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PAGE 4
The Georgia Bulletin
October 9,1980
Man Of Faith
Working Women
Sheila Mallon
In Atlanta last week, Pope John
Paul’s emissary to the world on
prayer, Cardinal Leo Suenens told this
delightful story about faith.
A reporter travelled all the way to
Calcutta, India to compliment Mother
Teresa on the one hand for her
courageous work and at the same time
complain that the overwhelming,
teeming numbers of destitute paupers
demonstrated that she and her Sisters
could not be successful in this
persistent outreach.
“What you do not understand,”
said the frustrated and exasperated
Mother Teresa, “is we are not here to
be successful. We are here to be
faithful.”
We may have to step out alone.
The cheers for our efforts may be
underwhelming. We take a stand for
(Part II)
I was telling you last week about my
eighth grade study hall, which was
transformed into a slave labor camp through
some kind of devious collusion among the
higher-ups. I had thought it strange that not
a single female was assigned to the class; I
had had the highest of hopes that my secret
love Gloria would be in my study hall and
that I might be blessed with an invitation to
help her study. But my dream went up in
the dust of the belt sanders when we were
informed that we would be refinishing the
school’s desks for the love of learning and
for some lady named Alma Mater.
It was thus preordained that only boys
would be in that study hall and that the
toughest of teachers, G.A. Fairbum, would
be running the show. We were to be like
voices crying, “Make straight the paths of
the pencil points.”
The work really got old. When you’ve
done one desk, you’ve done ’em all. But
there were always hundreds more waiting in
the halls. The principal was delighted, and
the happier he got, the harder Fairbum
pushed.
Now when one has an assignment due in
an hour and his study period is eaten up
shoving a belt sander, he gets ticked. And
when one has a test awaiting him next
period and no time to prepare for it due to
sticky fingers from staining and varnishing
away his study hall, he gets more hacked.
And when the above happens over and over
for months on end to 35 13-year-old boys,
occasionally something would crack.
Sometimes the release was confined to
one or two people, like the time somebody
turned on the Bunsen burner and singed
Headley’s hair while he dozed. A
quick-thinking classmate poured a bucket of
water onto Headley’s head and saved him
from an early bald pate fate.
On another occasion, the whole class got
involved. It began when Mr. Fairbum was
across the street smoking cigars with his pal
Odis, and a monster in our class named Bull
went bonkers. He threw his varnish brush
across the room and changed the color and
texture of a couple of guys’ hair.
“I’M SICK AND TIRED OF THESE
DESKS,” he yelled, “AND FOR
ONCE I’M GONNA HAVE ME SOME FUN
IN THIS STUDY HALL!!!!”
“Hey!” “All right!” “Get it on, Bull!”
“What’ cha gonna do, big man?”
Bull didn’t really need all that much
encouragement. He ran to the blackboard,
scooped up all the erasers, and began flinging
them at people. I caught one that left a
dusty rectangle across my forehead. We all
scrambled for the rebounding erasers and
hurled another round around the room.
Soon other things were flying too: books,
chalk, notebooks, wastebaskets - you name
it and it was in flight.
We began to single out people. We would
throw at Headley for a while, then they’d
pitch at me, then at Ancil, and so on. After a
time, it became Tony Massarini’s turn to be
“it.” Right about then Bull found a way to
include the cause of our sweat-shop misery,
the desks, in the action. He started passing
out the gallons of water putty that had been
mixed for the day’s desk fillings. Soon a
number of water-putty-balls filled the air,
and Tony retreated to Fairburn’s desk.
There is only one word to describe what
he did next. It is the famous phrase of
Lyndon B. Johnson: Tony “hunkered
down” under the desk. The way he was
getting shelled, you could call it a hunker in
a bunker if you like rhymes.
life or for justice or for peace. We take
a stand on political righteousness,
against the evils of racism. We may
find that we do it alone.
Cardinal Suenens points a finger at
Mother Teresa and says she is the hero
to be imitated. But after the
experience of having this man of faith
among us we know that this giant of
renewal is not to be ignored.
When all is said and done, prayer is
the answer. The now retired Cardinal
carries this message around the world.
“The world gives and gets quick
answers,” says this Apostle of the
Spirit. “This is not the way of the
Lord. Be prayerful, be gentle and with
all your strength, be faithful.”
A man of faith, Cardinal Leo
Suenens lives his spoken message.
--NCB
By that time, the room looked like a
hurricane had hit. And then the unexpected
happened. The eye of the hurricane
appeared in the door.
Every other time anybody had needed
correcting during the five years I knew Mr.
Fairburn, he always did it with a smile. He
could paddle you or dish out 1,000 lines or
chew you out, but except for that day, I
never saw- him truly angry.
But that day he LOOKED angry. He WAS
angry, VERY angry. We had gone and
messed up his room.
The first thing that happened was that
EVERYTHING stopped, time included. If I
didn’t know better, I’d swear that those
erasers screeched to a halt in mid-flight and
hung there in mid-air. Thirty-four arms full
of missiles slowly descended to the sides of
their owners. We slunk back to our seats and
slid into them, each wishing we could
BECOME part of the desk tops we had
labored over. The temperature in the room
dropped 17 degrees from all the cold sweat
that poured from the pores of us poor. It
was as quiet a moment as I’ve ever
experienced.
Meanwhile, Tony was still hunkered
down in his foxhole. He later told me that
he thought that in the middle of the barrage
he had lost his hearing. The decibel level had
dropped to zero so suddenly that he
thought, “Oh Lord, something hit me in my
ears and I’m deaf.”
Mr. Fairburn’s neck was bright red, and
his brow was furrowed like it had just been
plowed, as he surveyed the battleground
which had been a thriving beehive of
woodworking talent just 15 minutes before.
He walked silently toward his desk.
The door was behind the desk, and so
Tony still hadn’t seen him. He wriggled
backwards out of the hunkered position like
a crawfish, poked his head up, and peered
out over the room. Thirty-five roughnecks,
who only a moment before had been
bombarding him mercilessly, were now all
seated politely in their desks, hands folded
neatly in their laps like so many first-graders
awaiting recess. The scene was too much for
Tony, and all he could say was, “Well I’ll be
a%*$@+y 2 !!!”
Then Fairbum spoke up from behind
him, and Tony nearly fainted. “Yes, you
will, son, and so will everybody else in this
room.” He lifted Tony, who was a big boy,
up by his collar and the seat of his britches,
walked him to his desk, and deposited him
in it.
Paddlings were administered and 5,000
lines were assigned. Everyone finished the
lines before the year was over; it was that or
not get promoted.
To this day, I have a funny way of
holding a pencil that I’m often kidded
about. It is like a death-grasp, as if my hand
is frozen or even grafted to the pencil and
I’m afraid to release it lest it get away. I
didn’t hold a pencil that way before I started
writing those 5,000 lines.
Glynn Fairburn was good for all of us. I
loved his Science class the next year as much
as any course I’ve ever taken. It wasn’t easy,
and that’s the point I want to make. It’s the
parents and teachers and leaders and coaches
and ministers and bosses who lead through
discipline who really count in people’s lives.
Some are tough, others are gentle, but all are
firm; they both expect and demand our best.
People like that are the ones who build
character. Not coincidentally, they are the
same ones you’ll find yourself remembering
as the years go by.
A group of young women from an
organization called Mothers on the March
(MOM) have, with the help of God, created a
near miracle. Earlier this summer they had
the idea of having a “National Day of
Intercession for the Unborn.” Concerned
with the terrible holocaust that the 1973
Supreme Court decision has created in terms
of over one and one half million babies
aborted EACH YEAR - they prayed and
determined to do something about it NOW.
The decision was made to have a Day of
Intercession. The Omni was obtained for the
Day and the date was set for Saturday, Oct.
11. Then these dedicated young women
began approaching national figures to ask if
they would speak. Slowly but surely the Day
began to come together. With the help of
many other pro-life organizations the
speaking program was formed and the
publicity went out.
On Saturday the first speaker will be
Jerry Falwell of Moral Majority followed by
Dr. Mildred Jefferson, former president of
National Right to Life.
Archbishop Thomas Donnellan will speak
at 3:15 p.m. During the day those attending
will also hear from Rev. John Waddey,
Board Member of National Right to Life;
Greg Brezina formerly of the Falcons and a
Christian athlete; Dr. Caroline Gerster,
immediate past president of National Right
to Life, June Webb, Christian Action for
Life; Terri Weaver of Birthright; Dr. Bill
Pennell, Forest Hills Baptist Church; Mary
Thousands of Christians, Moslems and
unbelievers claim to have witnessed the
Blessed Virgin appearing in luminous form
above St. Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church in
Zeitun, Egypt in 1968. Although I wrote on
this four years ago, a booklet with black and
white photographs has been published and
because of ecumenical significance, the story
merits an updated account.
According to Pearl Zaki’s booklet, the
first apparition was on April 2,1968 at 8:30
p.m. Workmen at a garage saw an unusual
movement at the middle dome of the church
across the street. Soon all the workers and
nearby pedestrians were gazing at the Lady
dressed as if in a bright gown of light. This
lasted only for a few minutes but one of the
Moslem workers received a healing. His right
forefinger was to be amputated the next day
because of gangrene but when the bandages
were removed, his doctor discovered his
finger was completely healed.
Thus began the silent apparitions in
Zeitun which varied from a few minutes to
eight hours. People sometimes went home,
returning with families, friends and cameras.
She was seen moving; bowing to the people.
Sometimes carrying a palm branch,
sometimes a cross with which she blessed the
people. Much of the time she was in an
attitude of prayer. As one Coptic Bishop
expressed it: “ .. she was saying in a sense
‘do as I do, the world needs prayer for
Join me in using your imagination. Think
back to the time one of your dreams was
fulfilled. For example, the arrival of your
first child, or the day you signed the deed
for your own home. How did you feel?
Since my appointment as the
Archdiocesan Rural Life Director a year ago,
I’ve been dreaming about: “How can I be of
service to the staff and people living and
working to make the church a living
presence in the small towns of our
Archdiocese?” The two-day workshop
proved to be a practical response to that
question. My dream came true.
The event was not as exciting as I imagine
it would be to have your first child or
owning your home, but I experienced a
sense of joy and justified satisfaction at the
conclusion of the two day “Workshop for
Small Town Ministry.” It was held at the
Archdiocesan Catholic Center in Atlanta
Sept. 9 and 10. Approximately 40 lay
people, priests and sisters came together to
get an orientation for Catholic ministry in a
predominantly Baptist and southern
small-town culture. Also some planning was
initiated in the five areas of church ministry:
A. The Nurture of Catholics; B. Ecumenical
Cooperation; C. Evangelization of the
Unchurched; D. Concern for Social
Outreach; and E. The Parish Ties with the
Larger Church.
However, by no means can I take full
credit for the success of the workshop. It
was the team effort of several people
working in rural parishes and of members of
the Archdiocesan staff, especially Monsignor
Jerry Hardy and Father Jim Kelly. Many
ideas were exchanged and gradually plans
developed.
Ellen Hughes of the Archdiocesan Respect
Life Office; Rev. Joe Morecraft of
Chalcedon Presbyterian Church and Dr.
Charles Stanley of the First Baptist Church
of Atlanta as well as many - many others.
The whole day will address the tragedy of
abortion and will attempt to raise the level
of conscience of the whole nation on this
issue.
It will be a day of ecumenical prayer and
mutual support on a subject on which many
Protestants and most Catholics can totally
agree. The right to life.
At this point I feel compelled to point
out that in the summer of 1979 and for
years before that the outcry from Catholics
was “isn’t it a pity that we can’t get the
Protestants committed to this issue”
(Abortion). Now that they are coming
forward and speaking out - we seem to be
getting an opposite reaction from some
Catholics. Almost a jealous “well this is
really OUR issue,” kind of reaction.
We hear ominous warnings from
Monsignor George Higgins in America
magazine (and he is quoted liberally by
columnist Carl Rowan) about the “New
Right.”
Rowan even speaks of the New Right
being opposed to everything else (except
abortion) that the Catholic Church stands
for. After having read some of Mr. Rowan’s
odious columns castigating “religious
interference” in the matter of abortion, I am
amazed that the Church’s stand on anything
salvation ....
On April 22, 1968 His Holiness, Kyrillos
VI, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the
See of St. Mark in Africa and the Near East,
called for an investigation. (The Coptic
Church was founded by St. Mark and though
separated from Rome for centuries, retains
apostolic succession and valid sacraments
and orders.) Among other positive
statements were these: “That people of all
classes, occupations, and religions have seen
her in different forms or postures, her
appearance always being public and
witnessed by all people present: believers
and unbelievers.” “That these appearances
have often been accompanied by miracles of
healing.”
Mrs. Zaki, American wife of a Coptic
University Professor of Science, Dr. Fouad
G. Zaki, was visiting relatives in Cairo in
August, 1968 and attests to seeing the
Blessed Mother twice. “A few years ago, I
was a Lutheran,” she has remarked “with no
special devotion to the Virgin. Now, I have
seen her and I am serene because of that
visit...”
One of the greatest aspects brought about
by the apparitions is that the Liturgy was
sung over loud speakers and carried for
blocks. It is against their law to preach
Christianity outside of a church or home.
Yet, as one of the Coptic Bishops is quoted
in Mrs. Zaki’s booklet: “Our Virgin Mary has
Father Joseph O’Donnell, the Catholic
Bishops’ liaison with the Southern Baptist
Convention in ecumenical affairs, gave us
excellent insight on the religious faith of the
Evangelical and the cultural-religious ‘shock’
of the typical Catholic, who moves to a
southern small town from the North.
However, an interesting aspect of the
Workshop was that most of the speakers
were people engaged in rural ministry.
Father Bob Poandl spoke of the priest’s
vocation as the person who calls Catholics to
fall in love with other Catholics. Ministry in
the Church comes from Baptism and
Confirmation, and not Holy Orders. In “the
Body of Christ,” we each have our special
function, to use Paul’s terminology.
“Ways to Reach the Unchurched” was a
detailed presentation by Ms. Carolyn
Werstein, who is a full-time evangelist in the
rural parish of Sylvania, Ga. In the same
session, Father Mike Langell of Franklin,
N.C. shared on how he uses the radio
effectively at prime time to spread the Word.
For five years four Adrian Dominican
Sisters have worked effectively in social
ministry among the poor of Cumming, Ga.
Sister Jean Cassidy shared from her
experience in this work. It takes time,
patience and optimism to help the poor
overcome their self-image of futility and
helplessness.
It was important for us who live so far
from the city of Atlanta to experience the
support of all those on the Archdiocesan
staff. Father Jim Kelly and Monsignor Jerry
Hardy developed the ties of the small parish
with the Archdiocesan service departments.
Evaluations at the end of the Workshop
were encouraging. As one person wrote: “I
meets with his approval.
Joining with our Protestant brothers on
this issue does not mean that we agree with
them on everything else. It does mean that
on this issue this paramount issue of LIFE
we are in complete agreement. If that strikes
fear into some politicians’ hearts then so be
it.
Underlying both Monsignor Higgins
article and Mr. Rowan’s column is the old
“don’t vote ONE ISSUE” sentiment. Many
of us will duly consider ALL the issues and
then decide with author John Noonan that if
ever there were an issue which deserves over
riding consideration it is this one.
Any threat to life threatens all of us --
and in the words of Dr. Everett Koop we
must see that “abortion is like a domino
which having fallen has struck infanticide
which has also fallen and in turn has struck
euthanasia which is falling.” The disrespect
for life which the legalization of abortion
has generated will carry through every facet
of life.
Being aware of the extent to which our
lives are being affected by this issue I feel I
must plead for a generosity of spirit on the
part of fellow Catholics. Let’s not view
everything alien to our faith with suspicion -
but join hands gratefully on those issues on
which we can agree.
Come to the Omni on Saturday from
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and join in the
defense of the right to life for all of God’s
children.
done more than thousands of missionary
workers!”
In 1974 Roman Catholic Cardinal
Stephanos I, (leader of the Coptic Catholics
in Egypt who are re-united with Rome)
visited Pearl Zaki in East Brunswick, New
Jersey and gave her his blessing on the work
she is doing. In the early days of the
apparitions he had been requested by Pope
Paul VI to investigate and report on the
supernatural happenings. “It is no doubt a
real appearance ...” are the first words of
his statement.
Zeitun is a suburb of Cairo and is near the
spot where it is believed the Holy Family
rested in their flight from Herod. Is it any
wonder that this place is endearingly special
to Our Lord and His Mother? Her
appearances from April, 1968 to September
1969, sometimes to as many people as
250,000 at one gathering, have removed
much of the hostility of the state toward
Christianity and numerous conversions have
been reported. The Coptic Orthodox
calendar maintains 32 Feast Days in honor
of the Blessed Mother, the latest being Our
Lady of Light or Our Lady of Zeitun,
celebrated on April 2.
If anyone would like to write Mrs. Zaki
or order her thirty-page booklet for $3.50,
the address is Mrs. Pearl Zaki, 23 Eggers
Street, East Brunswick, New Jersey 08816.
think I have received a better understanding
of the work that I am now involved in. When
I came I could not see how so much time
should be given to this particular subject of
rural ministry... Most helpful, it has
awakened me to the needs to be fulfilled.”
I found it a source of encouragement just
being together for two days with others who
are so enthusiastic about their work of
making the Lord known and loved in the
many small towns of North Georgia. My
thanks to all who helped make my dream
come to fulfillment! It encourages me to do
more ‘dreaming’ about Catholic ministry in
the small town.
"I LIKE THE MAN,
BUT HE'S A LITTLE TOO
PAROCHIAL FOR MV TASTES.
r\The
\ Gemraia
Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
Most Rev. Thomas A. Donnellan — Publisher
Rev, Monsignor Noel C. Burtenshaw — Editor
Gretchen R. Reiser — Associate Editor
Thea K. Jarvis — Contributing Editor
Member of the Catholic Press Association
W 4KMU-JU— ....
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The Hunkering-Down
Of Tony Massarini
Dave McGill
Our Lord’s Mother Visits Egypt
Teresa Gernazian
|L^
Rural Reflections
Fr. Gerald Peterson
(Archdiocesan Rural Life Director)
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