FALL RIVER' DIOCESAN NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS CAPE COD & THE ISLANDS
VOL. 31, NO.7.
Friday, February 13, 1987
FALL RIVER, MASS.
Southeastern Massachusetts' Largest Weekly
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Catholic groups speak up for homeless, poor WASHINGTON (NC) - Getting down to work in late January, the 100th Congress wasted little time in taking up such issues as housing and welfare reform. Neither did the U.S. Catholic Conference and Catholic Charities USA in focusing on those problems and asking lawmakers to remember the poor and the family. The two Catholic organizations, in separate testimony to Senate and House panels dealing with homelessness, suggested that church and private agencies cannot alone cope with the growing problem of lack of shelter and called for more federal involve" ment. Americans "can no longer fool ourselves" about the failure to provide a basic human right in adequate housing, according to Father J. Bryan Hehir, USCC secretary for social dev'elopment and world peace. In testimony submitted to the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee's Subcom-
mittee on Housing and Urban Affairs, Father Hehir said that "it is becoming elearer that homelessness is not primarily caused by personal failures but by institutional failures." The homeless increasingly in,elude "families with children and one or both parents who are employed," the priest said in testimony released by the USCC Feb. 2. He cited a "75 percent reduction in housing aid" from the federal government in the last several years. "The marketplace itself does not and will not provide adequate and affordable housing for the poor," he said. "It is essential, therefore, that government policy initiatives be undertaken to ensure decent shelter for all Americans." Father Edwin M. Conway, administrator of Catholic Charities for the Archdiocese of Chicago and treasurer of Catholic Charities USA, told a House of Representatives subcommittee Feb. 4 Turn to Page Six
FATHER OLIVEIRA
Economy pastoral study guide produced by education office
And so " he explained he made a By Joseph Motta "readable" outline of the 200-page Last November, the bishops of economy pastoral. the United States issued their longThe Department of Education awaited pastoral letter Economic study guide is 13 pages long and Justice for All: Catholic Social divided into thre~ sections. The Teaching and the U.S. Economy. And two months ago, the Fall first off~rs suggestlO~s for ~se, the River Diocesan Department ofEdu- second IS the pasto~al s o~thne and cation set out to make review of the third' offers diSCUSSIOn questhe letter an easy and even enjoy- tions that a reader or study group .. able task by developing a guide to might ponder. tending a medical morals ~ork"We tried to remam faithful to shop of bishops and theologians. be used "as a helpful tool for those' "We initiated our task in Dallas engaged 'in the course of prayerful what the pastoral said," Fat?er Oliveira noted, "without addmg and will make our report to the discernment of economic issues." editorial comment." . Holy See when it has been comFather Robert A. Oliveira, the Diocesan pastors and school pnnpleted," they said. There will be department's director of Continu"no further public stateme~t," they ing Formation for Clergy and Laity, cipals were mailed copies of..the guide last month. added. . prepared the study guide with the "The economy is something that The prelates' 'statement said the II input of other department staffers. reaches everyone," Father Oliveira _,He said that the education office three were notified of their appointsaid, "priest, religious and lay perwas contacted by Bishop Daniel ment in a Jan. 26 letter from . A. Cronin and the diocesan son." Archbishop Laghi. They also said "For all people, the econo~Illc that the assessment "was envisiPriests' Council and asked to devel- questions are very real. What does , oned by the Holy See and agreed '"op means of using the new pas- our faith bring to the questions of to by Archbishop Hunthausen r! toralletter as a teaching tool in the economic life? How is our faith when the auxiliary, Bishop Wuerl, diocese. To discuss possibilities, lived out in the marketplace? The was appointed more than a year ~ Father Oliveira attended a Priests' pastoral tells us that we have to ago." :: Council meeting with Father Rich- take seriously the earthly goods we A spokesman for Archbishop lj' ard W. Beaulieu, Education De- have, and use them responsibly." Hunthausen said Seattle authori- ; partment,director, an.d Fa~her Peter He hopes that through the use ties would have no comment, and I N. Graziano, executive director of of the study guide members of the all questions were being directed .1 the Diocesan Department of Social diocese will be better able to form ;: Services. ' to Archbishop Laghi. their conscience on economic ques-Archbishop Laghi and his secre-:I The continuing formation direc- tions. tary were traveling and could not !I tor, also paroch~al vica~ at F~1l Father Oliveira added that the be reached immediately for 11 River's St. Patnck pansh, said pastoral is "a challenge t,o the comment. i that he used as a model a study Church as institution, asking it to In a telephone interview with 'I guide that then-assistant director be honest enough to say if it's livThe New York Times from Dallas, 1 of religious education Sister Patri- ing up to the principles it espouses." Archbishop Laghi stressed that 'f cia Halliday, SND, had prepared Unlike a similar publication the new step was not an effort to for the U.S. bishops' 1983 pastoral available from the National ConTurn to Page S i x , letter on peace. ference of Catholic Bishops/ United
Vatican panel to study Seattle WASHINGTON (NC) - The, Holy See has formed a commission of two U.S. cardinals and an archbishop "to assess the current situation in the Archdiocese of Seattle. " Last year Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen of Seattle was instru<;ted by the Vatican to give up his authority in several ~ey areas. The action provoked wide controversy, and the U.S. bish?ps last November offered to mediate the dispute. The members of the new commission are Cardinals Joseph L. Bernardin of Chicago and John J. O'Connor of New York and Archbishop John R. Quinn of San Francisco. Archbishop Pio Laghi, papal pronuncio to the United States, announced formation of the commission with a brief written statement Feb. 9. He said Archbishop Hunthausen "has expressed his concurrence" with the decision. He gave no other details. On Feb. 10, the commiSSIOn members issued a joint statement from Dallas, where they were at-
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States Cathohc Conference, the . . diocesan study gUide IS not co~yrighted and may be photocopied and distributed. In 1983 several diocesan parishes initia~ed peace pastoral study groups; Father Oliveira is ~ager to be of assistance to any which may form to tackle the new letter. He is preparing a pastoral workshop for a secondary education convention to be held next month at Attleboro's Bishop Feehan High School, and will also make a presentation on the letter to diocesan religious education teachers at the their convention next fall. The USCC has released two videotapes on the pastoral which will be examined by diocesan priests at dean.ery meetings: T.he Priests' Council, Father OhvelTa said, has made it a priority to ed~Â cate priests on the' pastoral m preparation for parish-level presentations. ,The USCC videos will be made available to study groups and individuals by the education department. "I think each of the priests in our diocese has the responsibility to know what the bishops are presenting to us," Father Oliveira said. "And they'll find in bringing it to their congregations that there are many teachable moments." Father Oliveira is quick to credit his coworkers at the Diocesan Department of Education for their role in making the study guide a reality.
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