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About The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 1988)
The Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta Vol. 26 No. 28 Thursday, August 18, 1988 $15.00 Per Year Marian Year Ends Mary's Human Experience Highlighted By Archbishop BY GRETCHEN REISER At a ceremony closing the Marian Year in the arch diocese, Archbishop Eugene A. Marino, S.S.J. urged people not to “water down the Gospel” that portrays Mary as a human person who faced conflict, doubt and anxiety with grace. Reflecting on Mary’s unique role in salvation history, it is possible to “lose sight of the fact that she is a human being,” the archbishop said, “who can certainly under stand” the fear and anxiety and the mundane problems that occur in the real world. Catholics need to reflect upon the “teenaged girl who found herself mysteriously pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit” and who faced the possibility that Joseph, be ing a just man, would quietly divorce her. “We need to reflect on that, so we can go to Mary and bring others to Mary” as they face difficulties and anxieties, the arch bishop said. Mary also shows a way of dealing with conflict as she faced the mystery of Jesus’ call to be about “His Father’s business,” leaving Mary and Joseph to fear for his safety in Jerusalem. Unable to fully understand Jesus’ response to them, Mary nonetheless did not judge or condemn, the archbishop said. “What a lesson for us! We always resort to judgement....Mary shows us conflict is part of the human condition” and invites a patient, nonjudgmental response. The Marian Year was called by Pope John Paul II 14 months ago as a time of preparation for the third millennium of Christianity. In this closing ceremony at the Shrine of the Im maculate Conception Aug. 14, the archbishop said the task for the new millen nium will be “to bring the Christian community back together again.” The divisions in Christianity have come about over a thousand years and it will be a difficult and lengthy process to reconcile, he said. “We know that the Mother of God can do it. We pray to her. We acknowledge her as the Mother of God, as well as the Mother of Christ, the Mother of the Church.” The ceremony at the Shrine began at 7 p.m. with music and a five- decade rosary, incorporating some Joyful, Sor rowful and Glorious mysteries. A decade each was recited in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean and Latin, im itating the multilingual rosary led by Pope John Paul II that opened the Marian Year in June 1987. After the arch bishop’s homily on Mary, children representing the various ethnic communities brought flowers to the Mary altar at the Shrine. The congregation sang the Salve Regina in closing. FLOWERS FOR MARY — Ryan Taylor and Jessica Daniell from the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception bring flowers to the Mary altar at the close of a multi-lingual rosary ending the Marian Year. Other Marian Year ceremonies included a rosary and Mass celebrated by the archbishop Aug. 13 at Our Lady of the Assumption parish for the charismatic community, and a Mass Aug. 15, preceded by a rosary, celebrated by the archbishop at the Cathedral of Christ the King. At the Shrine the archbishop thanked those among the 250 people attending who had worked throughout the Marian Year to promote devotion to Mary and to highlight her role in the plan of salvation and in the Catholic Church. The ending of the Marian Year should not suggest “a lessening, of our devotion, our commitment to the Mother of God,” he said. “I urge you and I encourage you to continue to walk with Mary, not to be afraid or ashamed to call yourself a child of Mary...Let Mary be the one who keeps us faithful to Jesus.” "Rescue" Arrests Reach 594 Lowell Patterson, communications coordinator, said that those who went inside the clinic and sat down did not cor rectly follow the instructions of organizers. “We will stand by them,” he said, but he added that by going inside they “clearly made a mistake,” and should have sat down on the outside of the door. Nonetheless, he argued that the felony charge of “terroristic acts” was “certainly ridiculous.” Asked if the demonstrations were now being planned to be silent, without signs or remarks made to women trying to enter the clinics, Patterson said Operation Rescue was trying to emphasize the “spiritual content” of what they were doing. At the Fulton County Jail, authorities refused to let Father John Adamski, pastor of the Shrine of the Im maculate Conception, celebrate Mass for Catholics among the prisoners Aug. 7, citing a prohibition against alcoholic beverages and objecting to the Eucharistic wine. Father Adamski was able to distribute Communion the next day. By Aug. 12, an agreement had been worked out between jail and archdiocesan officials to allow Mass to be celebrated - for Sunday and the feast of the Assumption. But a “lock- down” at the jail Aug. 14, because of a disturbance by other inmates, prevented Father Adamski’s entering the jail. He was able to celebrate Mass Aug. 15. Originally segregated from other prisoners, the abortion protesters were placed in prison dormitories with other misdemeanor offenders Aug. 9 and moved from the new Fulton County Jail back to the old jail. (See related stories on pages 6 and 7.) BY GRETCHEN REISER One hundred fifty-eight more abortion protesters were arrested in Atlanta Aug. 16, bringing to 594 the number of arrests made since the protests began July 19 during the Democratic National Convention. Of those arrested, the number jailed was estimated at between 200 and 300. Operation Rescue, the Bing hamton, N.Y.-based organization leading the demonstra tions, said that 284 were either in the Fulton County Jail or the Atlanta prison farm as of Aug. 16. However, the number jailed changed frequently as people posted bond. Those in jail have identified themselves only as “Baby Jane Doe” or “Baby John Doe,” and have remained in jail because they will not give their real names. Those who identified themselves have been released on bond or per sonal recognizance. All 158 arrested Aug. 16 following a demonstration at the Atlanta SurgiCenter, 1113 Spring St., Atlanta, were charged with a felony, according to a spokeswoman for the Atlanta public safety office. Most were charged with being a party to a crime —- obstruction of a law enforcement officer, she said. Aug. 11 six people went inside an abortion clinic, an ac tion which resulted in a felony charge against them rather than the misdemeanor charge of criminal trespass, being lodged against virtually all the earlier demonstrators. Also, police for the first time arrested four people who drove others to the scene of a “rescue,” and charged them with a felony. MESMERIZED — A young parishioner is intrigued by a lifelike carving, part of a newly dedicated shrine at St. Lawrence Church. Stories on pages 12 and 13. o >
