington for John Paul’s visit
a complete success.
Father Fox, a
broad-shouldered, diminutive
whirlwind, who coordinated all
press activities for the Papal
visit to the Capitol, asked me to
assist his staff at the Reflecting
Pool between the Lincoln
Memorial and the Washington
Monument on Saturday
morning. After arriving at
Andrews Air Force Base, the
Pope would helicopter to this
beautiful spot.
It was a cool, bright autumn
fresh morning at the Pool. The
brilliant sunshine cast long
shadows on this spot that was
surely a photographer’s delight.
My job was to assist the press
group accredited to cover the
arrival of the Pope.
*
The sign says it all.
Vol. 17 No. 35
Thursday, October 11,1979
The first two helicopters
arrived at 11:15 a.m.
Dignitaries of Church and State
strolled across the lawn. From
the big birds, purple sashes
blowing in the fresh breeze.
Both helicopters quickly leaped
into the skies leaving the open
space ready for John Paul’s
landing.
The big military copter soon
appeared gliding over the
Lincoln Memorial like a giant
flying truck. As it landed, the
Pope could be seen through the
window smiling and waving. As
if anxious to be out in the
sunshine, he quickly
disembarked.
A crowd of 10,000, safely
behind police barriers, wildly
Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
chanted and applauded. The
Pope waved to them. Instead of
proceeding as the program
directed, to the receiving line,
the gleeming white clad figure
slowly headed for the
flag-waving crowd.
Quickly changing his mind,
he returned to the waiting
dignitaries. He seemed most
intrigued with the presentation
of the Key to the City of
Washington. The Pope took it
from the case and held it up
saying, “Now I can even open
the City of Washington.”
But, as always, the crowd
was on his mind. He waved to
them as if wanting them to
know he would soon be with
them. Then he turned to the
group of press reporters and
photographers. He approached
them and waived greetings. At
that point, he noticed my press
badge as I stood with the group.
He looked for a moment,
extended his hand to me and
said, “You are a priest, but you
are also a journalist.” It was one
of those golden moments, to be
forever savored.
Quickly he was gone to his
impatient flock, standing in the
shadow of the candle-like
Washington Monument. As I
came down to earth, I realized
my camera was sitting around 0
my neck. z
I had forgotten, in that
ecstatic moment, to take the
picture of a lifetime.
ADDRESSING CROWD -- With his robes flowing in the breeze,
Pope John Paul II greets the huge crowd attending an outdoor Mass
on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia Oct. 3.
OFFICIAL
St. Matthew’s Mission
Becomes Newest Parish
Whirlwind Papal Visit
Challenges And
No Crowds
For John Paul
Frank Rizzo, strong man mayor
of Philadelphia, was one of the last
to kneel in subjection as the Pope
left the little chapel. The Governor
of Pennsylvania had offered his
homage along with the cassock-clad
seminarians and a host of VIPs,
present at Cardinal Krol’s pleasure.
Applause ringing, the papal party
entered into the cool of that
beautiful starry autumn night.
Quickly the busy-eyed Secret Service
closed the
chapel doors.
There would be
no movement
until the sleek
black limousine
had vanished.
John Paul,
florescently and
classically dad
in papal red and
white, stood on
the top step.
With appealing
hands and hopeful eyes, his intimates
urged a quick exit. But the Pope was
not to be rushed. He was not ready.
It was an unusual moment,
perhaps the most unusual moment of
this hectic week. He was coming
from a ceremony into public view
and there was no public. For the very
first time there was no crowd. The
wide, manicured lawn was still and
silent like a monastic garden. His
eyes were searching for the wild
rowdy chorus that constantly
reached out to him.
They were not there. No adoring
youth singing, “He’s got the whole
world in his hands.” No reckless
children chanting, “John Paul Two,
we love you.” No babies to be kissed.
No rosaries to be blessed. No surging
swell of bodies to give tense
excitement.
John Paul, like a child postponing
the inevitable call to sleep, looked to
his left. There he spotted the
outcasts. A group of 25 priests,
sisters and lay reporters, properly
credentialed but without tickets of
invitation, who had been condemned
to wait in the night. His slow motion
to their midst signaled their warm
redemption and reward.
He moved through them nodding,
shaking, ruffling hair, obviously
wishing their number could be more,
while the delirious little group
dreamily rejoiced that their number
was so few. He asked his embarassed
Polish secretary to provide a
“remembrance” for each as he
reluctantly headed for his
transportation. Goodbyes he threw
over his shoulder, and yes, he would
see them again.
The motorcycle escort jumped
into noisy life. A final wave and he
headed down the winding seminary
path into a total darkness. We
watched till the bright red tail lights
disappeared over a brow. The main
gates would now be opened. We
listened. Soon the silence would be
no more.
The screams and cheers of his
waiting people resumed the noisy
pattern of pastoral relations that
marked this pilgrimage of Pope John
Paul.
He was back, into reality, where
he belonged.
“The growth of the Church in the
Archdiocese of Atlanta continues to
be encouraging, not only in the
opening of parishes in fast-growing
newer neighborhoods but, also, in
the continued maturing of older
parishes and missions. Such is the
case with Saint Matthew’s in
Fairburn, a Mission of Most Blessed
Sacrament Church, Atlanta.
Established in June 1978, it has
developed rapidly.
‘ ‘Now, after due consideration
with the Archdiocesan Board of
Consultors, inquiry of the Pastor of
Most Blessed Sacrament, the Dean of
the area, and the Provincial of the
LaSalette Fathers (who have staffed
the mission faithfully), it seems in
the best interest of the faithful and
the Church at large to elevate this
mission to full parish status. The
Board of Consultors has
recommended this and I have
accepted the recommendation.
“Therefore, with the required
canonical consultations having been
completed, I now decree the
establishment of Saint Matthew’s
Parish.
“The Boundaries shall be:
ON THE NORTH - West on
Fulton/Fayette County Line, North
on Goodson Road to Roosevelt
Highway (Route 29), North on
Route 29 to Stonewall-Tell Road,
Northwest on Stonewall-Tell Road to
Fairburn Road. West on Fairburn
Road to Chattahoochee River.
ON THE EAST - Goodson Road
South on Fayette County Line to
State Route 279, crossing tracks of
A&WP Railroad to Fulton/Fayette
County Line.
ON THE WEST — North on east
bank of Chattahoochee River to
Fairburn Road to point of beginning.
ON THE SOUTH - West on
Fulton/Fayette County Line to the
Chattahoochee River.
“The faithful living within the
boundaries herein outlined are
encouraged to lend their support and
energy to making the Church’s
presence in this area a continually
growing and effective one.
“The First Pastor of the Parish of
Saint Matthew will be its present
Administrator, Reverend Thomas A.
Reilly, M.S.”
Given at Atlanta, Georgia, this 9th
day of October 1979.
Most Reverend Thomas A. Donnellan
Archbishop of Atlanta
U Ecclesiastical Notary
ROME (NC) - In Italy the media
have taken to calling him “Cyclone
Wojtyla.”
Pope John Paul II proved himself
worthy of the title on his whirlwind
visit to Ireland, the United Nations
and United States from Sept. 29 to
Oct. 7.
Covering 12 cities and more than
11,200 air miles in 10 days (he
arrived back in Rome Oct. 8), he
delivered more than 70 speeches,
rode in more than a dozen
motorcades and celebrated more
than a dozen Masses - most of them
open-air affairs that drew crowds
from 80,000 at Yankee Stadium in
New York to 1.2 million or more in
Chicago and in Knock, Ireland.
While his mere presence, even
fleetingly in a swift motorcade, drove
crowds wild, his messages everywhere
were consistently a challenge.
In Ireland he took the terrorism
and violence of the decade-long civil
war in Ulster as the key theme of his
visit. Over and over he challenged the
people and civil leaders to seek peace
through justice and love instead of
killing.
In the politics-ridden United
Nations, which he called the central
point of his trip, he questioned the
legitimacy of politics for its own
ends, insisting that the sole raison
d’etre of politics is the good of man.
He called for an end to the spiraling
arms race and asked the nations to
join in a common search for peace
through justice, human rights, more
equitable distribution of the world’s
goods, and an emphasis on spiritual
values.
In the affluent United States he
repeatedly challenged materialism
and selfishness, calling for simpler
life styles and a renewal of the
American tradition of generosity
toward the poor and the hungry. Ih
insisted that this must be done on
the social and structural levels in the
world today as well as on the level of
personal charity.
In the United States particularly
the pope wove an intricate link
between issues of personal and social
morality, family life and society,
peace and justice and selflessness -
all under the heading of the dignity
of man, the theme of his first papal
encyclical.
At a Mass on the Mall of the
nation’s capital shortly before his
return to Rome, he eloquently
promised to “stand up” for human
values whenever and wherever they
are threatened.
“All human beings ought to value
every person for his or her
uniqueness as a creature of God,” he
said.
“And so, we will stand up every
time that human life is threatened.”
Repeatedly interrupted by
thunderous applause, he vowed to
“stand up” for the unborn, the
unwanted child, the loving nature
and indissolubility of marriage,
strong family life, the weak and
needy, the sick, the aged and the
dying.
The U.S. visit was marred slightly
in Boston and New York by heavy
rains that reduced crowds.
Before the trip threats of violence
in Ireland drew the most attention,
but it was in the United States that
security was the most stringent - and
apparently the most needed. An
anonymous tip in New York led
police to a cache of weapons and
ammunition in an empty house, and
in Washington police arrested a man
just outside the White House who
was carrying three handguns and a
knife.
Protests were few and dignified.
The most notable was at the National
Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception in Washington, where
about 50 nuns with blue armbands
stood silently during the pope’s talk
to protest his stand against the
ordination of women.
Mercy Sister Theresa Kane, head
of the Leadership Conference of
Women Religious which represents
U.S. superiors of women’s orders,
called on the pope to open up the
possibility of ordaining women as
priests, although she did not use
those exact words. She called for
inclusion of women “in all ministries
of our church.”
As she was talking the pope
looked strained over the public
display of disagreement over a
church policy. Yet he gave her a
blessing when she came to him for it.
He made no direct mention of the
issue in his speech following Sister
Kane’s introduction. But he alluded
to it by noting that Mary had not
been with the apostles at the Last
Supper and that although she is
called the queen of the apostles she
was not an apostle.
In Philadelphia earlier, however,
the pope had addressed the issue
directly. He said that the decision to
call only men to the priesthood
expresses “the conviction of the
church” and “is not a statement
about human rights,-nor an exclusion
of women from holiness and mission
in the church.”
Excites
In both Ireland and the United
States the pope had events scheduled
for specific groups: youth,
seminarians, nuns, priests, bishops,
the sick, government leaders, and
leaders of other faiths.
In the United States, where his
stay was more than twice as long, he
also had special meetings with ethnic
groups, farmers, religious brothers,
Ukrainian-rite Catholics and others.
His encounters with youths were
high points of the trip because of the
enthusiasm displayed by both the
young people and the pope. In New
York’s Madison Square Garden Oct.
3, U.S. television viewers were
treated to a joyful happening as
youths sang and cheered, presented
blue jeans and a T-shirt to the pope,
and gave an audiovisual presentation
of their feelings, hopes and dreams.
The pope in turn delighted them by
responding with cries of “wooo,
wooo” - the Polish equivalent of
“wow!”
There were no real surprises in the
pope’s talks. The positions he took
on social, moral and church issues
were ones he had stated clearly
before or on which his position was
known. On most of the major issues
he had expressed his views clearly, if
perhaps in shorter form, in his first
papal encyclical, “Redemptor
Hominis” (“The Redeemer of Man”).
It was widely believed beforehand
that peace and an end to violence
would be the major themes in
Northern Ireland, that at the United
Nations he would stress the spiritual
dignity of man, human rights, peace
and international cooperation, and
that in the world’s largest and most
profligate consumer society he would
attack selfish materialism and call for
a renewal of spiritual values,
(Continued on page 9)
Archbishop Donnellan
Recalls Papal Journey
BY MICHAEL MOTES
From the first time Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan encountered Pope
John Paul II during the pontiff’s historic pilgrimage October 1 through 7 to the
United States, the Archdiocesan Ordinary was most impressed by the “totally
loving personality” of the Holy Father.
As Treasurer of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops United States
Catholic Conference (NCCB/USCC), Archbishop Donnellan was one of five
members of the episcopacy invited to travel with Pope John Paul II and
participate in many of the activities planned during the papal visit.
Other members of the select group of NCCB/USCC officers were
Archbishop John R. Quinn of San Francisco; Bishop Thomas C. Kelly of
Washington; Archbishop John R. Roach of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and
Archbishop Joseph L. Bemardin of Cincinnati, who served as Auxiliary Bishop
of Atlanta from 1966 to 1968.
On hand to greet the Pope upon his arrival in Boston at the beginning of his
seven-day whirlwind tour, Archbishop Donnellan told the BULLETIN that
when he knelt to kiss the papal ring, the Holy Father “lifted me up,” indicating
that the Pope prefers a less formal greeting than tradition would imply.
The Archbishop also said that he noticed that the Pope moved rather
quickly through the line of dignitaries present to officially welcome him. “He
obviously wanted to get to the people as quickly as possible,” Archbishop
Donnellan said.
The Pope’s first Mass in the United States was celebrated shortly after his
(Continued on page 7)
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U.N. Address — Page 8