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 (Oct. 8, 1987)
r4 Page 4 • Faith Today ON PILGRIMAGE “The mystery of the 4) church is essentially a mystery of the union of people with God.” (Pope John Paul II in Chile, 1987) On vacation at their grand parents’ home, children can spend endless hours pouring over old photograph albums. But would the same children be quite so fascinated by the old albums of someone else’s grandparent? Children feel “at home" with old photographs of family members and ancestors. But this is more than a study of history. The albums are like mirrors from the past in which children catch a glimpse of themselves. Somewhere deep down the children are asking: How are we connected to those people? Were “parts” of them passed on to us? Of course, the photographs may produce smiles by showing that the family passed on the gift of bald heads and tiny ears. However, upon closer examina tion the photographs may also show: •That ethnic practices are tradi tional in the family. •That this has been a family of the land; its members share a love for open space and a desire to see things growing. •That the family’s members have a long tradition of political involvement and public service. •Or, that a great tragedy or suc cess story influenced the family’s history. For such families there is a family tradition. When they tell what kind of people they are, they may say they are ethnic peo ple or people touched by a great past event It is something like that with church tradition. What is passed on — expressed again and again — is a sense of who Chris tians really are and how they got to be that way. Thus: •Christians are followers of Jesus. For them it is a priority that he be heard, as he is during the Liturgy of the Word in every Mass. •A life-giving bond exists bet ween Christians and Jesus. This bond can be reflected by them in the many commitments and ac tivities of ordinary life. •Christians are people for whom Jesus’ death and resurrec tion make all the difference. Not just a memory, these actions change people now. And they form a pattern for life that gives hope — confidence that light can overcome the darkness of every failure and loss. On the one hand this tradition is all about Jesus. Yet in it Chris tians see reflections of themselves as hearers of God’s word; as peo ple called into a community that celebrates the death and resurrec tion of Jesus forever; and as peo ple whose life-giving bond with Jesus means that all the activi ties of their lives can be Christlike. By Janaan Manternach NC News Service CHILDREN'S PLACZ J ohn Henry Newman began life in 1801 with many advantages. His parents loved their six children very much. His father, a respected banker in Lon don, provided well for his family. Life in the Newman home was warm, happy and comfortable. But everything changed when John was a teen-ager. In 1816 his father’s bank failed. The family was suddenly poor. That same year John became very sick for six months During his long recovery he read books about church history given to him by a friend. The early teachers and teachings of Christianity fascinated him. John decided to learn more about the church and its tradition. He also decided to live a more Christian life. As soon as he was well again, he entered Trinity Col lege at Oxford; 11 years later he was ordained an Anglican priest. In 1832 serious sickness chang ed his life for a second time. He fell sick during a vacation in Italy. Your Family Tree A man shaped by tradition During his slow recovery he visi ted many Roman Catholic churches and shrines in Europe. The experience touched him deeply. When he returned to England, he carefully studied Roman Catholic teachings. His sermons and articles became more and more favorable toward the Roman Catholic Church. For a while he was made to stop preaching, teaching and writing. So John moved to a small coun try parish to pray and think. Finally he and some friends decided to become Roman Catholics. Two years later in 1847 John also became a Roman Catholic priest. He returned to Birmingham, England, where he lived with several priest friends. They called their community the Oratory. By now Father John Henry Newman was one of the most famous religious leaders in England People flocked to hear him preach. Thousands of people read his books and articles. Father Newman wrote much about the importance of tradition. He taught that the Holy Spirit helped the church preserve the teachings of Jesus down through the centuries. He believed that the pope, the bishops and lay people as well helped to pass on the church's tradition. Father Newman also wrote on the meaning of belief, as well as on many current issues of his day. In 1879, at the age of 78, Father Newman was named a cardinal by Pope Leo XIII. The pope wanted to honor him for his great contribu tions to the church and for his per sonal honesty and courage Cardinal Newman’s example and writings still influence people to day. The Newman Clubs for students at U.S. colleges are named for him. (Ms. Manternach is the author of catechetical works, scripture stories and original stories for children.) Fill in the boxes with the nomes of your parents and grand parents. Then try to find out a story about each one — whot they liked to do when they were children, how they come to live where they do, important events in their lives, etc. GRANDFATHER GRANDMOTHER / \ | GRANDMOTHER GRANDFATHER y v/ x" ^ . MOTHER FATHER YOU What do you think? □ John Henry Newman grew up in a home with warm, loving parents and with five brothers and sisters. Imagine what it was like when he was sick for six months as a teen-ager. What do you think his family might have done to keep him happy and amused then? From the bookshelf Special activities observed in a family year after year become tradi tions and are considered very important by family members. In the story, Jam Day, by Barbara Joosse, Ben and his mom live alone. But Ben longs to be part of a big family with jokes and secrets to share. Things change when he and his mom arrive at his grandparents’ place. There is a welcome banner, balloons, lots of relatives to meet them. Best of all is the celebration of Jam Day, a yearly time for picking strawberries together and making jam and biscuits. Through this wonderful family tradition, Ben learns that he and his mom are part of a big and joyous family. (Harper and Row Junior Books, 10 E. 53rd St., New York, N.Y. 10022. 1987. Hardback, $11.95.)
