Correspondence:
CORRESPONDENCE pie who consider themselves in good likely candidate for physical, mental, and Dear Bishops: Face...
...GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN 49503 ing candidates with families of their own Commonweal 3 December 1993: 29...
...Tintin Robert Royal comic books have been entertaining French kids for many decades...
...rowful as, year after year, problems which tration, even anger...
...Sadly, I feel obliged to say to you that leadership and who make strong parishYour Excellency: the feelings of sorrow and disappointment es) too often decide that they can meet their While observing the problems within of which I spoke above have undergone spiritual needs and exercise their leaderthe church in these times, many priests a change...
...year rate: U.S...
...At first he needed an older Adopting the best from A Century o f person to read the dialogue aloud with him...
...300 N. %xeb Road, Ann Arbor...
...You will lhtrough the insightful and thoughtbe happy to see the child who receives provoking commentaries of ten distinguished this gift-a book at once sophisticated and Catholic writers, Building the Free Society innocent, witty and pure-howling with hilarity at the outrageous adventures and critically examines a century of Catholic hysterical captions...
...This African-American communities, the needs going to go away...
...fly in the face of de facto changes in the and the pastor, if he is conscientious, is a I, 1924...
...He meets Dr...
...By extension the authority and credibility of pastors are weakened...
...ened...
...When a 150 percent efThe following letter, in slightly differ- ed as though they are, are making their fort is not enough, the temptation for the ent form, was sent to all the American moral decisions without reference to what less conscientious must be to make no more Catholic bishops (and to Commonweal the established representatives of apos- than a token effort: why fight an unand other publications) in September...
...We do little in our bishops...
...Canada, $71...
...bank...
...Nowadays, sorrow and disap- ship talents more usefully in a church of and lay people are disappointed and sor- pointment are heavily charged with frus- another religion...
...He know the members of such communities...
...CORRESPONDENCE pie who consider themselves in good likely candidate for physical, mental, and Dear Bishops: Face Facts standing in the church and who are treat- moral exhaustion...
...After his is no longer workable...
...longer so...
...Special twoparishes and institutions...
...p. 16, Punch, Rothco...
...That is no Outward Bound experience in the library, has fraternal support available to him...
...2, 6, Ross, Rothco...
...who might really live among and get to effectively in the world and somehow Jekyll and he meets Frankenstein...
...Yet we 188 WM...
...2: 3 December 1993 Commonweal enchanted sailing ships...
...Rightly or enough to climb the ladder to his treehouse...
...formity with documents issued by the by circumstances to be ineffective pas- Without an adequate number of priests, pope or in his name in which he clings to tors...
...Panover, Ray, Rothco...
...0 foreword on Christians as "resident aliens" of any earthly city, setting the tone for the compelling essays that follow...
...Microfilm from Vol...
...Continued on page 29) outdated traditions that cannot be main- In a parish where two or three or even Commonweal is indexed in Reader's Guide to tained in the face of irreversible social and four priests are needed and there is only Periodical Literature, Catholic Periodical Index, economic changes...
...angering that the bishops refuse to address in great numbers to religious bodies which This refusal puts more and more Cath- the causes of the shortage-angering provide thetas a sense of community and olics, and especially the leaders of the both to lay people, who know they are family involvement...
...In contempo- unwise or even unhealthy...
...p. 12, indifference to those authorities has set Paul Valerry...
...Any child between seven and twelve would love this book...
...Some pastors are young writer, pastor of Saint Edward's Parish indifference, even though engendered by and inexperienced...
...These problems are not myself to one: the shortage of priests...
...dollars by of the pope and bishops is radically weak- International Money Order or by check on a U.S...
...Such winnable battle...
...No isolated priest priest-son or a nun-daughter...
...Rightly or beautiful and sumptuously colored illus- rary America it is no more than a hypo- wrongly, many of them believe that the trations by Jerry Tiritilli that readers of critical pretense that a priest can work requirement of celibacy carries none of every age will be thrilled that there is one on each page...
...Indeed, those traditions one, the laity rightly thinks itself ill-served, Index of American Periodical Verse, Book Review Digest and Book Review Index...
...There are Edited by George Weigel & twenty-one of these classy French comic books, translated into good English...
...the pastor of a large city parish may find wrongly, many of them believe celibacy The Pagemaster is graced with such himself similarly isolated...
...Some of the Southeast flock, into positions where they cannot act not well served, and who in some cases Asian immigrants to our country (such as with reference to their people's real prob- are cheated of their sacramental life, and some groups of Laotians and Vietnamese) lems both in good conscience and in con- to priests, who find themselves doomed come from long Catholic traditions...
...B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING CO...
...old, with Tintin...
...Each page of The Pagemaster is divided between normalsize type and gorgeous de La Tourishlylit pictures...
...One devastating effect Central or South America, $35 per year: for other parts of the world, $44 per year...
...p. 18, in, and it is abundantly clear that an in- "I realize it's serious, Mr...
...Serials Data program No.: ISSN 0010-3330...
...Ml 48106 priest or lay person with eyes and ears is and on Microfiche from Bell & Howell, Wooster, Ohio 44691...
...p. 9, Taylor, Rothco...
...In such situations, people who are in"to write to our bishops and encourage bitual and will be at work across the terested in a vital religious community and them to discuss the issue" addressed in board in moral and doctrinal matters-if strong pastoral guidance (the very people the letter...
...A sort of Illustrations: Cover, Emil Antonucci...
...Avid readers will enjoy them, too...
...If you need a gift for a hesitant reader between the ages of six and fifteen, I would Democracy, Capitalism, and recommend the Tintin (Little, Brown, & Catholic Social Teaching Co., 21 volumes, $7.95 each) series...
...Several issues might Our evangelizing efforts are stymied by desperately need attention are ignored by be addressed here, but I shall restrict the shortage of priests...
...And the refusal of our condition is especially frustrating be- of whose families cannot be served by spiritual leaders to face the problems al- cause it undermines, in some cases de- priests who drop by once a week to say lows them to fester, dividing our com- stroys, the ability of a diocese or parish Mass...
...CORRESPONDENCE ISBN 0-8028-0120-X • Paper, X16.99 (Continued from page 2) they, too, are a prime target for the mis- At your bookstore, or call 800-253-7521 FAX 616-459-6540 sionary zeal of other religions...
...to current issues available through University manner in which the church operates...
...The tolic authority are saying to them...
...No Microfilm...
...It is even more of our country is observed to be moving and more...
...All Canadian and of this development is that the authority foreign subscriptions must be paid in U.S...
...foreign, $44...
...who are the best prospects for strong lay Nashville, Tenn...
...Those strong Catholic families Richard is able to ride his bike home with And unlike the past, when we thought of from which we would like our priests to no helmet (this is a dubious lesson to the isolated priest as the pastor of a small come do not encourage their children to teach young readers), and he is fearless church in a rural community, nowadays be open to religious vocations...
...Copyright C©> 1993 Commonweal happens and is espoused in Catholic Foundation...
...calculably large portion of Catholics, peo- but let's dispense with the sign...
...All this without significant response Surcharge for air mail delivery to Europe, North Africa, from the bishops...
...Catholic Social Thought, published in 1991 but after the first volume or two, we have by the Ethics and Public Policy Center, this found him propped up in bed, wearing his substantially revised, updated, and expanded blanket sleepers, and reading Tintin, laugh- volume focuses on the eleven key documents ing that chiming, tickled-pink, little child's of modern Catholic social doctrine...
...For the child who is in the transitional phase between reading for words and reading for pictures, this book will be quite satisfying...
...and what is said in Rome and what actually at additional offices...
...hangs from cliffs and wades through jun- The ancient monastic ideal that has When I was a boy every Catholic famgles, and encounters many characters and been imposed upon our diocesan priests ily hoped (the mothers prayed) for a scenes from well-known stories...
...live outside it...
...Single Copy, $2...
...Yearly subscriptions, U.S., $39: Canada, $41...
...22, 24, 26, 28, Jean Chariot...
...some older priests are in Nashville, Tennessee, also sent copies the people's difficulty with a certain set plagued by poor health and loss of enerto a thousand parishioners inviting them of contemporary issues, will become ha- gy...
...unaware of the vast difference between Second-class postage paid at New York, N.Y...
...The growing Hispanic population munities and sapping our strength more to minister to its people...
...foreign, $77...
...My son really took off reflection and argument on human freedom, as a reader, when he was just over six years the just society, and the international order...
...indeed that is not already the case...
...refuse participation in the priesthood to will- 215 1EFFF.RSON AVE...
...laugh, a sound that we wish we could store Renowned theologian Richard John in a bottle, because its music breaks our Neuhaus opens this hook with a challenging heart with its brief beauty...
Vol. 120 • December 1993 • No. 21
