Last Updated:Friday - 09/24/2010
November 6, 2006
WCR Letters to the Editor
Paging Dr. Small Town
I was reflecting on my life the other day. First of all, I would be the first one to admit that I am not doctor material. However, if this was my calling in life, I would love to practise in the town of Vegreville. The reasons I would feel this way keep adding up. We have all the facilties of a smaller city - golf, bowling, movies, restaurants, a recreation center, and various stores ( yes, we are even going to be getting WalMart this spring). There are churches on almost every corner.
Nevertheless the most significant thing about this town is we have a Catholic hospital. The majority of citizens try to live their life with Christian values. They are a caring bunch.
This summer I had a small head injury. One person was even willing to pay for my ambulance.
I recall in the past one of our doctors had a tragedy. They were more than willing to assist him and his family in every way possible. He also received warm meals, baking, cards, flowers, and other demonstrations that his patients cared about him as a person.
There is not a week that goes by that our local newspaper doesn't have a patient thanking a doctor personally for the care they received. The work can be demanding but for the most part, this is a safe town and a terrific place to raise a family.
Our doctors usually deal with innocent children and elderly people. There hasn't been fights, gunshots, or stab wounds. I feel that elderly people who contribute so much to the life of our province and country, deserve to receive good medical care.
Yes, if you're a doctor or planning to become one, and you wish to make a difference - Vegreville is the town to practise in.
Our town is short on doctors at the moment.
Rosanne Fortier
Vegreville
Green light brightens for Tridentine Mass
Regarding the recent news that the Vatican may expand the use of the Tridentine Mass (WCR, Oct. 16).
I wish to express my gratitude to Pope Benedict XVI's plan to allow wider use of the Tridentine Mass.
Vatican II, in fact, never called for the elimination of Latin from the Mass. Hence, the pope's decision is not motivated by a desire to bring comfort to older people who may miss the old rite as some claim but rather to foster a more comprehensive and profound understanding of the Church's liturgy.
Latin is the official language of the Catholic Church. It is a "dead" language that prevents Church liberals from translating words into the vernacular using ambiguous and inclusive terms that undermine Church doctrine. Perhaps, the greatest advantage of the Latin Mass, then, is that it is not open to the numerous abuses presently experienced on a regular basis with the new Mass.
The universality of Latin also makes it conducive to all believers experiencing more fully the mystery of the Mass. It imbues a heightened reverence and sense of the sacred.
The Tridentine Mass is also more uniform and consistently Catholic in its theological and Christian-cultural aspects. The pope has previously mentioned, for example, how in the new Mass the "turning of the priest toward the people no longer opens out on what lies ahead and above (but) has turned the community into a self-enclosed circle."
Both the priest and people should be facing the East. The Eucharist is the all encompassing source and summit of Christian life.
A wider implementation of the Latin Mass will no doubt be an effective means of both preserving the Church's faith and identity while at the same time allowing her to carry out her mission of evangelization.
I hope the pope's new directive will encourage bishops to actively and aggressively promote the Latin Mass throughout their dioceses and beyond.
Paul Kokoski
Hamilton, Ont.
Letter to the Editor - 11/27/06
Discordant families cause children grief
The statements attributed to Father Paul Moret and others in theOct. 9 issue of the WCR concerning the same-sex marriage debate are false accusations. The gist is that same-sex partners are harmful to children.
Statements such as these only inflame the situation and create more misunderstanding and even hatred against a particular minority.
Statistics will show that children are harmed mostly in heterosexual marriages gone awry and by dysfunctional families.
Fr. Clem Gauthier
Edmonton
Letter to the Editor - 11/20/06
Letter to the Editor - 11/27/06
Letter to the Editor - 12/25/06
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