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Highlights from the January 23, 2000 issue of The Catholic New
World newspaper.
THE BISHOP'S COLUMN
Chicago Catholics’ mission of mercy to Bolivia
Illinois pro-lifers Speak Out
From ‘Ashes’ to acceptance: Irish still coming to America
Here comes the story of ‘The Hurricane’
A Christmas visit to Iraq
Pro-life organizer knows abortion hurts women
This week, The Catholic New World looks at the devastating effect
United Nations sanctions have had on the Iraqi people, reports
on Speak Out Illinois and previews the Jan. 24 upcoming March
for Life in Washington D.C.
News:
Illinois pro-lifers Speak Out
Combine truth with love, cardinal urges
Approximately 600 people attending the 9th annual Speak Out Illinois
Conference at the O’Hare Holiday Inn were urged by Cardinal George
to combine truth and love in their pro-life efforts. Cardinal
George spoke at the opening session of the Jan. 15 conference,
which was sponsored by 29 pro-life organizations, including the
archdiocesan Respect Life Office. He shared the spotlight with
a new statue of Mother Teresa and reflected on her contribution
to the pro-life movement. Full text available
Court to review Nebraska’s partial-birth ban
The Supreme Court’s Jan. 14 decision to review Nebraska’s law
prohibiting partial-birth abortions is important no matter how
the ruling goes, according to spokeswomen for the U.S. bishops.
Discussion over House chaplain won’t go away
Hyde says he finds no anti-Catholic bias, calls process ‘fair
and open’ Protests over the House of Representative’s leadership’s
decision not to appoint Father Timothy O’Brien as House chaplain
continue after a release of the records pertaining to the selection
process.
Here comes the story of ‘The Hurricane’
Pugilist pulls no punches at DePaul
On Jan. 17, DePaul University was hit by a hurricane. Make that
“The Hurricane.” The moniker, joined forever to former prizefighter
Rubin Carter, proved prophetic as Carter pulled no punches in
pointing out his perspective on the critical challenges facing
the United States at a university prayer breakfast celebrating
the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Full text available.
King’s name makes martyrs’ list
As Americans observed the anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther
King Jr.’s birthday, popular interest was piqued by media reports
that the Vatican might declare him as a modern Christian martyr
later this year. Pope, Christian leaders pray for reconciliationPope
John Paul II opened the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity kneeling
in the doorway of a Rome basilica, flanked by the head of the
worldwide Anglican Communion and by an Orthodox prelate. “We ask
Christ’s forgiveness for all which in the history of the church
compromised his plan of unity,” the pope said during the Jan.
18 service in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.
Features:
From ‘Ashes’ to acceptance: Irish still coming to America
Father Thomas O’Halloran is no stranger to tales of young Irish
men and women who struggle to survive and eventually leave home
in hopes of a better life elsewhere. Since 1997, the diocesan
priest from Killaloe, Ireland, has reached out as archdiocesan
chaplain to Irish immigrants throughout the Chicagoland area.
In this story, he reflects on the story told in “Angela’s Ashes”
and whether it reflects reality for present-day Irish immigrants.
Full text available.
A Christmas visit to Iraq
Group violates sanctions to bring aid to victims Special contributor
Gabe Huck writes about his trip to Iraq with “Voices in the Wilderness,”
a Chicago-based group that brings medical supplies to the devastated
country. Full text available.
The Interview:
Pro-life organizer knows abortion hurts women
This week, Catholic New World staff writer Michelle Martin talks
with Deborah Danielski, the new associate director of the Catholic
Conference of Illinois for pro-life activities. The Catholic Conference
of Illinois is the public policy arm of the church in our state.
Deborah Danielski’s job description calls on her to coordinate
pro-life activities in the state’s six dioceses and to educate
Catholics and the general public about the church’s teachings
on life issues. Those issues include everything from contraception
to euthanasia, but Danielski said her main focus will be on abortion
because abortion is the foundation on which everything else rests.
She came to that conclusion through personal experience: she had
an abortion in 1973, and spent the next 23 years suffering from
shame and guilt before experiencing the healing power of reconciliation
and prayer. Full text available.
Commentary:
Making the most of serendipity
In the “Family Reflections” column, Andrew and Terri Lyke share
stories of some hard work--and perhaps divine intervention--paying
off to find a lost engagement ring and a lost marriage license.
“These stories report extraordinary human effort. But they also
tell about that something else that makes the unlikely happen.
Call it luck; call it serendipity; call it grace. What these stories
report to us, in humorous contexts, are faith adventures. When
we are willing to do the extraordinary, even against great odds,
good things happen. That’s a good rule for a marriage.”
Briefs:
Parish leaders invited to workshops
Parish leaders in the Archdiocese of Chicago are invited to “Re-Seeding
the Fallow Field: Parish Leadership Day” Feb. 26 at Mother Theodore
Guerin High School in River Grove. The day begins with a keynote
speech by Paulist Father Bruce Nieli about evangelism. Then participants
can choose three workshops to attend, have lunch and attend a
closing liturgy with Cardinal George. Cost is $35 per person for
up to three people from a parish, with discounts for larger groups.
For more information, call the Office for Parish Pastoral Councils
at (312) 751-8364.
Parish Pride:
St. Emily Church 101 N. Horner, Mount Prospect
The altar of this circular shaped edifice is like a pebble whose
vibrations of grace radiate in all directions. Under the “spotlight”
of its overhead dome, the Mystery of Faith continues to inspire
since the church’s dedication in 1971. On Feb. 5 parishioners
will open the parish’s 40th anniversary year with a dinner-dance
and auction at Allgauer’s Hilton in Northbrook. Next August parishioners
and friends will gather for an outdoor Mass and picnic where it
all began--at nearby Maryville Academy where their first Masses
were celebrated.
Church clips:
People potpourri -- Author and ecclesial raconteur Tim Unsworth
will discuss his 1997 anecdotal biography of Cardinal Bernardin,
“I Am Your Brother Joseph,” at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 in Chicago’s Roden
Branch Library. Unsworth is a three-time Catholic Press Award-winner.
. . . The Galway Fellowship Club of Chicago is honoring the much
loved Father Jim Close as Galway Man of the Year at its annual
dinner-dance Jan. 29 at the Martinique Restaurant. Close, president
of Mercy Home for Boys and Girls, had the good fortune to have
his mother, Catherine Hernon Close, born in Connemara, County
Galway. Call Michael Kenny at (630) 830-7969 for tickets to the
dinner.
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