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:' Portl!glie$e Youth Cllitural Organization Marks Fourth: Anniversary Q... estio,ns ChicagC) Priest's Views' on FHA Mortgages 1~~th THE ANCHOR-Diocese of Foil River:Thurs. Oct..17, 1974
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grants who do not know how to find necessities as jobs, h,ousing Cultural' 'The Portuguese or medical services. Organization (PYCO) is an orAn important PYCO project ga!1ization whose time has come. is a one,-year survey of 1,300 im· Four years ago, when it was migrant families currently being started by Rev. Luciano Pereira. carried onto pinpoint needs in curate at S1. Michael's Church, the social, economic and educa· Fall River, and a group of young tional areas. Results may indio Portuguese students, 'it existed cate new directions for the oron nothing but a financial shoe· ganization. string and the conviction of its Only the Poor founders that something ha,d to Father Pereira spoke of the be done to prevent young people general immigrant picture reo from dropping out of school at cently at a lecture given as one the earliest possible moment., of a series for Fall River teach, Today it has proved itself to ers. He noted that 95 per cent of such an extent that it receives F.all River Portuguese are from ,funding from the Campaign for the island of St. Michael in the Human Development (CHD), the Azores and that they tend to domestic anti· poverty program of cluster in Fall River neighbor· the U.S. CathoHc Church. ' hoods according to their native As explained by Rev. La'!\'~, villages. renee McNamara of its national As with most immigrants, office, CHD "opens doors for 'only the poor leave their native change. in how the poor will live land to seek to better themselves, their lives today and works to· he observed. In general, newcom· ward the day when they will FATHER PEREIRA ers from the Azores are "honest, turn their past experience of pov· sincere, humble and industrious," erty into a sensitive new social minds and spirits, of their chilo contributing muoh to their new force within America." dren." community. That wider vision of service The priest enumerated future . The priest- said that very few has been incorporated into the goals of PYCO, including the Azoreans become welfare clients, PYCO program and today, al· possibility of estabITshing cen· tha1 on the contrary they are though the prevention of school ters for treatment of drug addic- hardworking. and thrifty. "They dropping out remains one of its tion and alCoholism, noting that keep the factories open," he major purposes, the organization, Portuguese peor~le wou'ld feel averred, "and if they withdrew headed by John Raposa, operates more comfortable about asking their savings the banks would an information and referral serfor aid at such special facilit,ies. collapse!" vice for immigrants newly arProblems arise in families com· PYCO's information center, dirived in Fall River, staffs a teen center' at its headquarters in the rected by Joao ·da Costa, himself ing to the new world, however, downtown Academy Building, an immigrant who knew no Eng- said Father Pereira. "Children and works closely with public lish when he arrived in the U.S. tend to lose their 'Portuguese Ian· school authorities in explaining at age 17, is kept busy, said guage and then find it difficult the Portuguese cultural heritage Father Pereira, aiding new immi· to communicate with their parents. Also the close family struc· to teachers responsible for asture typical of the Azores, weak· similating young immigrants into German' Convention ens in American surroundings." the city's school system. Father Pereira opined that im· Last Monday was a time for Protests Abortion lodking back on PYCO's accom· . MOENCHEN GLADBACH (NC) migrant children should be reo pl1ishments as the organizati.on -In the presence of West Ger- quired to stay in school until celebrated its fourth anniversary man President Walter Scheel, completion of eighth grade, even ,at a'dinner·dance. who supports legalized abortion, if they are older than 16 before Germany's Catholic assembly this is accomplished. Human Values He also said that "it is necesFather Pereira 'Said that as a proteste~. loudly against pending priest he enjoys an advantage in relaxation of German abortion sary to create an environment of learning in the home" and said talking to Portuguese parents laws at its final 'session here. At that session of the Katho· that this can be accomplished about their youngsters. "Many are from small villages in the likentag a huge banner was through homework assignments. Azores where they had confi- raised declaring: "Both Scheel "Too often the immigrant childence in their priests. They bring and Renger voted for the inter- , dren are not given homework." He also said that it is very en· that same" confidence to their ruption of pregnancy." Annemarid Renger, pr.esident of the Bun· couraging to students to hear dealings with priests here." He remarked that when, he destag or lower house of rhe guest speakers, particularly "im· legislature, was present along migrants who have made it." began counseling parents on He reminded his hearers that keeping their children in school, with Scheel at the Katholiken' aid to immigrants should be ex· he used to stress the financial .tag. value of an education. But he . On th.e other hand the crowd tended with the realization that said he has come to. realize that of 5,000 gave a .lengthy ovation "after all, we're all immigrants to Helmut Kohl, secretary of the and we're all citizens of the Christian Democratic party, for wOJ;ld." Marks Anniversary his stand and that of the ChrisIt is this spirit that PYCO has FOREST GLEN (NC) - St. tian Democrats against the pend- tried to spread in the 'Fall River John the Evangelist's parish here ing legislation to remove restric- community with the aid of the in Maryland, whose 'first pastor tions on abortion during the first Campaign for Human Develop· was an ardent s'upporter of the three months of pregnancy. . ment. American Revolution and the first a~chbishop in the 13 original states, celebrated its 200th anni· versary recently. Archbishop William Baum of Washington celebrated Mass and a dinner followed. By PAT McGOWAN
On Sept. 7, Father Francis X. Lawlor, O.S.A., Alderman in Chicago's 15th Ward-an area made: up predominantlyclass Catholics-addressed an open letter to the Archbishop of Chicago on the need to stem the flight of white Catholics to the suburbs from neigh' borhoods. faced with racial mum of fi~e per cent of the total number of existing housing Change. Father Lawlor says units in each census area tract most of the right thtngs each year;~ His rationale is out· about the Church's teaching on racial equality. Neverth~less I
lined in a lengthy "FHA Report" which he fbrwarded to the Arch· bishop of ~hicago with his cov· ering letter and simultaneously released tq the press and made a matter of public record. By BI~eks Offended He says :that the limitation he MSGR. proposes 9n the use of FHA GEORGE G. loans "woqld benefit community stabilitly, ~llay fears of mass HIGGINS moveouts, protect. the vested' in· terests of 'property owners and businessmen and, finally, prostrongly su~pect that many vide the opportunity for minor· Blacks will be offended by and ity buyers to gain acceptance on will deeply resent the awkward the merits: of their virtues 'and and insensitive way in which he good charaCter. Too often, entire expresses himself in certain sec· communitie's move away without . I tions of his obviously well·inten· ever h avmg seen or spoken to tioned letter. Two examples wUI their new neighbors." suffice. I have no reason to question "Whites," he says, "treasure Father La~lor's sincerity:' in the 10,000 years of civilized liv~ making thi$ proposal. Moreover ing that is the heritage they I am not qualified to discuss its have received and want to reo technical a~pects. , tain and enjoy. '.. They fear the' , Auspicious Time loss of their cultural and social . I Father L~wlor also says that standards as well as the econom· ic losses that frequently accom- "in time, full freedom of choice will be a ~eality for all minor.. pany racial changeover." ities, hopefillly, without the in· However well intentioned, tense fear, t mistn~st and reluc.. that's a most unfortunate statetance that I' presently exists in ment. It might well be intersome instances." Who is to depreted to mean that only whites cide when ;we have arrived at: have received this "heritage" that auspidous time? Who is to and that Blacks presumably make the: decision? . Another have a less civilized hercommittee qf whit.es? If so, that: - itage.' I am sure F'ather Lawlor would be ~ second gratuitous didn't mean to leave this impresinsult to Cqicago's Blacks. , sion, but I am afraid that's th~ Finally, I :Father Lawlor ex· way .it will come through to presses the hope that "the Chicago's Blaok population. Blacks will seriously .strive to reduce the fear and. crime that Offensive to Blacles exists in th~ir own communities, Again, Father Lawlor says so that. whi~es can begin to look that "Blacks need the teachings on them with less apprehension." of the Church and the good ex· ,I suppose, that's a legitimate ample of fellow-believers. It is hope, but it would sound much time that a way be found to halt better if it were coupled with a the exodus of the whites." This, parallel hope that whites will too, is·a most unfortunate state- also seriOUSly strive to reduce ment, for it seems to suggest the fear and' crime that .'exists in that only whites are capable of their own communities. FBI stagiving "good example" and that tistics give tis no reason to think the reason for halting the ex· that crime is a Black monopoly. odus of whites from changing, Moreover "crime" is an ambigneighborhoods is to make it pos· uous tel"I'Il,as we should have sible for Blacks to benefit from 'learned from the Watergate the salutary effect of living next scandal. To Ithe best of my recdoor to whites. If I were a' ollection, the only Black inBlack, I would resent this line volved in th~t .notorious scandal of reasoning. Father Lawlor tries was the no~ forgotten watch· to take it all back in other sec- man who first uncovered the tions of his letter. Nevertheless Watergate ·~reak.in and ca'ught the above statements are awk· the culprits' in the act. wardly worded and extremely , Serious Miistake offensive to Blacks. I There is': nothing personal The crucial point of Fr. Lawlor's letter is his specific recom- . about the foregoing comments mendation that the use of FHA- on Father Lawlor's letter to the insured mortgages be limited, by Archbishop ~nd his supplemenCongressional action to a maxi- tary FHA iReport. t respect Father ,Lawlor's si~ce'rity in looking for !a practical way to Freedom stem the flight of working-class Preserve in everythig 'freedom whites from neighborhoods faced of. mincJ. Never spare a thought with racial change. But, I think for what men may think, but he made a shious mistake-and always keep your mind so free unwittingly :insulted Chicago's inwardly that you could always Black population-by the man· do the opposite. ner in which: he phrased certain -S1. Ignatius Loyola sections of his FHA proposal. I.
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human values are of· more impor· tance to parents than increased earning power. "and I show them how education will enrich the
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