worth noting . . .

DEACONESSES IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH? . . . Recently the Canon Law Society of America (CLSA) has argued that the Church ordained honest to goodness deaconesses in the first centuries. Therefore, they conclude, it can be done again today. In this issue Fr. Regis Scanlon, O.F.M. Cap., analyzes their arguments and shows that they are not valid. There are many witnesses to the fact that the Church never did ordain deaconesses in the sense of conferring on them Holy Orders so that they could officially teach and exercise authority over others (p. 6)

THE MYSTERIOUS PRIESTHOOD . . . There is something very mysterious about a vocation to the priesthood because it is not a natural call-it is wholly supernatural. This month Fr. Edwin Gordon, a parish priest working in England, offers us some reflections on the call of the Apostles by Jesus and the call that he sends out today to young men of all types. Constant prayer, good spiritual direction, and a personal love for Jesus Christ, especially in the Holy Eucharist, are aspects of every true vocation (p. 15).

CRISIS OF ANNULMENTS . . . U.S. Catholics are only 6% of the world's Catholic population, but they get 75% of the annulments granted worldwide. Msgr. Clarence J. Hettinger, a Tribunal official with much experience in Canon Law, in this issue says that we have a real "crisis" here because of the large number of invalidly granted annulments and the practical rejection of the Church's infallible, and therefore unchangeable teaching on the indissolubility of a sacramental, consummated marriage. But he concludes on an optimistic note: there is a decline in the numbers granted and a change in attitude to them (p. 19).

MARY IN THE LITURGY . . . The ancient adage "lex orandi lex credendi" (as we pray so do we believe) is just as true now as it ever was. In this issue
Mr. Sean Kinsella shows that the ICEL translations of the Roman Liturgy both obscure and neglect some basic truths about the Blessed Virgin Mary,
especially with regard to the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. The
article reminds us that the current dispute about ICEL mistranslations goes to the very heart of the Catholic faith (p. 29).

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