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Charities
They were all there. They came
from every corner of the
Archdiocese. Each and every parish
was represented. It was a great
gathering of the North Georgia
Church.
It was Friday, January 11 at the
Hyland Center of the Cathedral, and
the 1980 Charities Drive was being
initiated. Each parish would have a
vital share. Together city and rural
parishes would make up the
announced goal. This year,
$550,000.
The head table was aglitter with
the ladies and gentlemen of the
Finance Board. The Archbishop was
there. Monsignor Hardy was emcee,
and the inspirational talks were
given. It would be a good year for
Charity in the Archdiocese.
Phil Humann, the 1980 Chairman
outlined the needs. Catholic Social
Services, the Seminary Fund, the
Mission Parishes, the Priests’
Retirement Fund - all would benefit
*
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Soap Opera
Tampa Bay was losing. That was
bad enough.
This final, fading hope of the
South was being humilated before
our eyes by a bunch of Los Angeles
Rams looking about as ferocious as
the lamb that followed Mary - gone
lame. That was worse.
The Super Bowl would indeed be
another display of iron muscle
meated out by the rampaging
Steelers. The spectacle to come
would hardly earn an afternoon’s
drowsy watch
ing from the
Sunday couch.
Commercial
interruptions
during football
are an unaccept
able invasion at
anytime. NBC
managed to
make this
PA . ~ ^
a i i c i ii u w n -
another Norm
andy bombard
ment. With uncontrollable excessive
rapidity, they fired a new January
show at us “Skag.” It would star Karl
Malden. You could see it that
evening at prime time. It was the
intimate, outrageous fictional story
■t , of a working-class middle American
family. That was all in large print.
The small print told it better.
Parental discretion was advised. Nuff
said. This was the latest evening
attempt at Soap Opera.
Soap is in. Mork of the obnoxious
sounds lasted just one season.
Laverne is out searching for a night
to be funny. The cop’s gun is illegal.
Roaring, crashing, hot-rodding autos
are running out of. gas. So the new
sensation is good old hard and soft
core Soap.
“Dallas” with all its grime and
gutter level adventures is a gaudy
example. They tell you as parents to
use your discretion. What they really
mean is, “watch it, what you are
about to experience in your living
room is mild porn.” They are dead
right.
All the latest infidelities are there.
Room swapping and bed hopping is
the order of the day. Nice, clean
abortions are neatly and clinically
provided for poor Miss Innocent
fresh from green acres. And even a
proper father is found and named for
someone’s surprisingly pregnant wife.
It’s all there raging across in the best
of network artistic nastiness.
The Federal Communications
Commission, a board of seven
appointed by the President, is sworn
to protect the airwaves which belong
to the American public. Not only
does this esteemed board shun the
unenviable duty of regulating prime
time decency, it is now planning
total abdication of its sacred
office. This Board plans to abolish all
regulations of radio. Television is
only a step behind. Not only will
public service stare disappearance in
the face, ethical and moral values on
public airwaves now stand hesitantly
at a precarious crossroads.
So make a choice. Get ready to
accept the Skags and the Dallases of
evening entertainment or sharpen
your pencil. Tell the FCC, the
regulations are rigorously thin right
now. Without regulations, ruinous
rancor may well prevail.
You can tell the FCC at 1919 M
Street, N. W., Washington, D. C.
20554.
In this election year, when the
rhetoric of Presidential candidates
becomes potential script for good
afternoon Soap, you may want to
tell the Man in the White House to
clean up the act too.
After all, he appoints this
Commission. r*
Drive Begins!
from this year’s one day cash drive.
Inspiration came from Milton
Bevington. “We are the leadership,
we have the product, priest and
parish chairpersons in a union in a
union of committment that can get
the job done and the needs fulfilled.”
Archbishop Donnellan gave the
message of thanks. “Thanks to you
and your efforts,” said the
Archbishop, “This annual program
works for us all, especially the least
of our own brothers and sisters.”
The designated Sunday is March
2. The time to prepare is now.
Enthusiasium was high as the slogan
for this year’s Drive was placed
before the huge dinner group, “put
your gifts at the service of one
another.” This quote from the first
letter of St. Peter said it all.
There was no doubt, the over half
a million dollars needed to make a
success for this year’s Charities Drive
would arrive on time. These leaders
absolutely promised it would
happen.
1980 marks the 11th anniversary
of the Charities Drive in North
Georgia. Each one has been a success.
Other Dioceses throughout the
country have annual Drives based on
the acceptance of pledges. This Drive
for funds is a once a year cash
campaign.
Every parish received a goal which
must be met. A goal’s committee led
by Monsignor John McDonough,
Rector of the Cathedral, had already
presented a suggested list of goals for
the Archbishop’s acceptance. The list
was distributed at the meeting.
Armed with goals, materials and a
willingness to make 1980 a big
success, the priests and parish leaders
returned to their local communities
to begin organization.
The delightful dinner, instigated
by Father Jim Miceli, Assistant
Chancellor, ended as the material
needed in each parish was gathered
up. Another Charities Drive began.
A PACKED HOUSE listens to Milton Archdiocesan Charities Drive. This year’s goal is
Bevington at the Annual Dinner for the the highest ever, $550,000.
Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
Vol. 18 No. 3
Thursday, January 17,1980
$6.00 Per Year
Abortion Decision Remembered
BY LYNNE ANDERSON
January 22, 1973 was a cold,
blustery winter day, a day that
reaked of death. Not only did
Americans learn of the death of
Lyndon Baines Johnson, but they
also learned of a Supreme Court
decision which would have a grave
impact on American lives for years to
come.
Abortion, decided the nation’s
highest, court, is a private matter in
which a state has no particular
interest if the abortion is performed
within the first trimester of a
woman’s pregnancy. The court
specifically said it would not attempt
to decide when human life begins,
yet the nine-man court obviously did
decide life does not begin in the first
three months of pregnancy.
This tragic decision resulted in the
availability of abortion on demand.
To mark the anniversary of that
decision and to show support for life,
the Archdiocesan Pro-Life Office is
sponsoring a “Family Night For
Life” the evening of January 27,
Sunday, at 7:00 p.m. at the Hyland
Center of the Cathedral of Christ the
King.
John Waddey, President of the
Tennessee Volunteers For Life, is the
keynote speaker. Editor of the
evangelistic magazine STAR, Waddey
is Pastor of the Karns Congregation
Church of Christ in Knoxville,
Tennessee. In addition to having
Pro Life Activities Planned
Throughtout Nation. Page 6
written over fourteen books, he is a
member of the board of directors of
the National Right to Life
Committee. He was recently named
to the board of directors of the
Defenders of Human Life.
Following the lecture by Waddey,
an interfaith prayer service is
planned. A nursery will be provided
so that as many people as possible
may be in attendance to show their
support of life.
The Pro-Life office in Atlanta has
suggestions for people who would
like to write their legislators to voice
their support of life. Representatives
from the Pro-Life Office in Atlanta
will be in attendance, of course,
Sunday, January 27, and they may
be contacted at the Archdiocesan
Office at 881-0956.
Sheila Mallon of the Pro-Life
office has suggestions for people in
support of life.
“What we would eventually like
to see is a constitutional amendment
that would simply outlaw the taking
of human life,” Mrs. Mallon says.
If forces are united in support of
'V . it is not unreasonable to hope
flit such an amendment. The many
“amicus curiae” filed on behalf of
abortion proponents prior to the
1973 Supreme Court decision had an
impact on the justices deciding the
case. Elected officials are often more
apt to listen to their constituents, so
strong voices in favor of life could
have an impact.
The “Family Night in Support of
Life” is an opportunity for Pro-Lifers
to show support for life. The
Pro-Life office hopes the January 27
event will be a loud message heard
far and wide.
It is expected that each parish in
the Archdiocese will send
representatives to the Cathedral.
America must stop this legal death.
Arches
PRO-LIFERS GATHER at the nation’s capitol to show their
support of life. This year’s march is January 22. Atlanta activities
are highlighted by the “Family Night in Support of Life” Jan. 27.
THE YEAR OF THE FAMILY: III )
The Single Family
(Editor’s Note: Next week’s article
“The Broken Family” will be written
by Mary Ellen Du Varney of Catholic
Social Services.)
BY RITA O’MARA
In the beginning it’s just plain
scary. How will I provide for my
family when both financially and
emotionally there is so little to go
around. What happens if my child
becomes ill . . . or I become ill?
Who will help us? How can I help
my child to adjust when I’m not
able to help myself adjust? What
happens if I lose my job ... if the
support payments stop? These are
the anxieties and worries that
cause the tears, the nightmares
and, too often, the quick temper.
The family tries to tell you
everything will be fine. But you
know they are frightened and
worried, too and fee! powerless to
help. Distance and their own
obligations limit them, but the
love and moral support are
abundant. Besides, you can never
really go home again and the only
true victory will come from your
own solutions to the problems.
At this time it is natural to
withdraw from the questioning of
friends and acquaintances. Too
often, the people you thought
you could count on in time of
trouble become unavailable and
politely brush you off with a
“let’s get together sometime.” No
one understands. How could a
priest or a happily married person
know this kind of pain?
There is the pain of losing your
dreams and your future. Suddenly
you are cut off in midstream from
where you thought you were
going. Life goals are abandoned
and a whole new adolescence
faces you. At a time when life is
usually tranquil you are faced
with the upheaval of not knowing
what you want to do with your
life. Your job takes on a whole
new meaning. (Is this the right
career for me? Do I want to spend
the next 20 or 30 years doing this
kind of work?)
Learning how to be alone is
painful. How can a child
understand when something goes
wrong during your day? How can
he appreciate the raise you
worked so hard to get? How can
he know that sometimes you need
someone to hold and comfort
you? You are a teenager again,
unsure of your attractiveness.
your ability to establish good
relationships. (Was this all my
fault? Is there some flaw in me?
Other people can make it work
why e couldn’t I? )
It hurts too much and is too
private to share with anyone.
Then you meet someone who
shares a little of their story with
you. They survived! Hope springs
within you . . . (Hey, I’m not a
freak after all. At least one other
person has been through this).
Another person opens up to you
with their story. There are lots of
people out there who have been
through this ordeal. You start
WANTING to be around people.
It feels good.
In search of help for yourself
and your family, you take an
adult education course. Bonds of
friendship and understanding
cement you to your church
family. The icy loneliness is
starting to thaw. A family in the
parish invites you and the family
to dinner. (Gee, they want our
company. Maybe we have
something to offer them.) You go
to a covered dish dinner in the
cafeteria and strike up a
conversation with one of the
priests. (Look, he enjoys talking
to me. I guess I’m still witty when
I really try.) Your child comes
home with the best report card
ever. (Maybe this was a good
choice for all of us instead of
staying together “for the
children.”)
Christmas approaches with all
its activities. Is it going to be sad
again? You brush aside the
question and do the everyday
things to prepare for the big day.
Cooking, shopping, cleaning, extra
visits to church and school,
visiting friends and delivering gifts
fill the days and evenings.
Christmas arrives, right on
schedule, and the day is filled
with noise and excitement.
Midnight mass, aromas of
delicious foods, staying up late,
and new traditions join to form a
truly blessed holiday. When
finally the day is over and the
household settles to quiet, you go
to tuck in your most prized
possession. The words come
softly, with a hug and a smile,
“Mommy, this is the best
Christmas we ever had.”
Southern
Dominican
Province
Created
A new Southern Province of
Dominican priests and brothers, to
be headquartered in New Orleans,
was inaugurated last month.
The New Province, which became
the fourth Dominican province in the
nation, will include the states of
Georgia, North and South Carolina,
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida,
Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi and
Texas.
Fr. Bert Ebben, 48, a missionary
for 17 years in Nigeria and recently
involved in the charismatic renewal,
was chosen Provincial. Fr. Jeremy
Miller, professor of theology at
Emory University, was elected one of
the Province’s councilors.
Dominicans already staff Holy
Cross Church in Atlanta, and
involvement in Georgia is likely to
increase now.
Founded 750 years ago,
Dominicans are an order of preachers
and teachers. The theologian St.
Thomas Aquinas was one of their
earliest members.
The Province has adopted as
patron St. Martin de Porres, a
Peruvian Dominican of the 16th
Century born of Spanish and Black
parents in the slums of Lima. The
new Province will emphasize work
among blacks, Hispanics and the
poor. In addition, the Province will
continue its tradition of itinerant
preaching and university teaching in
the South.
Fr. Miller hopes that “ecumenical
contacts between Catholics and other
Christians will increase and that a
stronger Dominican presence in the
Southeast will strengthen this.”