Return from Greenville, 5.C.
As Tarheel Catholics returned from south of the border
last week after having attended the Congress of Worship at
Greenville, S.C., they expressed wholehearted satisfaction for
the effort they made to participate in the program. They
brought back to us glowing sparks of enthusiasm for the
many insights which this program of Catholic renewal
brought into their appreciation of the Church. These factors
studied the meaning of “The Christian Community’; details
of lay participation in the liturgy; the sustaining inspiration
which will preserve religious ideals in youth; the preparation
of lectors at divine services; the mission of the Christian to
aid his dependent brother and the preservation of unity in
the family circle, were all a part of the discussions and work
shops.
Of prime inspiration were the two Masses offered with
2,500 participating. The Bishop of Charleston permitted the
celebrant to anticipate the use of the English Canon and this,
presented well, was in the minds of many the great reward
of the three-day Congress.
Much approval of the program, which highlighted the
participation of the laity, was heard from those attending.
People appreciated the work of Edward M. Driscoll of Gas
tonia, George Breathett of Greensboro, and the dynamic
presentation of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Traina of Atlanta, with
their Charlie Brown adaptation, pointing out Christian family
unity.
The address of Archbishop Hallinan was enthusiastically
received. Touching on the increasing role of the laity in the
liturgy, he said the steps taken recently in this direction to
ward greater team work will be followed by a new call to
laity for more rights and duties.
The past week’s adventure in Faith in Greenville was a
fitting sequence of last year’s liturgical conference at Char
lotte. We congratulate the clergy and laity who planned and
produced this recent adult meeting to further implement the
spirit of Christian renewal in these post Vatican II days of
new insights in the virtues of the Catholic Faith.
Meaning of 'Community'
The Greenville Congress workshop entitled ‘Community’
in which Dr. George Breathett of Greensboro participated,
was one of the most important topics discussed in the three
day program. All are in favor of community, but all cannot
agree on just what it is. A complimentary subject is that
of ‘Communication’ vital to the pursuit of applying the di
rectives of the Council to our Catholic way of life. The prob
lem of definition made itself obvious several times during
the sessions. Does ‘Community’ mean race relations or hu
man relations? Does it refer to community activities such
as the USO or the Red Cross? What is its bearing on the
parish structure?
For our part we find these two co-related subjects beg
ging for want of expression in human values. Unfortunately
the consciousness of the separation of Church and State issue
has thwarted the development of putting our Christian values
in practical workable programs of cooperation. Educators
are becoming conscious of the need of teaching human values
in the public schools and of seeking clergymen who can be
on call for counselling. The issue fe a stumbling block Of
our times prohibiting communication within our community.
The definition of community depends upon the back
I—->und of the personality of the individual. He draws from
own experience at home and at work. Community then,
large, is a specific engagement in public affairs.
A few weeks ago this column cited the impasse to
ich we find the Christian Family Movement has come,
e old question of discussion clubs vs. action groups, finds
roots here. Many feel that in the past too much time
s wasted on definite discussion.
The Greenville seminar attempted to define ‘community’
a spiritual or scriptural meaning. One lady said that the
sic motivation behind Christian community is supernatural
irity, the love of God. She said that it is no accident that
s psalms equate the good man with the just man.
The workshop concluded that the age of automation has
irived man of the natural means of expressing his human
rsonality. This is a primary drawback in the promotion
‘community: With the new technology the person is too
en reduced to the call of a number or to the arrangement
holes on an IBM card.
With this modern position in which it is involved, the
•son today finds it difficult to estimate the value of his
•sonal contribution to society, let alone to have a collec
n of individuals combined in a more revelant body called
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In Current Thought
Catholic Laity Urged Action
Under Poverty Civic Auspices
Atlanta — Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan and Auxiliary
Bishop Joseph L. Bernardin of Atlanta have urged Cath
olics to cooperate actively with poverty programs being car
ried out here under both Church and government auspices.
f inancial generosity, as im
portant as it is, cannot substi
tute entirely for personal in
volvement,” the prelates de
clared. “We must overcome our
‘checkbook charity’ mentality;
we must give of ourselves as well
as our goods.”
The message to Atlanta Cath
olics was contained in a pastoral
letter, “Servant Church-Serv
ant People.” In it, the prelates
said that parishes should permit
their facilities to be used for
programs to aid the poor, and
revealed that archdiocesan char
ity programs are undergoing a
re-evaluation — “to make sure
they are truly serving the needs
as they exist today.”
“In this task of evaluating
and planning, all segments of the
Church are involved — bishops,
priests, Religious and laymen,”
they asserted.
Archbishop Hallinan and Bish
op Bemardin also noted that
last year the Atlanta lay con
gress and synod committed the
archdiocese to “an important
role in alleviating human suffer
ing.
“The synod made it clear that
. . . ‘the Church must be the
very act of Christ within this
particular Southern area where,
adapting to the press and flow
of modem society, she feeds the
hungry, heals the sick, clothes
the naked, and preaches the
good news to the poor. Her role
is to be the servant Church, the
praying Church, offering the Eu
charistic sacrifice as well as the
personal sacrifices of the mem
bers in their work of service.’ ”
New Action Points
The letter cited the following
among innovations in charitable
programs in the archdiocese:
—The Village of St. Joseph, a
home for dependent children,
has expanded its service towards
resolving the emotional and psy
chological problems of both chil
dren and parents. Expert thera
py is available for this purpose.
—The department of Catholic
Social Services is coordinating ,
all of the Church’s welfare ef
rusi* ',tr< i'*,t. •:v^>:«^witr*<(aa»nat*a»*wajaanB.«i» hv« W ®r$
forts with the programs of other
churches and the community.
—Members of the St. Vincent
de Paul Society are now cross
ing parish lines and going into
the community at large “to seek
and to help the poor wherever
they are.” Together with other
agencies, both public and pri
vate, the society is developing
educational programs for chil
dren and adults.
—The work of the Vincentians
in the inner city is now aided
and supplemented by five Fran
ciscan Sisters who moved to At
lanta in mid-August. These Sis
ters will live among the people
whom they serve. In addition to
assisting with the work of the
society they will develop other
programs to meet the needs of
the community.
Noting that “our efforts so
far . . . have only scratched the
surface,” the prelates urged:
—That Catholics devote time
as well as money to poverty pro
grams of all kinds. “While we
especially recommend the Saint
Vincent de Paul Society and
the work of the Franciscan Sis
ters, it is our hope that our peo
ple will also play an active role
in ecumenical and government
sponsored programs.”
—That every parish examine
its budget to see where savings
can be effected in order to make
See Catholic Laity, page 8A
NORTH CAROLINA CATHOLIC
Weekly Newspaper
for Raleigh Diocese
Second Class postage paid at Hunting
ton, Indiana.
Entered at the Post Office in Hunting
ton, Indiana, U.S.A. at the rate of
postage provided for in Section 1103 of
the United States Act of October 3.
1912 and of February 28, 1925.
Editor
Rev. Frederick A. Koch
Address: Box 9503
Raleigh, N. C. 27603
Tal. 919-833-5295
October 29, 1967
Val. XXIII. No. 2
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Todoy's Feast
Christ the King
‘Restore All in Him’
October 29
OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
THE KING (24th Sun. after
Pentecost).
When Christ was brought be
fore him, Pilate confronted Him
with His alleged claims to king
ship. To which Christ replied,
“Yes, I am a King. For this was
I born, for this I came into the
world, to bear witness to the
truth. Whoever belongs to truth,
listens to My voice” (Gospel.)
Ilte truth Christ proclaimed
was that He was the Son of God,
the God-Man, the greatest of
man, the king among men, the
King of Kings. This is what He
bore witness to in His talks to
the people, in His parables, in
conversations with His disciples.
His miracles also bore witness to
this truth. The strongest evi
dence of His kingship and di
vine power was to die and raise
Himself from the dead.
Pilate may not have under
stood what Christ told him, but
we do. Therefore, we should not
only believe it but live accord
ingly. “Whoever belongs to
truth, listens to My voice” (Gos
pel).
At Pinehurst
Maryhurst Retreats
Do Allow Time
For Sprit And Rest
Pinehurst — “A wide experi
ence has led me to think that
mature men and women need
two or three days of rest and si
lence to face themselves. St. Au
gustine in his “Confessions” un
derlines this,” said a priest who
has been noted in delivering con
ferences during closed retreats
for the laity.
The Christian tradition, the
speaker said, affords endless il
lustration of the human search
for solitude. Christ himself spent
a month alone and St. Paul, after
his conversion, went into seclu
sion for two years. St. Thomas
More, the ‘Man for All Seasons’
made an annual retreat and
withdrew every Friday for his
prayers.
A Chicago mother said, “I need
the quiet, for the rest of the year
I am only alone for those few
minutes when I drive to collect
my five children from school.”
The schedule of weekend re
treats for women at Maryhurst
Retreat House here is not over
crowded with activity. There is
no weary retreatant sitting in
the garden who has one ear on
the bell and one eye on her
watch.
Homelike Atmosphere
Freedom for the retreatant is
illustrated by a schedule which
simply lists a few conferences
daily and the hour of the com
munity Mass. The attractive
grounds in this resort area per
mit one to enjoy the outdoors
and the homelike atmosphere of
the rooms are condusive to read
ing and privacy.
The opening for the Fall sea
son for women’s retreat begins
October 29 with parishioners of
Southern Pines, Pinehurst and
Reidsville scheduled to attend.
About twenty-eight persons can
be accommodated at one time.
Women from the Fayetteville
and Fort Bragg area will be com
ing here over the weekend
of November 10. The following
Friday, November 17 will have
laity from Greensboro, Salisbury
and Kannapolis as guests.
SisterMary Laurine,R.S.M. of
See Maryhurst, page 8A
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