Texas Gulf Coast Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 48, Ed. 1 Friday, March 31, 1972 Page: 1 of 6
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Pope Sees Easter at
‘Center’ of Life
VATICAN CITY (RNS) -
Pope Paul has described
Easter as being at the very
“center” of Christian life.
“Easter,” he told pilgrims
during his mid-week audience,
“is a fact which concerns all
the faithful in a personal
way...as Christ existentially
wishes to celebrate His
passage from death to life in
each one of the faithful.”
The Resurrection, he added,
calls upon Christians to
realize the necessity, of “re-
awakening moral
conscience.. a judgment of *he
order which must preside over
our conduct, the use of our
freedom, the fulfillment of our
duties and the orientation and
the fate of our lives with
respect to God.”
“Today,” the pontiff said,
“much is said about
conscience. We must say that
the term ‘conscience’ is very
often abused. How much
propaganda is being made
today to spread not conscience
by ‘inconscience’ in
approving, with unilateral
theories of prejudgment or of
the so-called re-vindication of
the economy of modern man,
activities which detract from
every moral rule?”
“Very often,” Pope Paul
continued, “a purely
psychological value is given to
conscience, and in psychology
and in its related
psychotherapies there is great
faith and great expansion, but
conscience still remains, and
it produces that peculiar
reaction which we call
‘remorse.’ ”
“To celebrate Easter we
must pass through the
restoration of moral
conscience which cannot come
without penance and
confession,” he added.
“Easter is an extraordinary
adventure.”
From
the Bishop's
Desk. . ,
In the March 17th issue of this paper, an
article appeared under the name of Father
John A. O’Brien entitled, “Is Original Sin in
Scripture?”. One’s first reaction is-So what?
You will not be able to find in Scripture
several of the truths which we Catholics hold,
such as the dogma of the Immaculate
Conception or the Assumption of Our Lady
ir.io heaven.
My particular purpose for writing about
this item is to safeguard ray flock against the
possibility of arriving at a false conclusion.
The Council of Trent defined as an article of
faith that we inherit original sin from Adam.
In the Pastoral Constitution on the Church
in the Modem World, the Fathers of Vatican
Council II had this to say: “For Adam, the
first man, was a figure of Him who was to
come, namely, Christ the Lord. Christ, the
final .‘ dam, by the revelation of the mystery
of the Father and His Love, fully reveals man
to man himself and makes his supreme
casing clear... To the sons of Adam he
restores the divine likeness which had. been
disfigured from the first sin onward.” (Chap.
22).
And in the Credo of the People of God issued
by our Holy Father, Pope Paul VI on 30 June
1968, we read: “We believe that in Adam all
have sinned, which means that the original
Offense committed by him caused human
nature, common to all men, to fall to a state in
Which it bears the consequences of that
•ffense, and which is not the state in which it
was at first in our first parents, established as
they were in holiness and justice, and in
Which man knew neither evil nor death.”
Theologians and Scripture scholars are
given much freedom to probe and throw new
light on the doctrines of the Church. But at
Very bc_.t, their’s is but an opinion and
•ertainly is not the official teaching
aiagesterium of the Church.
In each diocese the bishop is the official
teacher of doctrine. It is also incumbent upon
him to safeguard “the deposit of faith.”
Immaculate
Conception
Parish Featured
This week's
TEXAS GULF COAST
CATHOLIC is featuring
Immaculate Conception
Parish on pages 4 and 5.
texas gulf coast
CATHOLIC
Official Newspaper of the Diocese of Corpos Christi
Vo I. VII No. 48
Friday, March 31, 1972
TCC Names Task Force
For Catholic Schools
AUSTIN - Texas Catholic elementary and
secondary schools got a new lease mi life here
this week when bishops and other board
members cf The Texas Catholic Conference
(TCC) re-dedicated themselves to the concept
of church sponsored education.
In other action during their annual spring
meeting the board also spoke out once more
for justice for the farm workers.
During a morning long meeting on the
school question, the board named a task force
headed by Dallas Bishop Thomas Tsohoepe to
develop a program not only to keep the state’s
Catholic schools open, but to devise means to
continue to improve and eventually expand
them.
Other members appointed to the task force
by Archbishop Frances Furey of San Antonio,
presiding officer, were Rev. John McCarthy,
Houston; Sister Caroleen Hensgen, Dallas;
and Brother John McNamara, Corpus CbrlstL
“Certainly the fact that the legislature
failed to act on state aid to private elemen-
tary and secondary schools last session was a
blow to us and to all the other hard pressed
private schools in the state,” Callan Graham,
executive director of the TCC said, “but it is
not a closed issue at either the state or the
federal level.
The Bishopfs
Easter Message
TO: OUR BELOVED CLERGY, RELIGIOUS AND LAITY -
Greetings and Good Wishes!
St. Paul the Apostle was very devoted to the mystery of Christ’s
resurrection. “If there is no resurrection of the dead, neither has Christ
risen; and if Christ has not risen, vain, then, is our preaching; vain, too, is
your faith.” (1 Cor. 15:13-14).
The beautiful feast of the Resurrection cf Our Lord from the dead is
based, therefore, on faith. It might well be called the Feast of Faith.
Indeed, without a Risen Savior we would be seeking aimlessly but never
finding what our entire human nature craves, complete happiness with
God.
By his sin, man separated himself from God.,Yet, God in His love did
not abandon man. On the contrary, He saved him. To do this, He sent His
only begotten Son into this world in order to redeem us. This act of divine
love by which man was redeemed is the act which transformed the
manhood of Christ, brought Him out of this world of sin and death and
exhalted him as Lord of the whole of creation. As such, He stands in the
role of leader of the new order planned by His Heavenly Father and we
follow Him, not as one who is dead, but as the risen Christ.
In following Christ, we make progress from day to day in our efforts to
accomplish what God has planned for us. We cannot be true followers of
the Risen Christ unless we are putting into practice what He has enjoined
on us. In simple language we must see in the physical appearance of
every individual a likeness of God Himself. By this likeness we must be
drawn to Him as one brother is drawn to another in respect and love. We
cannot forget for a moment what He tells us through ihe writings of the
Evangelists, “If any man says he loves God whom he does not see, yet he
hates his neighbor whom he does see; that man is a liar and the truth is
not in him.”
Forgiving and loving are characteristic of the Christ who suffered, died
and rose front the dead. He expects His followers to do likewise. He will
not be satisfied with less.
May He fill your hearts with peace and joy and love this Easter Season.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
-fMost Rev. Thomas J. Drury
Bishop of Corpus Christi
Educators Meet with Texas Bishops
AUSTIN ~ Some sixty religious educators
from every diocese in the state sat down here
this week with their bishops “just to talk.”
During what is normally the second day of
their annual Spring meeting, the bishops and
other board members of the Texas Catholic
Conference (TCC), attended what its plan-
ners hope will be the first iri a series of
serious, far-ranging discussions with the
people who have made them responsible for
the teaching of the faith to Texas Catholics of
all ages and races.
The session followed the board’s first day
discussion of the Catholic school system that
ended in a re-affirmation of support for that
arm of church education.
That the bishops agreed to curtail their
regular meeting in favor of the religious
education conference was considered an
indication of their equally serious support of
all phases of religious education.
“This meeting,” Rev. John Tickle, El Paso,
chairman of the TCC Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine (CCD) department and
initiator of. the conference with Archbishop
Frances J. Furey of San Antonio, “was
designed simply as a dialogue - no
resolutions, no solutions - just an opening...of
discussions.”
A sampling oi the many, small-group,
round table dialogues that went on throughout
the day between bishops and religious
educators seemed to bear out the fact that the
goal was achieved.
The list of religious educators present and
their fields of interest mirror the broad
spectrum of concern brought to bear. Con-
ferees included, in addition to the ordinaries
who hold the teaching mandate of the church,
priests, religious and laymen who serve as
campus ministers, Catholic elementary and
secondary school superintendents and
religion department heads, Catholic college
personnel, vocation directors, adult education
directors, diocesan and parish directors of
religious education, seminary personnel,
pastors and at least one director of a pastoral
institute.
Perhaps the most concise statement to
come out of the day’s discussion was
presented by Sister Marianne Michels, a San
Antonio CCD coordinator, speaking for the
group around Bishop John J. Cassata of Fort
Worth.
She told the conference, “In determining a
philosphy of Christian education, it must be in
harmony with the total pastoral philosophy of
the diocese.”
Ficilitator of the conference was Rev.
Charles C. McDonald executive secretary of
the National Conference of Diocesan
Directors of CCD, who is based at the
National Center of Religious Education-CCD,
U.S. Catholic Conference in Washington. D.C.
-1
“I sincerely believe that justice will
eventually be done, that the public at large
will realize the unfair financial burden
parents of children in private schools have
carried these many years because they
exercise their constitutional right to educate
their children as they saw fit and paid, in
effect, for the education of those children in
both public and private schools.”
“Our morale is low,” Bishop Warren L.
Boudreaux of Beaumont agreed, “but we
must re-dedicate ourselves not just to sur-
vival, but to continue academic and religious
education excellence.”
Repeatedly, board members also reminded
one another that an essential function of the
Catholic system v:as to serve the poor as well
as the middle and upper classes.
“We began as a system serving, the im-
migrant poor,” Sister Cafoleen Hensgen,
Dallas Superintendant of Schools said, “and
helped them move up and into the main
stream of American life. We must continue
this work. We must not lose touch with the
poor.”
Indicating that both old and new avenues of
support will be explored for solutions were
suggestions from two lay board members,
Mrs. Isobel Colora, Dallas, and Mr. Hugh
Dolan, El Paso, that the bishops consider
forming a volunteer corps of qualified
teachers willing to devote a year or so of
service to schools in poor areas at subsistence
wages.
Mr. Dolan carried the proposal one step
further, asking that all young people, upon
confirmation be afforded the opportunity of
volunteering to work for the church in any of
its activities for a limited period of time - one
to two years • without entering formal
religious communities or making lifetime
commitments to poverty, chastity and
obedience.
The task force is expected to ask the con-
ference’s division on Christian Life - its lay
members - to undertake a statewide, grass
roots study of ways and means to solve the
school problem.
Responding to pleas from state farm
workers organizations and youth councils the
board reaffirmed its position on the right of
workers to both social and legal justice.
On the subject of secondary boycotts raised
in California, the board, in a formal
statement, said, “We sympathsize with the
farm workers of California and support their
contention that they should not suffer the
penalities of the National Labor Relations Act
unless they also enjoy its benefits.”
In other actions the board reviewed the
status of legislation on abortion, school aid
and the family life code; agreed to pay
reasonable expenses of its lay delegates to
two meetings annually; appointed Rev.
Albert Coburn Executive director of the
Texas Conference of Catholic Chaplains and
passed on various legislative resolutions
submitted by the conference General
Assembly last fall.
'I ’’ 1
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IRISH PRELATE IN WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Cardinal William
Conway of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland,
participates in Washington’s 180th annual SL
Patrick’s Day Mass at SL Patrick’s Church
with Cardinal Patrick O’Boyle of Washington
(center) and Archbishop Luigi Raimondi
(right), Apostolic Delegate to the U.S.
Washington was the last stop for the Irish
prelate in a brief trip to the U.S. He also
visited New York City, Mississippi and
Louisiana.
(RNS) Photo
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Pena, Raymond. Texas Gulf Coast Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 48, Ed. 1 Friday, March 31, 1972, newspaper, March 31, 1972; Corpus Christi, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth835455/m1/1/: accessed March 29, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .