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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (April 16, 1987)
mt *r t}vrA rftn&ifi rtwW ■ r PAGE 2 — The Georgia Bulletin. April 16. 1987 Father Jenco Says Prayer Will Release Others Former Hostage Seeks Forgiveness For Captors Who Echoed Jesus' Words BY DEBORAH MCCARTY DAYTON, Ohio (NC) - Callling his captors "the poorest of the poor,” former Lebanon hostage Father Lawrence Martin Jenco said the response to them should be "reconcilia tion, not retaliation.” At the University of Dayton March 30 the Ser- vite priest declared his “ut ter opposition" to arms- dealing for hostages. He said prayer is the only way to obtain the release of those still held. He said it now appears the Reagan administration lied about not negotiating for the release of hostages. Father Jenco, who was Catholic Relief Services director in Lebanon, was kidnapped in Beirut by Shiite Moslems Jan. 19. 1985. He was in his 19th month of captivity when he was released July 26. 1986 Marking the 28th anniver sary of his ordination to the priesthood with his Dayton appearance. Father Jenco said he had spent his 26th anniversary blindfolded and struggling to breathe through a crack in a clothes closet. On his anniversary last year, he said, his captors brought him a chocolate cake iced with the message, “Happy Anniversary, Father." The 52-year-old pries! described his captivity as a mixture of horrors and kindly acts by his captors, members of the Islamic Jihad. Imprisoned in seven dif ferent locations, he said sometimes he was trans ported in the sparetire well of a truck, bound like a mummy, gagged, and lac ed with explosives. Opce when the truck jolted, he struck his face and suffered a nosebleed, he said. The blood coagulated, he said, and only through con trolled breathing of the pilgrim’s prayer. "Lord. Jesus, have mercy on me," was he able to get enough air. One night after more than a year of captivity, he was taken to a rooftop in Beirut and told to remove his blindfold, he said. Certain he was about to be shot, he prayed. “God. I love you,” SEMANA SANTA EN HOLY FAMILY Gracias al Padre Jose Luis Avila, residente en Holy Family, Marietta, se ha podido celebrar la Semana Santa para los Hispanos del Noroeste de Atlanta en su propia lengua. Ademas se dio un RETIRO con charlas en espanol y oportunidad para confesarse cada noche. Sin embargo, la VIGILIA PASCUAL sera el Sabado Santo en ingles, a las 9:00 p.m.. pues se celebra una sola en cada iglesia. El DOMINGO DE RESURRECCION la Misa de nuestra comunidad hispana se tendra a la 1:00 p.m (en vez de la 1:30 p.m.) en el salon de la escuela Feliz Pascua De Resurreccion Para Todos! Christ Is Calling Ybu The Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne We have been called to love God above all else through a life of prayer and work—caring for incurable cancer patients. Write or phone Sister Anne Marie, Rosarv Hill Home, Hawthorne, New York 10532. (914) 769-4794 Please send me more information about your Order. NAME ADDRESS 1 7 CITY STATE Z\P vj “I was utterly amazed,” he said, that his captors wanted only to let him look at the moon. Talking with faculty and students at the University of Dayton, where he celebrated Mass and at tended a luncheon in his honor. Father Jenco stress ed the humanity of his cap- tors. "I would ask that you reflect on who my captors are — Shiites, the poorest of the poor,” he said. “One tragedy of my kidnapping would be that we hate Arabs and we hate Islam." He said his captors were young men who sometimes brought their children to visit him. On Christmas Eve they brought “a birth day cake for Jesus” and at Easter fresh flowers, he said. He said one jailer was in trigued by the melody of the Gospel acclamation at the daily Mass he celebrated with fellow captives, and the man sang “Alleluia” all day long. Father Jenco urged prayers for Terry Anderson and Thomas Sutherland, imprisoned with him and still held captive. “I’m ut terly convinced it’s going to be prayer that wins the release of Tom and Terry.” Although the Reagan ad ministration assured Father Jenco that he was not released in exchange for arms, he said, "all the indications imply that I was.” “The president always said we will not negotiate, but all the time we were negotiating for arms." he said. "So if (not negoti ating) is a policy, they lied " He urged “a spirit of reconciliation, not retalia tion: common dialogue, not threats” as the basis for peace in the Middle East. “Peace is possible only where there is a just order that ensures the rights of everyone.” The priest described his captivity as “my most memorable retreat,” say ing prayer was a constant source of strength and hope for him. In order to pray, he had to learn to forgive, he said. He said that the night before he was released, one of his captors came to him and, echoing Jesus’ words on the cross, said, “Forgive us. Father, we know not what we do." He said he asked his cap- tors for their forgiveness as well, for the “many times I had tremendous feelings of hate and anger.” EASTER CATHOLICS — After weeks of prayerful study and instruc tion, seven catechumens will join the faith community of Transfigura tion Church in Marietta. Baptism, first Communion and Confirmation will be administered at the Easter Vigil Mass, Saturday evening, April 18. The group pictured above are center front, Ray Atkinson; back rows, Deanna From, Patsy Tripodo, Judy Mecure, Richard Thompson, Phillip Stewart and Dave Bauman. “Total % j. Pre-Arrangement” S A Solution—For Complete Information About Our Cemetery Call Family Counselers: SE Habla Espanol Ricardo DeLeon, 432-5845 Bill Jones, 432-5863 Westview Cemetery, Inc. Immaculate Heart Of Mary School 2855 Briarcliff Road. N.E. Atlanta. 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