Last Updated:Friday - 09/24/2010
September 27, 2004
WCR Letters to the Editor
Life comes in many forms
The Aug. 30 WCR was a surprise for me. I was stunned that the Knights of Columbus had endorsed George W. Bush for his pro-life stance.
This president of the greatest superpower in the world has chosen to wage war in Iraq. It has wasted thousands of human lives plus cost the American taxpayer billions of dollars.
Bush has also chosen not to pass universal health care legislation in the U.S. to protect the 40 million Americans who live without adequate health insurance. I might add that some eight million children live without any quality health insurance in the United States. This reality is surely not "a culture of life."
I hear many diatribes about the rights of the "unborn." What about the children who are living and suffering? We seem to forget about them once the "right to life" is established as a legal and moral imperative.
If people paid more attention to what their priorities were, we wouldn't have so many children living in poverty and desperation.
I might add that family planning would be a start. Not all parents can afford to support their children so they're better off not having children.
I'm just plain angry at the neglect of living and suffering children. They have human rights too.
Eric Anderson
Edmonton
Just mind your own business
It's amazing!
You have a group of Christian men that prayed, discerned, and researched moral values between two presidential candidates then give that individual their support, support that is the best for their nation. What gives the self-righteous neighbours from the north the right to judge?
People that try to mix abortion with capital punishment stir up a dog's breakfast leaving only the innocent to suffer.
The simple and hard fact: An innocent child's death sentence is because they are not wanted, abortion. Capitol punishment on the other hand is because a court of law has found, from the individual's actions, to be guilty of a crime deserving death, capital punishment.
If you can't see the difference seek "help."
As for the war on terrorism.
The United States of America didn't attack and declare war; it was the opposite.
You say Iraq.
They were tied to terrorism. There is clear evidence tying their leaders to the Oklahoma bombing, the downing of Flight 800 plus more, including weapons of mass destruction.
Unlike Canada where the leader makes a decision and the party follows like blind sheep, the president of the United States does not have the blind sheep (called party lines) to jump up and all say "Amen." The war that happened in Iraq had the support of both House and Senate.
God bless the United States of America, God bless the American Knights of Columbus and God bless George W. Bush.
I pray that the Canadian Knights of Columbus take note and do the same thing in our future elections.
Ronald Moss
Edson
Call for consultation
I wish to discuss a major problem that those in our parish communities face all too often. That is when newly-appointed pastors use their position to plan and make substantial changes within the parish, invariably without any consultation, and "for the good of the faithful."
Frequently such changes follow the considered practice of the previous incumbent and, when challenged, get the reply "But the Church is not a democracy."
Perhaps it is time that it does become more democratic, with the world culture going that way. Why do I think so? Anglo-Saxon by birth, I have several hundreds of years of societal democracy bred in me. I am also a Second World War veteran who gave up years of my then young life "to preserve democracy" - not that I am alone in this record.
So perhaps it is time for the CCCB to stand firm in their approval of our current Revised Standard Version, to continue to support ICEL, and to urge all their members, and through them their priests, to have more faith in their communities. After all, we have built our churches and paid for them, many of us have enhanced our education theologically, and we wish to minister.
Leonard Allbon
Edmonton
Pastors carry heavy loads
Re:"Parishioners love St. Pius X" (WCR, Sept. 13).
It was gratifying to see such a spread as our parish celebrates its 50th anniversary. Ramon Gonzalez in particular is to be commended for the time he took to come to St. Pius and to meet with several of us. Unfortunately, our pastor, Father Thomas Maliakkal, was on holidays at the time so was unavailable for an interview.
In the interests of accuracy and of giving credit where credit is due, I would like to correct a few errors which appear in your article. Although Father Hesse celebrated his first Mass at St. Pius X, the first Mass in the new church was celebrated by Father Gillis. Phil Lamoureux was pastoral administrator of St. Pius X only in 1998-99, not of St. Angela and St. Pius.
The statement that I have provided both administrative and pastoral services for both parishes since my appointment is not accurate.
With the exception of a few months in 2003 when we were between pastors, my role at St. Pius X and St. Angela parishes has been pastoral, not administrative. When a parish has a pastor, he is the administrator of the parish.
The comment which follows ("Her workload has increased since the appointment in November of Father Thomas Maliakkal"), and which I did not make, is also misleading.
Both our present and previous pastors have had other responsibilities in addition to pastoring these two parishes: Father Moser as a full-time faculty member at Newman College and Father Maliakkal as Roman Catholic chaplain for the University of Alberta Hospital. I am sure that the situation here is not unlike that in many other parishes where all of us in ministry, whether lay or ordained, carry heavy workloads.
Thank you again for your article as well as for this opportunity to set the record straight.
Bernice Mahoney
Pastoral Minister
St. Pius X and St. Angela Merici parishes
Edmonton
Editor's Note: The comment about Bernice Mahoney's workload was taken from the parish's booklet - St. Pius X 50 Years: 1954-2004.
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