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The Georgia Bulletin
August 21,1980
The Abortion Plank
At the Democratic Convention in
New York, Jesse Jackson was asked
about the convention’s demand that
public funds be used to provide
abortions for the poor. "That is only
one issue and you cannot have a one
issue convention,” he said. “But if
you must have a one issue convention,
then that issue is jobs.”
And that’s how the Democrats
were feeling last week as they took
the Big Apple by storm. Pro-life and
the destructive evil of the abortion
cancer in our society took a back seat.
By an amazingly huge vote of 1,900
to 1,300 the definite stand was taken
to oppose the law of the land which
says that federal funds may not be
used to provide abortions. After the
vote the matter was quickly forgotten,
brushed under the mat, shelved.
Senator Moynihan of New York
said amidst the hoopla that he could
not agree with the vote. Jody Powell
simply said that the President’s views
were well known. And the President,
with the Kennedy worry around his
neck, said nothing at all.
A Sign
The National Office of Black
Catholics held the first convention in
its 10-year history this month in
Chicago.
One local delegate described the
meeting as overwhelming in its spirit of
oneness. Black and white alike were
joined in a celebration of unity.
The presence of black lay persons,
religious, and clergy, including black
American bishops, gave shape and
form to the notion of black leadership
within the Catholic Church in the
United States.
, We must rejoice in this sign of life
within the family of God.
While racial spectres still haunt
much of American society, the
Church, witnessing in union to the
The issue was seemingly the
offspring of the loudly talkative
women’s groups. And at this meeting
in the Garden they were all-supreme.
The first punch was the ERA -- a
complete victory. The second was
financed abortion - a runaway win.
So the plank is set. The strategy is
mapped. The candidate is off and
running.
Before the President took the
prestigious podium of victory and
responded to the divided cheers, he
issued his report on the adopted
platform. It simply said, "I am
personally opposed to the federal
funding of abortion and I am sworn to
uphold the law of the land.”
Carter is an honest man, a man of
high moral standards. We must simply
remember that he is one of three
candidates running for the presidency.
And he wants to be elected.
--NCB
Of Life
Father’s love, can affirm the
authenticity of the black religious
experience.
And it can do so by
enthusiastically embracing the
uniqueness of this experience while
proudly acknowledging it as its own
heart's blood.
The black Church in America is a
presence that cannot be ignored. Its
life-giving roots are dug deep in our
soil, nourished by a history of struggle
and courage.
We look forward to the impact of
the NOBC convention on the life of
the Church here in north Georgia.
--TKJ
“I Want To Be An Indian”
Father Richard Lopez
Vocations Director
When I was quite small, anytime anyone
would ask me what I wanted to be, I would
respond that I wanted to be an Indian. My
parents tried in vain to explain to me that
one was born an Indian, one did not become
an Indian.
Somehow as a child the plight of the
Indian, his fight for his home, the love of his
land, his tragic struggle inspired me and fired
my imagination. With the passing of the
years, I reconciled myself to the fact I would
never ever become an Indian and started
looking elsewhere for a model.
IF THE WINFIELPS'MARRIAGE TOESN'T MAKE
IT, IT WONT BE BECAUSE THEY PIRN'T
HAVE HELP. "
By the time I was in high school I had
noticed my parish priest. What most
impressed me was how happy he was as a
priest. He loved Christ, the Blessed Mother,
the Mass, the Church and his people and it
ALL showed. Frankly, he also really seemed
to be having fun as a priest. His total
example set me on the road I happily travel
today.
The truth about vocations is that priests
are “created” by other priests. If priests are
loving, faithful and happy there will always
be plentiful vocations.
The Catholic community of Georgia
recently lost one of its most beloved “priest
makers” in the death of Msgr. P. J.
O’Connor. Our loss on earth will be
compensated by his prayers for the cause of
vocations in heaven. Monsignor’s charm and
vitality helped draw many out of state
vocations to our diocese.
If you would ask the average priest in
Georgia where his original home was he
would probably say Florida, New York,
Ireland, Pennsylvania or some other such
exotic place as that. However, if you were to
ask our average seminarian where his home is
he would say Georgia. No fact testifies more
to the quality of Atlanta’s clergy and the
vitality of her Church than the local
vocations who see in their priests a life for
themselves.
I wnated to become an Indian because I
admired them. Do any of you young men
“out there” see any of your priests that you
admire? Maybe one day in the far future
someone will be a priest because they see
how happy you became as a priest.
(USPS) 574 880)
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<*»-' {>*
J
In the Legion of Mary handbook one
finds: “The fire which burns in true
Legionary hearts springs only from the ashes
of lowly and unworldly qualities. Particular
among these is the virtue of humility; so
misunderstood and despised by the world.
Yet, it is noble and strong and confers a
strange nobility and strength on those who
seek it and practice it.”
Yes, it is the goldmine of spiritual
resources found in the Legion of Mary that
prompted a pastor in Savannah to give this
endorsement: “I would urge that each and
every parish consider establishing or
strengthening the Legion of Mary as a vital
component in their total apostolic
endeavors.”
The Legion of Mary was formed in
Dublin, Ireland in 1921 by Frank Duff, now
90 years old and still active in the Legion.
Evangelization takes top priority in the
Legion, which is now worldwide in scope.
Members operate through the three C’s -
Conversion: bringing others into the
Catholic faith; Conservation: bringing
strayed sheep back into the fold; and
Consolation: visiting the sick in their homes,
hospitals and nursing homes. Legion
members strive to establish a bond of
friendship and trust so they will be
welcomed for a return visit.
Included in their evangelization efforts,
the Legion embarks periodically on what is
known as Peregrinatio Pro Christo
(Pilgrimage for Christ), at which time
volunteers from various places give up two
weeks of their time and travel in a distant
city or even country, going from door to
door, with a partner from another city to
Legion Of Mary
Teresa Gernazian
spread the Good News. These PPC’s, as they
are called, take place throughout the world.
In 1980, pilgrimage landmarks were
Savannah, Kansas City, New Orleans,
California, Iceland and even Russia! A
tremendously successful operation took
place in Carrollton last year and a
memorable one with Legionaires from
Ireland assisting local members covered St.
Anthony’s parish several years ago.
The success of these PPC’s has depended
totally on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
When two members of a team approach a
home, one prays to the Holy Spirit while the
other speaks to the person at the door, and
vice versa. According to one Legion member,
a priest in Florida remarked in a homily
following his participation in a pilgrimage,
“Things come out of our mouths we didn’t
even know were in our heads!”
Legionaires believe Mary should be
proclaimed along with the basic tenets of
our faith and on these visits her role is
explained as well as the miraculous medal
and the rosary. When desired, these
sacramentals are given as gifts. How much
ecumenical good will and conversions come
out of Legion of Mary door knocks.
Active members, besides praying a daily
rosary, must attend a weekly meeting lasting
an hour or so. After a rosary, work
assignments are given for the ensuing week -
(two people to each assignment). This is
reported upon at the next week’s meeting
and all things are kept in strict confidence.
On the first Thursday of each month,
officers of all the parish groups in a city have
a combined meeting of what is termed the
“Curia” to review their combined
accomplishments and make plans for future
work. Msgr. Michael J. Regan, spiritual
advisor of the Curia for the past two years,
has recently been re-appointed by
Archbishop Donnellan for the third year.
Legion members sing the praises of Msgr.
Regan, grateful for his spiritual guidance,
encouragement and his dedication in
traveling back and forth from Carrollton.
Pat Keller, president, announces a Legion
of Mary Retreat scheduled at Ignatius House
on Sept. 12 - 14 for all active and auxiliary
members. (Auxiliary members pray a daily
rosary and read a little prayer pamphlet
called “The Tessera.”) A Day of Study is
planned for Saturday, Nov. 8 at St. John the
Evangelist Church in Hapeville. Beginning
with 9:30 a.m. Mass, the theme of the
program will be, Victory Comes Through
Mary. Anyone wishing more information on
any aspect of the Legion or about forming a
Junior group for 12- to 18-year-olds, please
call Pat Keller at 255-1986.
Members are praying for the canonization
of Edel Quinn, born in Dublin, Ireland, who
gave her all to promote the Legion in East
Africa.
So there we have it. . . men and women
from all walks of life humbly brought
together to work for Our Lord in the
salvation of souls. As Father Michael Smith,
pastor of St. Anthony’s parish in Savannah,
expressed it in the June 19 issue of the
Southern Cross after participating in a
Legion pilgrimage: “All was done with deep
trust in Mary’s prayer and protection. All
was done with Mary’s spirit of humility,
obedience and joy.”
The Sanctity Of Human Life
Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan
(This is a portion of the homily delivered by
Archbishop Donnellan to the 98th annual Supreme
Council of the Knights of Columbus at a Mass
celebrated in Atlanta Tuesday, August 19.)
My Brothers and Sister:
These are my own suggestions for our
reflection on our scripture readings as we
celebrate the theme - THE FAMILY. Yet -
in today’s world ~ in the culture in which we
live - these are not enough.
On the seventh of October last year, on
the Mall in Washington, I participated in the
Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II at
which he preached a magnificent homily on
the nature of marriage, the importance of
the family, and the sanctity of human life. I
can still thrill to the power of his words as
he said:
“I do not hesitate to proclaim before you
and before the world that all human life --
from the moment of conception, and
through all subsequent stages - is
sacred . . . This explains our efforts to
defend human life-against every influence or
action that threatens or weakens it, as well
as our endeavors to make every human life
more human in all its aspects.
“And so - we will stand up every time
that human life is threatened. When the
sacredness of life before birth is attacked we
will stand up and proclaim that no one ever
has the authority to destroy unborn human
life . . . When the value of the family is
threatened because of social and economic
pressures, we will stand up and affirm that
the family is necessary not only for the
private good of every person but for the
common good of every society, nation and
state.”
And so, my brothers and sisters, when a
major political party adopts a platform
plank which calls for federal funding of
abortion as well as an earlier plank which
endorses the Supreme Court’s pro-abortion
decision of 1973, we shall stand up to
proclaim our belief that the right to life is a
basic human right which should have the
protection of law, and that abortion is the
deliberate destruction of an unborn human
being and, therefore, violates this right.
Had you delegates arrived in our fair city
on Saturday, you might have had the
dubious pleasure of reading a column in the
morning paper which began:
“Abortions are surgical procedures which
more or less eliminate unwanted growths in
a female’s womb.”
No mention of life - or death, or
sacredness, or the source of life; just
“surgical procedures”, and “unwanted
growth.”
The great Mother Teresa was talking to a
Family Congress in Guatemala a short time
ago. From her lips came no glib phrases
about freedom of choice, or securing the
right of abortion for the poor, or “surgical
procedures to remove unwanted growth.”
Instead, to the people attending the
Congress, she said, “Do you know your own
poor? They are our hope and salvation,
deserving our love and attention. Abortion
hurts home, church and society. Love among
the poor prevents many from aborting.
Some, as it happens in Calcutta, prefer to
give them away rather than to kill them.
There is no need for guns and bombs to
solve the world’s problems. All we need is
love for there is much hunger for it.”
My brothers and sisters, may I close with
the words of our Holy Father at the Mass on
the Mall:
“Our celebration of life forms part of the
celebration of the Eucharist. Our Lord and
Savior through His death and Resurrection
has become for us “the bread of life”, and
the pledge of eternal life. In Him we find the
If you were asked to move to Homer
(Banks County), Ga. and start the Catholic
Church, would you panic and run the other
way, like Jonah did when God called him to
preach to the people of Ninevah?
Without 10 years of experience in rural
ministry, working with Glenmary priests and
brothers in Clarkesville, Ga., Sr. Catherine
Concannon would find her new assignment
rather frightening. This September she will
begin full-time ministry in Banks County,
with the goal of building up a small Catholic
community. At this time, even though it is
part of this parish of St. Mark’s in
Clarkesville, I don’t know of any Catholic
families in Banks County.
Most priests and sisters have served
several years in the inner city, either in
parish ministry or in education, when they
receive an assignment to some small town in
the rural area of the diocese. Several of our
dedicated church workers in the Archdiocese
of Atlanta have come here from the large
urban centers of the North, which are
predominantly Catholic, or from Ireland.
They have had little or no training for
church work in the small towns of North
Georgia, like Homer (population 1,000).
“The Small Town Ministry Workshop” is
designed to help such people - either those
who are beginning in rural ministry or those
who would like to improve their
effectiveness in the small town Catholic
Church. This program is being sponsored by
the Archdiocese of Atlanta. The dates are
set: Sept. 9 and 10. The place will be the
Archdiocesan Catholic Center in Atlanta.
Atlanta is hardly a ‘rural setting’, but it is
central for the 30 to 40 participants, whom
we hope will be attending from the rural
areas of the Archdiocese.
Since my appointment as the
Archdiocesan Rural Life Director, I have
wanted to do something that would help
those in the small towns of our area. This
workshop seems most practical for planning
ministry.
courage, the perseverance and inventiveness
which we need in order to promote and
defend life within our families and
throughout the world.”
Two guest speakers will share their
insights. Fr. Joseph O’Donnell, as the
National Catholic Bishops’ liaison with the
Southern Baptist Convention, can help us
understand better the theology of our
Baptist friends and the Protestant mentality.
Fr. John McRaith of the New Ulm, Minn,
diocese was for several years the director of
the National Rural Life Conference. He will
offer insights helpful in planning for total
ministry in a small town setting.
People who have had success in their
ministry will be asked to share practical
approaches in the various areas of ministry.
Fr. Bob Poandl of Dahlonega will speak on
“How a Pastor Can Build the Catholic
Community and Nurture Vocations”.
“Religious Education in the Small Church”
will be the topic of Fr. Jim Kelly of the
Archdiocesan Religious Education
Department.
From Sylvania, Ga. will be coming Miss
Carolyn Werstein. For three years she has
worked full-time in reaching out to the
unchurched. Carolyn will share some of her
methods to reach inactive Catholics and
other people with no church affiliation. In
the same session, Fr. Steve Dressell will be
asked to share ideas on the use of the radio
in evangelization.
The four Adrian Dominican Sisters at
Cumming, Kathryn Cliatt, Jean Cassidy,
June Racicot and Nancy Turner, have
learned a lot worth sharing in their five years
in Rural Social Services. They’re being asked
to share on how to discern the needs of the
poor and how to involve them in seeking the
answers to those needs.
Time for small group discussion and
concrete planning for ministry has been
scheduled into the two full days of the
mini-workshop on small town ministry.
You may want to mark those dates on
your calendar: Sept. 9 and 10. The
workshop is open to lay people as well as
priests and sisters. So, y’all come!
The family of Msgr. Patrick J. O’Connor, the priests and parishioners of St.
Thomas More Church wish to thank Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan, the clergy
and the laity of the archdiocese who participated in their recent farewell to Msgr.
O’Connor.
Rural Reflections
Father Gerald J. Peterson
Catholic Rural Life Director
of the Archdiocese