Sept. 4, 1992

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News & Herald

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Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

Volume 2 Number

September

1

1992

4,

Bishops Of Province Of Atlanta Take Stand Against Capital Punishment Archbishop James

P.

Lyke of Atlanta,

metropolitan of the Province of Atlanta, and the other four bishops of the province have issued a strong pastoral statement in opposition to imposition

In the statement

of the death openalty. and an accompanying

letter to the Catholics of the province which embraces the states of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina, the bishops said

that they are called to "stand against the death penalty as a right and proper punishment for crime."

In addition to

statement and

letter

Archbishop Lyke, the were signed by Bishops

Raymond W.

Lessard of the Diocese of Savannah, Bishop F. Joseph Gossman of the Diocese of Raleigh, Bishop John F.

ARCHBISHOP LYKE

Donoghue of the Diocese of Charlotte and Bishop David B. Thompson of the Diocese

testimony of Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of

of Charleston.

Chicago before the Senate Judiciary

In a separate letter to the people of the

ascan SisterRobertMcKinnon (center holding plaque) is joinedby

members of her community,

e Sisters of St Francis

of Tiffin, Ohio. Sister Roberta was honored with the Peacemaker Award aringa conference in Greensboro of the Franciscan Federation, Third Order Regular, of the Brothers id Sisters

of the United

Photo by JOANN KEANE

States.

was "not one of an academic oped

in theory

Native Americans

Associate Editor

— For 20

said the issuance of the statement

was timeiy because

ranciscan Sister Roberta

McKinnon

has

on the Cherokee Indian ReserWestern North Carolina. Aug. 23, Sister Roberta was hon-

On

red for her grace, as recipient of the

A

ranciscan Federation s Peacemaker ward, he celebration culminated the 27th An'

ual

Her work has done much Those

Indians.

have transformed a Chemical Dependency Treatments Center for adults and youth on programs

...

believe

we need not take

life

for life."

the use of the death

favor capital

punishment and there are no executions imminent in Georgia at this time.

efforts

Men,

The c

apital

texts of the bishops' statement on punishment and their letter to the

people ofthe province are on Page 13 ofthis issue.

Women Meet In Greensboro To

Countless lives have been touched by

Ponder Future Of Religious Life GREENSBORO (CNS) — Contemcommunity, and synods of and —

include here the College of Cardinals, the

the sister from Tiffin, Ohio. Working closely

plation,

The award is given to a brother or sister ho has made a difference in the quality of

with Cherokee tribal leaders, virtually every

witness are not the usual topics for a national

aspect of social service assistance on the reservation can be linked to Sister Roberta.

gathering of 1,000 executives

Franciscan Sister Jane Schimmoeler,

life

should not take the life of any person not even one who has taken another life. Society must send a message that we can break the

increasing, the presidential candi-

ireensboro.

e and relationships among those with horn she or he lives and serves.

so precious that the state

is

like

the reservation.

Franciscan Federation Conference in

human

life

to raise the

awareness of specific needs of the Cherokee into

We

the sanctity of

human

In their statement the bishops cited the

issue.

linistered

ation in

is

dates of both major parties

Ohio and her community responded with a corporate stance on the

Tiffin,

years,

"The Catholic bishops of the United committed to defending

States are deeply

cycle of violence, that

He penalty

GREENSBORO

Amos, was murdered in Chicago in

1982.

Roberta McKinnon Honored

By JOANN KEANE

stance develbut not tested by the actual

confrontation of the violent death of a loved one." Archbishop Lyke noted that his older brother,

Pacemaker For Sister

Archdiocese of Atlanta, Archbishop Lyke said that his own involvement in the matter

Com-

mittee three years ago:

Through her

initiation, opportunities

conversion, prayer

who

direct

bishops

ence of bishops for finding a

the national confer-

that has

new

more

potential

passage for the church

thousands of institutions and the lives of

through dangerous waters. The religious

about 120,000 people.

orders have always been the scouts and

for

But those were among the main con-

others have

become reality for those on the reservation. From aid for the homeless, a

cerns as the superiors of U.S. religious congregations some 160 priests and

God's people."

sen an

shelter for victims of domestic violence, to

brothers and well over

ily

work with teenage pregnancies, Sister Roberta and her undying spirit have paved the road to a better life for Native Ameri-

vened

day, Margaret O'Brien Steinfels, editor of the national lay Catholic magazine,

immunity minister rancis

for the Sisters of St.

of Tiffin, Ohio,

"Roberta has

said,

example of peace and justice. Not by her presence, but by her many

forts."

"During these years, she has become

more immersed in the lives of the and more endeared to their hearts,"

/en

jople

ud Sister Jane. "Roberta has given herself Tthebetteimentandequalityforthe people the reservation, while at the

same time

npowering the people." In a span of two decades, Sister Roberta is

made

great inroads with the people of

herokee. It

for the betterment in the quality of

cans.

"Roberta's peacemaking on the Chero-

kee Indian Reservation is summed up in the honor and respect with which she is held in the Cherokee reservation," said Sister Jane. "She is known as a woman to be trusted. She is known as a just woman; one who respects persons and traditions of

all

cul-

She is known as a wise woman. 'How does one adequately say thanks,"

tures.

was during this time that she became

'

volved with the Navajo/Hopi Land Settle-

said Sister Roberta. "I

ent Act. She introduced a resolution to her

the Spirit

Mtimunity

life

was

telling

was just doing what

me to do."

the Sisters of St. Francis,

in

800 sisters conGreensboro Aug. 26-30 for a joint

assembly of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the Conference of

Major Superiors of Men. It was clearly an activist and actionoriented group. The theme of the meeting was "Now Is the Time," a reference to starting

now

in

a 20-year plan to

Sisters

md

of Mercy

this

Next week's

week

are

marking the 100 anniversary of their arrival in & Herald will feature stories

issue of The Catholic News

pictures of the centennial activities at Sacred Heart Convent, the

ielmont.

Motherhouse

in

the religious to focus

real challenges to the

church are

massive changes

life.

from our

The husband-wife keynote team

forming U.S. church

With no objections and only

...

encounter with the world." lined to the religious leaders a in the

out-

wide range of

— changes

world

scattered

which they said require Catholics to recover

abstentions, they passed joint resolutions

their spiritual and intellectual bearings in order to have a significant positive impact

calling for forgiveness

of Third World debt,

support for Guatemalan refugees and the strengthening of shareholder rights on so-

The

LCWR

unani-

ing capital punishment.

The

Commonweal, urged

on the challenges of the world. "Despite the conflicts within the church," she said, "I want to insist that the

make

mously passed a separate resolution oppos-

torth Carolina.

In a second keynote address the next

religious orders a leading factor in trans-

cial justice concerns.

Centennial Celebration

vanguards, the explorers and the sentries of

on

the future.

In other discussions and talks, the assembly focused on the spiritual underpinnings of effective witness and action. "There is a clear thrust among us for a

At the closing Mass the participants put more than $7,000 in the basket in a special

greater understanding of contemplation

collection for victims of Hurricane Andrew.

lives," said the head, Christian Brother Paul Hennessy, in his presidential

In a keynote address Steinfels, senior religion

Aug. 27, Peter

correspondent of

The New York Times, declared that "there is no other group of Catholic leaders and Y

its

fundamental place

in

our

own

and

spiritual

CMSM

address. Brother

Hennessy

is

through his two-year term as

midway first

non-

See Religious, Page 2


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Sept. 4, 1992 by Catholic News Herald - Issuu