Newspaper Page Text
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PAGE 2—The Georgia Bulletin, July 17,1980
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ST. HELENA’S IN CLAYTON
A Parish Adoption
BY GRACE COTTRELL
NC NEWS SERVICE
For a long time Lina
Davis was the only
Catholic living in Clayton,
Georgia. The closest
Catholic church was St.
Michael’s in Gainesville, 65
miles away. Every Sunday
her husband John, a
Baptist, drove her to Mass.
In 1947 another
Catholic moved into the
area and the two women
began attending services in
Franklin, N.C., 20 miles
away. There was no
church in Franklin, so
Mass was celebrated in the
home of an elderly couple.
In 1956 Walt Disney
arrived to make a movie,
‘ ‘ The Great Locomotive
Chase” with a crew that
was largely Catholic. The
crew worked hard seven
days a week and had little
time to travel to North
Carolina for Mass, so the
bishop of Atlanta gave
special permission for the
Franklin priest to offer
Mass in Clayton.
By this time, a few
more Catholics had settled
in the area and, after the
Disney people left, the
Franklin priest continued
to offer Masses in Clayton.
For a place of worship,
parishioners had a choice
between the Community
House or the American
Legion hall. During the
summer, tourists
sometimes increased
attendance at Mass to
between 130 and 150.
Then a miracle! The
people of St. Helena
Church in Center Square,
Pa., decided they wanted
to do something in the
mission field. They chose
to take the community in
Clayton as their godchild.
They built a beautiful
little mission church in
Clayton, paying practically
all the costs by taking a
second collection every
Sunday. The exact amount
is lost in the mists of
history and misplaced
records, but Eleanor
McDevitt recalls that the
Pennsylvania Catholics
sent $17,000. Others insist
it was $20,000.
On Nov. 1, 1961, the
proud congregation in
Clayton attended the first
Mass in their own church.
People who were present
that autumn day, declare
that the ring of mountains
circling the church was
polished with special gold!
Deciding on a name for
the new church was easy.
A bronze plaque at the
entrance reads: “This
chapel bears the title of St.
Helena as an expression of
profound gratitude” to the
people of St. Helena’s
Church, Center Square,
Pa., “whose love for our
holy faith, generosity and
sacrifice made this chapel
a blessed reality.”
No pastor was assigned
to St. Helena’s until 1964.
By June 1979, when the
present pastor arrived, the
parish had grown from 21
to 42 families, due to the
arrival of 20 Catholic
families who had moved
from Illinois when the
company they worked for
relocated.
Ties between the two
churches named St. Helena
have continued even
though almost 20 years
have passed. Two years
ago Mr. and Mrs. Richard
Hoffmeister introduced
themselves to the usher at
the Georgia church:
“We’re from Center
Square, Pa. Does that
mean anything to you?”
“It certainly does,” the
usher replied. “You built
this church.”
In commenting on the
changes she has seen in
Clayton, Lina Davis says:
“It is amazing how much
the presence of a church
can change mentalities in a
community. I remember
how friendly and kind the
people were when I arrived
in 1947.” Nonetheless, she
testified there was a “lot
of bigotry, and*hostility”
toward her religion which
began to change only after
Catholic worship began in
the town. Then, Lina
explained, the people of
the town began to show
“tolerance at first, then
respect and full
acceptance” toward
Catholicism.
"I was
hungry...
thirsty...
a stranger...
naked...
sick..."
Christ is still suffering the same forms of human
misery He enumerated 2,000 years ago. And we
are still called to help Him in our brothers and
sisters. How? By keeping missionaries present to
minister to His spiritual and physical needs
around the world.
Can we turn away from Him? Our help is
speeded to missionaries serving Christ m His
brothers through the Society for the Propagation
of the Faith.
In return, may all of us hear His 'Come, you
whom my Father has blessed. . ."
>
/
This summer, I want to help Christ in His suffering brothers. En
closed is my sacrifice of:
□ $1,000 F] $500 □ $200 □ $100 n $50 □ $20 $10 $5 Other $
Name.
Address.
City.
.Stale
Zip
Send your gilt to:
THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION
OF THE FAITH
7/80
Rev. Msgr. William J. McCormack
National Director
Dept. C, 366 Fifth Avenue
New York. New York 10001
OR:
The Reverend James A. Miceli
680 W. Peachtree Street, N.W.
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
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Court Echoes
Prior Ruling
BY JOSEPH DUERR
NC NEWS SERVICE
Two concepts found in your basic civics book - regard
for precedent and for the separation of powers between
branches of government - were the foundations of the
U.S. Supreme Court’s decision June 30 upholding the
federal restriction on funding of abortion.
In ruling constitutional the Hyde Amendment
limitation on federal funds for abortion, the court’s
majority echoed what it had said three years ago in cases
dealing with state funding of abortion. That principle is
essentially this: it is one thing for the government to
prohibit a woman from exercising her choice to have an
abortion; it is another thing for government to refuse to
fund the abortion.
These two things are different. According to the
Supreme Court, the Constitution protects the right of
ohoice but does not entitle the woman to a public subsidy
in the exercise of her choice.
The Supreme Court did not explicitly refer to the
so-called “separation of powers” - the delineation of
powers among the branches of government. But the
concept was included in the decision and was reinforced
in these words: “When an issue involves policy choices as
sensitive as those implicated (in abortion funding) . . . the
appropriate forum for their resolution in a democracy is
the legislature.”
The foundation for the Hyde Amendment decision -•
and the companion ruling which upheld an Illinois state
abortion funding restriction comparable to the Hyde
Amendment - was established in two cases decided by the
high court in 1977.
“The principles announced there (in the 1977 cases)
apply here (in the 1980 cases),” Patrick Trueman, general
counsel for the Chicago-based Americans United for Life,
said in an interview.
See Editorial Comments
On Hyde Amendment - Pg. 4
In one 1977 case the court said the Consitution does
not require a state which participates in the Medicaid
program to pay for non-therapeutic (elective) abortions
even though the state pays for childbirth expenses. In the
other case it held that the Medicaid law does not require
funding of elective abortions as a condition for
participation in the federal-state Medicaid program, which
provides health services for indigent people.
There is a difference, the court said in 1977, between
the state interfering with a woman’s freedom to decide to
have an abortion and the state, in allocating funds,
favoring childbirth over abortion by paying for
childbirth-related expenses and not paying for abortion
expenses.
This distinction was reiterated in the Hyde case.
Although the Constitution “affords protection against
unwanted government interference with freedom of
choice in the context of certain personal decisions,” such
as to have an abortion, the Constitution “does not confer
an entitlement to such funds as may be necessary to
realize all the advantages of that freedom,” Justice Potter
Stewart wrote in the majority opinion. “To hold
otherwise would mark a drastic change in our
understanding of the Constitution.”
The court held that Congress did not violate equal
protection of the laws by allocating funds for childbirth
expenses while limiting funds for abortion expenses. It is
“not irrational that Congress has authorized federal
reimbursement for medically necessary services generally,
but not for certain medically necessary abortions,” said
the court’s majority. “Abortion is inherently different
from other medical procedures because no other
procedure involves the purposeful termination of
potential life.”
Stewart then added, “It is not the mission of this court
or any other to decide whether the balance of competing
interests reflected in the Hyde Amendment is wise social
policy. If that were our mission, not every justice who has
subscribed to this judgment of the court today could have
done so.”
Wilfred Caron, U.S. Catholic Conference general
counsel, said in an interview that this comment
demonstrates the “judicial restraint” shown by the court’s
majority in deciding the Hyde Amendment case. The
individual justices put aside their own inclinations on the
issue and concluded that the funding of abortion is a
matter for the legislative branch, not the courts, Caron
said.
While some issues were similar in the 1977 abortion
funding decisions and the June 30 rulings, there were also
some different questions.
One was the allegation made that the Hyde
Amendment violated establishment of religion under the
First Amendment because the law incorporates “doctrines
of the Roman Catholic Church concerning the sinfulness
of abortion and the time at which life commences.” But
the court dismissed this argument.
It “does not follow” that a law violates church-state
separation because it “happens to coincide or harmonize
with the tenets of some or all religions,” the court said.
“That the Judeo-Christian religions oppose stealing does
not mean that a state or federal government may
not . . . enact laws prohibiting larceny.”
66
Just The Facts, Ma’am”
BY JOAN CASSELS
This is the suburbs.
I was working the usual
day watch -- laundry,
cooking, cleaning. As night
settled in and the troops
settled down, my pal and
partner called with a lead
on a new case - Adult
Night at the roller rink.
8:05 p.m. A green Olds
pulled up outside the
station house. This was
strictly a plain clothes job,
nothing fancy, just jeans
and tee shirt. The Captain
bid me farewell and I
heard the familiar warning;
“Be careful. Don’t take
any crazy chances.”
“What could happen?” I
mused to myself as we
sped away. Yet as we
approached the scene I
was filled with
apprehension. Years ago
(twenty to be exact) I had
worked a similar spot. 1
was younger, more agile
then. But I remembered
the old slogan: “Old
skaters never die. They
just lose their wheels.”
8:19. Our skates were
on. It Was too late to turn
back now, The old place
had really changed. The
loud disco music obscured
the sound of my pounding
heart. This was a fast
crowd. I could see this
wasn’t going to be an easy
job.
My partner’s eyes met
mine. We nodded and
checked our watches.
8:25. We entered the rink.
Slowly and carefully I
maneuvered my feet trying
to get the feel of the
territory. It felt slippery.
The thoughts of being cut
down and blowing my
cover served to make me
more cautious. My partner
lagged behind clutching
the wail as if she were on a
tight-rope. It was a sad
sight, and she a former
member of her high school
drill team. Still I knew she
had guts and like a trooper
would never let me down.
9:05. I made bodily
contact with another
skater. He was in my path,
gyrating and bouncing to
the music. I had just come
around a turn and there he
was. His attempt to throw
me off course was in vain.
I grabbed him by the belt,
holding on for dear life. It
worked. He ■ never-
bothered me again. I
congratulated myself. My
quick thinking had averted
a mishap.
9:47. I was skating
backwards. Against all
warnings from my partner,
I had decided to join the
“Backwards Only” crowd.
In this job you had to
experience it all. Besides I
couldn’t be outdone by all
those rookies. Adult
Night, indeed, Most of
them weren’t dry behind
the ears yet. I made it
through the entire
number. Headquarters
would be impressed.
10:18 -- We slugged
down a Coke from the
sidelines. So far smooth
sailing. We had been wrong
to doubt ourselves. Our
confidence heightened, we
set out to finish our job.
Little did I know that an
adversary unknown to me
was lurking in the
foreground.
10:46 -- Coming out of
a turn with the grace of an
eagle, I did the
unthinkable. I became
over-confident. I relaxed,
forgetting the possible
perils that had felled many
before me.
10:49 - My right ankle
gave way. The rubber stob
of my skate struck the
floor. I knew this was it,
but I was powerless to
stop myself. My trusted
partner ten feet in front of
me heard me hit the floor.
10:51 --1 am looking at
the ceiling. My leftt knee
is in excruciating pain. My
right elbow is in accord.
My entire career flashed
before me - ballet school,
cheerleading. It was all too
humiliating to
comprehend.
10:53 - To the strains
of “Last Dance” I am
escorted off the floor by
two nineteen year olds.
One had acne; the other
was smirking.
11:02 -- My knee is
now 3 times its normal
size. As the green Olds
made its way back to the
station house, my partner
tried to cheer me up.
“Don’t feel bad (tee-hee).
Just think of all the
publicity you’ll get
(tee-hee).” My partner has
a strange sense of humor.
11:16 - We pull up to
headquarters. Like the old
pro I am, I hobble up the
sidewalk beaten, yes, but
proud to have been injured
in the line of duty.
11:17 - An astonished
captain rushes to my aid.
“Are you alright? I told
you not to take any
chances. What happened?”
11:18 - My knee is
purple. I can’t bend it. My
elbow is purple.
Unfortunately I CAN bend
IT. I sit sipping a root
beer, trying to sort things
out. “Well, you see it’s like
this . . .” The captain
interrupts; “Just the facts,
ma’m. Just the facts.”
Gong Again!
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A retreat is a time to withdraw from ordinary occupations, a break in routine, a stopping, a place
and time for stillness, listening and learning.
Regular week-end retreats - open to single women and men and couples -- begin with supper on
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groups at other times. Private and directed retreats are provided for individuals who request
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Still open up-coming dates: 25-27 July; 8-10 August; 22-24 August;
26-28 September; 24-26 October.
Suggested dates open for directed retreats: 16 June to 23 June; 31 July to 7 August; 15
December to 22 December.
6700 Riverside Drive Retreats directed by Jesuit priests
Atlanta - Ga. 30328 (404) 255-0503
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