Funding for the digitization of this title was provided by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta.
About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 1985)
PAGE 6 — The Georgia Bulletin, November 21, 1985 Father A1 Jowdy is associate pastor of All Saints parish in Dunwoody. He was ordained in 1984. Anne Amerson— (Continued from Page 1) of ecumenism taking place. With no need to feel defen sive, I became very open and interested in learning more about Catholicism. The liturgy, so confusing and repetitious to me at first, gradually became more and more mean ingful. I watched the faces of people coming up to receive Eucharist and wondered what they were experiencing that brought many of them back even on weekdays. I began to enjoy greeting and being greeted with the Sign of Peace. The aspect of the Catholic Church that drew me most and led to my confirmation was the discovery that it is not an institution or a building or a theology or a creed but a people living, loving, worshiping togeth er. I became Catholic because I wanted to be a member of a family so diverse in background, culture, education, etc., and yet so committed to one another. 2. If I read the signs cor rectly, brakes are being put on the spirit of renewal that came out of Vatican II, and that disturbs me greatly. When I embraced Cathol icism, I envisioned that it wouldn’t be too many years before women would be allowed to participate fully in the life of their Church and that members of my family who love and serve our Lord Jesus in other branches of the Body of Christ would be allowed to receive the Body of our Lord Jesus when they wor ship with me. When I read of women deaconesses and married bishops in the ear ly Church, I wonder at the rationale of the continued prohibitions in our own time. There is one aspect of Teresa Gernazian Teresa Gernazian has been a member of Im maculate Heart of Mary parish, Atlanta, for over 25 years. A widow and the mother of four, she has been active in the Women’s Guild and the mothers group there. 1. I believe the Council documents, as written, were inspired by the Holy Spirit. I’m especially ap preciative of: Mass in Catholicism that has been de-emphasized in recent years, not as a result of Vatican II but of the scien tific, rational mindset of this century. I would like to see a restoration of the place of mysticism in our Church, so that we are en couraged to look for and ex perience the deeper spiri tual reality which our sacraments symbolize and point toward, the ex perience of our Lord living in us and us in him, so that we may “grow to the full maturity of Christ the head.” (Ephesians 4:15) Several months ago our parish Stephen Ministers asked me to make a presen tation on a similar topic, a comparison of priestly training before and since Father A1 Jowdy The Questions 1 — Did the changes brought about by Vatican II help make you a better Catholic? or Did the changes brought about by Vatican II help you to better fulfill your vocation as a priest or Religious? 2 — Is there any renewal or restora tion you would like to see? Vatican II. I eventually begged out of the task because I simply never ex perienced seminary life before the Council. All my adult life has been spent in the post-conciliar Church, in fact, all my education for ministry took place long after its lit urgical and pastoral changes has settled. So I’m afraid I take it all very much for granted. That makes this an ex citing time to be alive in the Church. We have two generations whose entire religious upbringing was before the council, one generation that grew up during the changes and the newest generation that can’t imagine the Church in any other way. That calls for a lot of patience and reconciliation. One of my hopes is that we will continue to be open to the promptings of the Ho ly Spirit regarding min istry, both ordained and non-ordained and that of course touches on issues like ecumenism, celibacy and the opening of roles to women. I also hope we keep in mind the unfinished agenda of the council which is healing the wounds of confusion and misunder standing, and reaching out to those who feel alienated from the Church of their youth. English, the reinstatement of the Prayers of the Faithful, the emphasis on the role of the laity and the emphasis on Scripture. The Document on Ecumenism has humbly reminded us that “whatever is wrought by the grace of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of our separated brethren can contribute to our own edification.” Yes, I think our change in attitude toward people of other religions and other aspects of renewal have helped me in my spiritual growth. 2. Pope John Paul II has displayed strong support for Vatican II yet has pa tiently upheld traditional teachings. It is my prayer that the Synod will promote avenues of balance to offset the misinterpretations of the Council. According to numerous Catholic news papers, one area of par ticular concern in this country, is that of religious education of our youth. I would like to see some “smoothing out” of the “rough edges” of this pro blem. A treasured momento in my possession is a post card from Rome dated Dec. 16, 1965: “Greetings from Rome...‘The experience of attending the Vatican Coun cil has been truly mar vellous. I am fortunate to have had this opportuni ty! ’” Signed “Fr. Zeb Beltran’’...now Bishop Eusebius J. Beltran of the Diocese of Tulsa. Mike Kelly is a member of St. Philip Benizi parish in Jonesboro where he is director of sponsors for the RCIA and serves on the adult formation committee. 1. Absolutely. The changes brought forth from Vatican II were not really changes but a return to the message of our Lord Jesus. Just as the Pharisees got lost in the law we had got ten lost in the Baltimore Catechism. It’s one thing to memorize a way of life, quite another to live it. Vatican II called me to the Church and created an at mosphere in which I could be Church. Rather than just leading me down the road to Emmaus it called me to get up on my own two feet and walk the journey for myself. Along the way the richness and tradition of the Catholic faith has sup ported my journey. Vatican II helped me to appreciate my Catholic upbringing and to realize that I am part of a universal community of believers helping each other to answer the call to Jesus to “Follow me.” 2. We must continue our renewal process. Conver sion is not a one-time occur rence, so the Church must continue to turn and grow. I’m involved as a team member of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults and see it as a very basic form of continual renewal within the Church. Not only does it reach out to new members but through its support of the process the entire community is able to grow. I would hope the RCIA continues to be supported by Church hier archy. I would also like to see the process further developed to reach out to fallen away and back pew Catholics. As the laity becomes more involved and the fallen away return we must provide for their hunger to grow in faith. I think the Catholic Church has been remiss in adult faith forma tion and I see this as an im portant area which needs to be addressed. Msgr. McDonough— (Continued from Page 1) the responsibility for our actions. If this is true, why speak of the last things — punishment, hell, purgatory, etc. There isn’t going to be any punish ment. Pope John Paul II seems to have this in mind when he speaks frequently of the need to confess our sins. Chip Henry Chip Henry, 38, is presi dent of the parish council at the Church of St. Ann, Marietta. He came back to the Church in 1981 after many years away. He and his wife, Toni, are the parents of four children. 1. I did not come back to the Church through RCIA. It was largely due to the ac ceptance of people, in the parish who encouraged me and showed me they cared about me. I was invited to make a Cursillo and after that I realized that other people were more important than yourself. I began to realize other people’s needs. I got involved in the night shelter, in different groups in parish, the prayer group, the Knights of Columbus, inner ci ty building through Saint Vincent de Paul. I was elected president of the parish council in January, 1985 and am a Eucharistic minister. I don’t think all of this would have hap pened to me without Vatican II. The laity would not have been involved as much. The laity is a tremendous part of the Church today. This involvement is two-fold, it gives you the opportunity to know yourself through the needs of others and it’s the grace of God working through you. 2. In answer to the second question I’d like to see the diaconate program upgraded. We need a lot more deacons to assist priests in the massive job they have to do. Priests can’t be sociologists and everything else they are called on to be. The Church needs so much help now. Highly qualified men and women can do a lot to help meet these needs. I real ly believe the diaconate program is the biggest factor in aiding the priests, monsignors, bishops. The second thing the Church needs is Catholic cable television. The Church is losing out to the Protestants. Peo ple are sitting in their living rooms being educated by all the Protestant programs. They don’t even know their own faith. We need a fulltime Catholic cable network and we need it now. Mother Mary Jozefa Kowalewskt, V.H.M., is superior of the cloistered Monastery of the Sisters of the Visitation in Snellville and president of the first federation of the Visitation order in the United States. 1. The answer would have to be a definite “Yes.” I took my first vows during the second session (of the Second Vatican Council) in 1963 and my final vows in 1966. Thus my ongoing for mation was definitely af fected by the council. The Divine Office became part of my liturgical life as well as Scripture study and an emphasis on theological studies, not neglecting human development. Also, the council asked us to go back to our roots. St. Fran= cis de Sales, a great in novator, wanted retreats within our cloister avail able to women back in 1610. Today it is again part of our apostolate and has acquired an ecumenical dimension. Many non- Catholics making retreats within a strictly cloistered community would have been unthinkable before Vatican II. The statements in several of the conciliar documents clearly define our role in the Church and the value of our life. The church’s mind, the council’s mind is quite clear, and as a daughter of the Church, so is my mind on the value of withdrawal from the world in order to serve the world. This has confirmed and strengthen ed my desire to live our form of life to the hilt and help others do the same. 2. I really hesitate to answer this question for I Mother Mary Jozefa Kowalewski, V.H.M. lack words to state what I believe in such a way that would not be offensive or misunderstood. I believe, along with all the various programs, that the docu ments themselves should be studied carefully. So very many sweeping statements have been made on what Vatican II wants by so-called experts that it appears to me a mere manipulation of the documents for one’s own view or a very selective in terpretation. I would also like to see a greater understanding for our way of life which we love and one where focus is put on us as women who are cloistered rather than on the cloister itself. So-called experts who seem to a- bound in counseling us how to live our life would do well o read the conciliar documents before quoting them. Most of these counsel us to live the cloister. I know personally that it is possible to live a strictly contemplative life and be very happy about it. And I happen to know many other women who do just this.
