January 14, 2005 - Issue #1
Local News | Opinion/Editorials | Letters to the Editor
McPartland leaving CSS, Anchorage for a new assignment Outside
A woman who has been described as "a true ambassador" for Catholic Social Services is leaving the agency and will be returning to California this month.
Sister Noreen McPartland, a Daughter of Charity whose Catholic Social Services title, "Mission Services Advocate," covered a multitude of commitments, has been a prominent public face of the agency for more than five years.
"My role has been to keep before people’s minds the reasons we’re here: compassion, respectful service to all people," Sister McPartland said. "I help to raise the consciousness of who Catholic Social Services is."
Sister McPartland is a native of the San Francisco Bay area, the daughter of Irish immigrants and a former high school basketball player. As a member of the western province of her order, she was trained as a social worker and worked with children for 45 years.
She arrived in Anchorage with a group of Daughters of Charity in 1999 at the invitation of Archbishop Francis Hurley, who has since retired.
Although the 77-year-old religious sister admits she hasn’t shot any hoops lately, she’s gotten plenty of exercise at Catholic Social Services.
"She’s done everything from running St. Francis House to selling Charity Ball raffle tickets to being a consistent attendee at the Downtown and Fairview community council meetings," said Ellen Krsnak, community development director at Catholic Social Services. Krsnak referred to Sister McPartland as "a true mission ambassador."
"Not only will CSS miss her, but the community will as well," she added. "Who else do you know that receives hugs from both Mayor Begich and Senator Fred Dyson?"
Mayor Mark Begich, calling Sister McPartland "an incredible individual," readily acknowledges those hugs.
"I love seeing her at events," Begich said. "I always make an effort when I see her to give her a nice big hug because she exudes the positive, friendly attitude I wish everyone had."
No matter what the issue or the controversy, Begich said, Sister McPartland "always has a smile and a presence that uplifts people she comes in contact with."
And she’s not just on the receiving end of hugs, said Darrel Hess, president of the Fairview Community Council for the past four years.
After contentious meetings, "Sister will come up and give me a hug," Hess said. "We are really going to miss her. She’s had a huge impact on the community."
As a voting member of the council, Sister McPartland gave the proceedings "a voice of reason," Hess said. "She’s very calm and controlled, and she always had something positive to contribute. Even people who opposed her position respected her."Tom Kron, president of the advisory board for the Brother Francis Shelter, saw Sister McPartland wear another hat when she served on the grievance board for the shelter.
"Every week at the shelter we do a grievance board process. If any guest has a grievance or concern, they can air it in a democratic process," Kron said.
This might include a guest who has been expelled because of alcohol use, and sometimes the proceedings can get fairly raucous.
"The minute Sister Noreen began to attend board meetings, the foul language was eliminated, tempers seemed to cool," Kron said. "She’s a reasonable person, with a wonderful, calming influence.
"We are so sad to see her leave."
In her role as ambassador, Sister McPartland has been especially visible at Catholic Social Services’ special events. Whether it’s offering an opening prayer at the organization’s annual Charity Ball, warmly welcoming people at the door during HUGSS (Helping Us Give School Supplies), or serving at the citywide Christmas GIFT effort, Sister McPartland is a nearly constant presence."In a room, if she’s there, you know Catholic Social Services is there," Krsnak said.
This year marks the end of Sister McPartland’s three-year term as superior, or "sister servant," for her community of four in Anchorage.
The Daughters of Charity have reassigned her to California, where she’ll be at the provincial house in Los Altos Hills until she receives a new assignment in the area. Daughter of Charity Kathleen Powers will be assigned to replace her in Anchorage, in a position not yet determined.
Sister McPartland said she’ll miss Anchorage, but she’s looking forward to being near family, including a sister and nieces and nephew living in California.
In reflecting on her years here, she said one thing in particular stands out about the community of Anchorage.
When it comes to social services agencies and churches here, as opposed to many cities, "there are no turf wars," she said.
"All agencies, all denominations, come together here to serve," she said, pointing to the combined efforts of the Salvation Army, Lutheran Social Services, and Catholic Social Services in sponsoring HUGSS.
That spirit of cooperation for the common good is "really remarkable and wonderful," she said. A farewell party was held Jan. 11; Sister McPartland plans to leave the state Jan. 29.
Alaska Catholics give generously to help victims of tsunami
As the staggering loss of lives resulting from the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunamis climbs higher each day, local Catholics are responding in a variety of ways.
Tens of thousands of dollars have poured in from around the archdiocese for Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ overseas relief and development arm and the world’s second largest distributor of food aid behind the United Nations.
Southcentral Alaska parishes and missions have also been praying for tsunami victims during regular Masses and worship services.
So far, Catholic Relief Services has committed $25 million to emergency relief and long-term rehabilitation efforts. The funds will focus primarily on India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand; the agency is assessing conditions in Burma, Somalia and Madagascar.
Archbishop Roger Schwietz, a former member of Catholic Relief Services’ board, wrote a letter Dec. 28 to the parishes and missions of the archdiocese soliciting donations on behalf of the organization.
Speaking with the Catholic Anchor four days after the Indian Ocean tsunami crashed to shores, Archbishop Schwietz said it’s important for Catholic people to show solidarity with victims.
"Any time there is human suffering, we need to be concerned about that because we are part of that whole human family and we’re challenged to put our faith, our beliefs into action," he said.
As of Jan. 5, at least 14 of the archdiocese’s 29 parishes and missions had collected more than $42,125 for relief efforts, and about half of them had planned additional weekend collections.
Twelve other parishes or missions intended to hold collections on a future January weekend.
Mourning flags everywhere
A Sri Lankan nun in Alaska told the Anchor last week that, according to her family back home on the island nation, white mourning flags appear outside every home and shop still standing.
Sister Nirmala Soysa, a Little Sister of Jesus who moved from Anchorage this fall to a new assignment in Nome, said her father described the "whole country" of Sri Lanka as a "funeral house."Although they live in an area that was relatively minimally affected, Sister Soysa’s family members are "stunned," she said.
"They had their heart breaking to see the bodies of children," she said. "So many children couldn’t run away. Still the bodies are coming. People don’t know who they are and now they are not even looking for living people anymore."
Sister Soysa said that in Sri Lanka, a country slightly larger than West Virginia, many people live in shanties along the water’s edge and fishermen rely on the day-to-day income of their catch to pay off the price of their boats and feed their families.
By Dec. 31, there were no more fish in the markets and the price of one kilo of rice there had skyrocketed to half of the average daily wage, family members told her.
A Jesuit priest living in Sri Lanka e-mailed Sister Soysa, telling how Buddhist clergy are housing Catholic refugees in their temples and praying side by side.
Father Reid Shelton Fernando said he hopes the tragedy serves as an opportunity for inter-religious cooperation and peace making.
"This disaster must be a stepping stone for greater heights," he said in an e-mail.
Father Kasparaj Mallavarapu, pastor of Wasilla’s Sacred Heart Parish, left Jan. 4 for Chennai, India, on a long-scheduled one-month visit to his homeland.
His brother, also a priest, is pastor of Chennai’s Sacred Heart Parish on the eastern coast of India. There, parishioners have organized relief efforts for neighboring villages that Father Mallavarapu said "washed away" Dec. 26.
The tsunami left the city without electricity for almost two days and destroyed phone lines in the region. The 500-600 families of Chennai’s Sacred Heart Parish are donating money through their St. Vincent de Paul Society to purchase food and medicine there, Father Mallavarapu said.
"Almost all the parishes there, they have to reach out the poor. They’re in shock and trauma," he added. "Nothing like this has happened in our lifetime."
Generosity in Alaska
At St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in South Anchorage, Filipino Father Ron Licayan prays during daily Masses that "more people will be touched by God to help them (tsunami victims) all over the world."
The priest said he was impressed by three young children and their mother who approached him after Mass on Jan. 2 with about $100 for disaster relief efforts. The parish didn’t take up a formal collection that day, but, the woman explained, her children wanted to donate their allowance savings to help tsunami victims.
In Trapper Creek, a foot of new snow was collecting at Mary Anna Jurasek’s home and the electricity flickered as she explained that St. Philip Benizi Mission Parish there, in conjunction with Talkeetna’s St. Bernard Parish, will donate money from the monthly collection parishioners take up to pay the church fuel bills.
"Feed my lambs and tend my sheep," said Renamary Rauchenstein, St. Bernard’s parish director, citing the parish’s mission statement. That mission carries over to a desire to reach out in times of need, "whether it’s in our community, our state or our world," she said.
In Unalaska, on the Aleutian Islands chain about 800 miles away from Anchorage, St. Christopher by the Sea Mission Parish canceled its own parish collection, instead passing the basket around for tsunami victims.
Pastoral director Annemiek Brunklaus said about 50 families showed up for two weekend worship services early this month and "emptied their pockets."
Individual Catholics also found creative ways to respond to the disaster outside the church.
Employees of Sagaya Corporation, which operates two retail grocery stores and a wholesale warehouse in Anchorage, opted to cancel their annual catered employee party and donate the roughly $10,000 in savings, according to general manager Dale Tran, a Holy Family Cathedral parishioner.
Tran said some of the corporation’s 240 employees lost family members in the disaster.
B.J. Hill of Naknek told the Anchor that even in her small community in the Bush, residents and parishioners have been affected by the devastating news.
Taking a break from butchering moose meat, Hill, a member of St. Theresa Mission Parish there, said that the village, population 614, had organized a fund-raiser.
At least 20 people, including St. Theresa parishioners, played "Texas Hold ’Em," a popular poker game, and donated a little over $1,000 in winnings to Alaska Red Cross.
"Even out here in Bush Alaska people just really feel like helping out," Hill said, adding the parish plans to take a collection this month. "None of us are insulated from it."
Remembering in Valdez
At the weekend worship services Jan. 1-2 at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Valdez, prayers were offered with tsunami victims in mind, said Holy Family Sister Marie Ann Brent, parish director.
Valdez experienced its own devastating tsunami in 1964 triggered by the 9.2 Good Friday Earthquake. Those seismic sea waves took the lives of 131 people.
Sister Brent said those sad memories have been recounted lately by parishioners whose friends were swept off boat docks into the sea.
"It hit home for a lot of people," she said.
At Catholic Relief Services headquarters in Baltimore, Caroline Brennan, a communications associate, said staff are "working 24/7." As of 4 p.m. Jan. 3, the organization had raised $14.8 million from private, unsolicited contributions, half of which came via the Web.
"This is overwhelming for us," Brennan wrote in an e-mail to the Anchor.
Catholic Relief Services normally receives about $40,000 per month through its Web site in private contributions; Brennan said they had been receiving $100,000 an hour.
During the week following the tsunami, without being asked, individuals donated eight times the amount the agency usually receives from private, unsolicited contributions in one year, she said.
Archbishop Schwietz said donating money to Catholic Relief Services either through a parish collection or individually is a "very effective way in which we can help people."
Catholic issues likely to resurface in Juneau
Many of the public policy issues that Catholic groups monitored and spoke out on during the last legislative session are expected to surface again in the new session that started Monday, according to Chip Wagoner, the lobbyist who represents the Alaska Catholic Conference.
One new issue that the conference will be supporting this year is the effort already underway to develop behavioral health care facilities in Alaska so that youths in out-of-state residential facilities can be treated here.
Otherwise, Wagoner expects to be trodding familiar legislative ground. Gambling, the unborn, minimum wage, immigrant rights and Medicaid all came up last year and are likely to be debated again in the 24th Alaska Legislature, along with the perennial quest for a stable source of revenue for state coffers, Wagoner said. The conference, his main client in Juneau, is made up of the Catholic bishops of Alaska.
Catholic Social Services executive director Yvonne Chase said last week that she didn’t foresee any remarkable differences in the new session, either. She expected Catholic Social Services, the archdiocese’s social outreach organization, would continue to monitor legislation and support adequate funding for social service programs, she said.
Catholic Social Services works collaboratively with the Alaska Catholic Conference and other nonprofit humanitarian organizations such as Lutheran Social Services, United Way and The Salvation Army, Chase said.
Networking with other agencies who serve the poor and vulnerable helps all of them advocate more effectively for those people and work more proactively with lawmakers, added Ellen Krsnak, community relations director for Catholic Social Services.
Last year, Krsnak recalled, the Human Services Community Matching Grant that the state provides for charity work was reduced in the budget and then replenished several times throughout the January-May session.
"First it was in, then it was out," she said. "It was a real roller coaster."
Every time some legislator proposed cutting the grant, which provides about $1 million to nonprofits in Anchorage, Fairbanks and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Krsnak and her counterparts in other agencies would send letters and call legislators to try to garner support. In the final budget, the grant was fully funded.
This year, Gov. Frank Murkowski has proposed fully funding the grant; in fact it has about $75,000 more than last year, due to the population-driven formula used to calculate the amount.
But Krsnak said Catholic Social Services will be keeping a close eye on the funding as legislators begin the annual budget-writing ritual.
Legislators in 2003 were successful in reducing the eligibility levels for Denali KidCare, the Medicaid expansion program that provides health care for low-income pregnant women and children. Previously the program was available to Alaskans who earned up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level; legislators reduced the cutoff to 175 percent.
The change removed from Denali KidCare’s rolls approximately 1,300 people who used to qualify. The law also eliminated inflation indexing for the program.
Wagoner and Chase both said they would like to see the eligibility levels returned to 2003 levels.
Chase added that Denali KidCare should be opened up to all low-income parents.
It’s vital to cover pregnant women and children, she said, but "we also need to have a well parent to keep working and provide" for his or her family.
Catholic Social Services and the Alaska Catholic Conference will again work together in the new session on behalf of immigrants and refugees, Chase and Wagoner said. Both groups voiced opposition last year to a failed bill aimed at preventing undocumented immigrants from receiving driver’s licenses.
Wagoner said the legislation shouldn’t be passed because it would negatively affect families and make roads less safe because immigrants would drive anyway without having passed the driver’s test.
Lawmakers in 2003 passed a bill removing the inflation index provision of Alaska’s 2002 minimum wage law. Now, instead of an annual adjustment to the wage tied to the cost of living, it will remain at $7.15 until legislators or voters pass another raise.
Other proposals affecting the minimum wage law — a tip credit and a "training wage," both of which would have allowed employers to pay certain workers less than the minimum wage — failed last session, but Wagoner said he expected to see them again this year.
The conference opposed the removal of the inflation index and opposes the tip credit and training wage proposals, he said.
Two issues relating to the unborn have the conference’s support, Wagoner said.
Last year lawmakers ran out of time to pass a state version of the federal "Laci and Connor’s Law," which makes certain violent crimes against pregnant women double offenses. The law is named after Laci Peterson, who was murdered when she was pregnant with a boy she had named Connor.
Wagoner said he expected Alaska to easily pass a version of the law this session.
Also, Wagoner said, there may be another attempt to pass a law aimed at preventing Medicaid from paying for elective abortions.
In 2002 the Legislature passed a law drafted by the Alaska Catholic Conference that was designed to do just that, but then-Gov. Tony Knowles vetoed it.
In the 2003 and 2004 legislative sessions, the conference could not garner adequate support from legislators or Murkowski to get the law passed, Wagoner said.
He said the conference will continue to support the idea, but acknowledged "we might be alone on that one."
A high-profile push to legalize casino gambling and establish a casino in Anchorage failed in the last days of the 2004 session, but it stirred significant debate and a new bill could resurface again, Wagoner said.
Much of legislators’ time and attention will be absorbed by fiscal issues, Wagoner predicted. High oil prices during the summer and fall of 2004 left the state with a budget surplus of several hundred million dollars, and there is sure to be lots of competition for that extra money.
The Alaska Catholic Conference will monitor the fiscal news but, according to Wagoner, those issues will probably fall into the category of "prudential judgement," meaning there’s no clear black and white Catholic position.
"On prudential judgement things we’re much less likely to take a yes-no, black-and-white position," he said. "Our job is just to make sure the judgements are morally made, and to provide church teachings on particular issues."
He added that "the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable, protection of life and … promotion of the common good" are all issues where Catholic teaching is clear.
Archdiocese announces steps taken with Podvins
Archbishop Roger Schwietz, OMI, of Anchorage, announced on Dec. 30 two major steps taken in the healing process for the Podvin families, which resulted from the trauma and suffering from sexual abuse of two of their members by Msgr. Francis Murphy, formerly pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Anchorage. The abuse has been widely publicized in the news media.
In the first step the archdiocese sponsored a two-day meeting with the families at The Alyeska Prince Hotel in Girdwood. The first day was for the Podvin families. On the second day the Podvins spoke to the representatives of the archdiocese and reaffirmed the importance and priority of an active pastoral presence in listening, in providing support and in seeking justice on behalf of those who have been the victims of abuse by clergy.
In the second step the archdiocese committed itself to financial assistance, plus individual counseling for members of the Podvin families.
Archbishop Schwietz said: "The meeting was a positive step in a healing process which we hope will lead all of us to eventual reconciliation. It is our hope and prayer that the steps we have taken will be of assistance to each of the families as they live through the aftermath of the abuse suffered by two of their members, and will be seen as a renewal of our pledge to work toward preventing sexual abuse and developing better means of meeting the needs and supporting victims and their families."
The public is reminded of the archdiocesan hotline, which makes it easier for victims to come forward for this support, an original request of the Podvins. Contact Sister Barbara Scanlon, CSJ, victims’ assistance coordinator, at (907) 276-3455, or any of the other support organizations, which can be found at: www.archdioceseofanchorage.org/CONDUCT/report.asp.
Representing the archdiocese were: Archbishop Schwietz, OMI, retired Archbishop Francis Hurley, Father Steven Moore, Father Fred Bugarin, and Mrs. Nan Dietz, a member of the Archdiocesan Review Board.
Facilitator for the meeting was Dr. Martin Atrops, an Anchorage psychologist.
Archbishop's Column
Our faith family of the Archdiocese of Anchorage has grown in cultural richness over the years. This reality has given rise to special celebrations on occasions that have a historical importance to the various communities.
Thus we recently celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with Hispanics on Dec. 8 and "Simbang Gabi" with the Filipino community during the octave before Christmas.
Coming up is the traditional New Year with the Korean Catholic community on Feb 4. Other special events have gathered the Polish, Samoan and other national communities.
While these occasions have enabled a number of communities to celebrate their heritage, we continue to search for an effective way to gather and celebrate with the Catholic Alaska Native community.
Together with Daughter of Charity Sister Donna Kramer, coordinator of Native ministry for the archdiocese, and Jesuit Father Tom Gallagher and Oblate Father Jerry Brunet, I met last fall with some of the local Catholic Native elders to talk about issues important to their community.
On top of the list was a concern regarding the Sunday Mass celebrated at the Alaska Native Regional Hospital in Anchorage. For some time now, authorities at the hospital have expressed concern at the overcrowding of the room where the Mass was celebrated. Clearly a new space for worship was needed.
As the conversation proceeded, the suggestion was made that perhaps St. Anthony Parish could be the community to host a Mass for the Native Catholics in their church.
In the meantime, Father Gallagher had to go Outside for surgery, returning recently. The discussion was taken up again, and Father Fred Bugarin of St. Anthony Parish was approached regarding the idea. He welcomed the opportunity to host the Native community, so it was decided to experiment with a monthly Native Mass.
Because of the crowded Sunday schedule at St. Anthony, the third Saturday of the month was chosen.
Thus, with joy this month, on Saturday, Jan. 15, at 5:30 p.m., the first Mass for Native Catholics at St. Anthony Parish will be held. Archbishop Emeritus Francis Hurley will preside.
St. Anthony plans to host a Native Mass every third Saturday of the month at 5:30 p.m.
I hope that this Mass will gradually incorporate Native symbols, music and languages in a way that the Catholic faith as well as the Native cultures will be affirmed.
The richness of culture that the First Peoples bring to our Catholic family will then join that of the other cultures, creating a collage of God-given beauty that we can be proud of and rejoice in.
I would like to thank Sister Kramer and all those who have been involved in planning this move.
I would also like to thank members of the Native community for their patience during the search for an alternative to the overcrowded Mass at the Native hospital.
The patients at the hospital will not be forgotten. They will still be visited, and a weekly service of Word and Communion is being planned for them.
I end with the closing words of His Holiness Pope John Paul II in his message for the New Year World Day of Peace:
"During this year dedicated to the Eucharist, may the sons and daughters of the church find in the supreme sacrament of love the wellspring of all communion: communion with Jesus the Redeemer and, in him, with every human being. By Christ’s death and resurrection, made sacramentally present in each Eucharistic celebration, we are saved from evil and enabled to do good. Through the new life which Christ has bestowed on us, we can recognize one another as brothers and sisters, despite every difference of language, nationality and culture."In a word, by sharing in the one bread and the one cup, we come to realize that we are ‘God’s family’ and that together we can make our own effective contribution to building a world based on the values of justice, freedom and peace."
Editorials
Compassion for victims a hopeful sign
Compassion is the right response to suffering. The worldwide outpouring of aid for the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunamis illustrates how well humanity understands this.
If the tsunamis spawned questions about the order of the universe and the nature of God, people by the millions answered with generosity, sacrifice and empathy. Certainly Christ, the healer, the author of the Good Samaritan parable, would approve.
The aid response is a silver lining to a huge dark cloud, but it is a bright lining, and it could expand if the tragedy leads individuals and governments to become more attuned to the suffering souls of the world.
There are millions of human beings living in refugee camps, billions who don’t get enough to eat or clean water to drink on a daily basis, women and children sold into slavery or the sex trade, innocent victims of corrupt governments. Twelve million children in Sub-Sahara Africa alone have lost their parents to AIDS, according to the United Nations.
The American people should encourage government leaders to be more generous with foreign development aid. The United States in 2002 and 2003 spent just 0.15 percent of its gross national income on assistance to developing countries, despite pledging in 2000 to spend 0.7 percent as part of the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals initiative. The United States is not alone; only five of the 22 wealthy countries pledging the 0.7 percent met their goal (Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Denmark).
Now, U.N. officials and charities at home and abroad are beginning to worry that generosity for the tsunami victims will result in even less aid for others in need. We hope the global generosity currently on display marks a new era in how the world responds to human suffering.
A fresh start in the Holy Land?
The fair and convincing election of Mahmoud Abbas as the new president of the Palestinian Authority provides the latest whiff of peace on the breeze in the Holy Land.
Abbas, a moderate who is eager to restart peace talks with Israel, won the Jan. 9 contest with about 62 percent of the vote.
"We extend our hands to our neighbors," Abbas said a day after the vote. "We are ready for peace, peace based on justice. We hope that their response will be positive."
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has formed a coalition with the Labor Party, which generally favors pulling out of the Occupied Territories. Sharon himself advocates departing the Gaza Strip and removing some West Bank settlements.
The successes of both Abbas and Sharon signal that most of their two peoples are ready for peace. Obviously it won’t happen overnight but the fresh sense of possibility is undeniable. Congratulations to both leaders, and both peoples.
Another case of media sans morals
In the latest ethics disgrace to mar the news media, prominent print, radio and television "journalist" Armstrong Williams has admitted being paid over $240,000 in taxpayer money to promote President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act.
Williams, a conservative black pundit in Washington, D.C., has his own radio and television show and wrote a nationally syndicated newspaper column. The syndicating service dropped him last week shortly after USA Today exposed his contract with the U.S. Department of Education.
Armstrong will pay the price of lost credibility — a serious charge in this business. Now, heads should roll at the Education Department.
American democracy depends on a free and independent press to provide accurate information on which citizens can base votes and other decisions.
There ought to be an investigation to see if other "journalists" are on the government payroll.
Letters to the Editor
Change community, self
I think the most important changes take place at the local level. The Anchor recently told about how, in the Philippines, a war has stopped because local people have learned how to make a "space for peace" (News, Dec. 17, 2004). I used to have a terrible opinion of the Philippines ever since World War II because so many young men from Maywood, Ill., were killed in Bataan. But now, my opinion is beginning to change. On another note, what do you say to people who say we need do nothing about global warming? My son recently bought a Honda that gets wonderful mileage because it runs partly by electricity. I think this purchase also helps control global warming. Again, the most important changes take place at the personal level. Individuals can make a difference.
Anchorage
Mary, Joseph were not illegal
Last year I watched the midnight Mass in Chicago. Cardinal George gave an excellent homily so I decided to watch it again this year. I watched it until he said that he met with several illegal aliens who were afraid they would be deported. He said they were like Christ being turned away from the inn. Was Christ an illegal alien? Did his parents violate some law to get where they were? The Holy Father went to Mexico and told the people to be fruitful and multiply and to avoid artificial birth control. So Mexico produces about 600,000 babies a year but creates only 6,000 jobs, resulting in a mass, lemming-like migration toward the border and amounting to 70 percent of the increase in Catholic population in United States. Until you remove the ulterior motive of numerical and financial gain I will question the sincerity of Cardinal George’s concern for humanity.
Kasilof
Celebrate season all year long
A few Christmases ago a thoughtful Catholic in Neptune, N.J., had an idea that’s catching on across America: Continuing to celebrate the Christmas message by using the annual "First Class Madonna & Child" U.S. postage stamp throughout the year. This man, who wishes to remain anonymous, felt it would be a good way to counter the increasingly harsh campaign to secularize the real reason for the season. Every Christmas he buys $100 worth of the "Madonna & Child" stamps, and when he runs out he just buys more. Most post offices keep the stamp in stock, some as long as the following October. Why not join this wonderful crusade? The U.S. Postal Service will supply the stamp any time all year in packets of five totaling 100 stamps at $37 from its Philatelic Agency at 475 L’Enfant Plaza, Washington, DC 20260-0010, or process credit-card orders on the Internet at pmceo@email.usps.gov.
Upper Montclair, N.J.