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worth noting . . .
VARIETIES OF CATHOLICISM . . . There is no doubt that many Catholics today, even among regular church-goers, do not think with the Church; many hold heterodox and heretical ideas about Church teaching. In this issue Professor James Hitchcock, one of the sharpest observers of the current Catholic scene, spells out in the form of a press interview between a reporter and a parishioner some of the false views held by many Catholics, often as a result of what they have been taught by bishops, priests and nuns, not to mention some lay Catholic teachers of theology and philosophy. It could make you cry (p. 8).
THE HOLY SPIRIT AT WORK . . . There are many rich insights into the Trinitarian nature of the liturgy to be found in the writings of the Greek Fathers of the Church. Some of this spirituality has been incorporated into the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This month Fr. Cassian Folsom, O.S.B., points out various ways in which the Holy Spirit works in and with the Church to make the liturgy and the sacraments as fruitful as possible. He concentrates especially on CCC 1091-1109 and the influence of Fr. Jean Corbon on the final text of the Catechism (p. 15).
THE HUMAN PERSON AND WORK . . . Most people spend at least a third of their time, and therefore their life, working at one thing or another. Pope John Paul II thinks that work should be integrated into the whole personality and that it should contribute to growth as a person and to growth in the love of God. This month Fr. Robert J. Batule offers us a brief analysis of the theology of work of the Holy Father. He shows that there is a connection between Centesimus Annus, Gaudium et Spes of Vatican II, and Rerum Novarum-the great social encyclical of Pope Leo XIII in 1893 (p. 24).
CONSCIENCE IN PERSPECTIVE . . . There is much talk today about the priority of one's conscience, as if it were some kind of absolute. But there is very little mention about the need to form one's conscience correctly. It is after all a practical judgment about good to be done and evil to be avoided. In this issue we are pleased to offer you a thoughtful article about the proper formation of a Catholic conscience. The essay was written by Fr. Thomas G. Morrow of St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, D.C. He leaves very little room for the "dissent" which is common today (p. 30).
G.K. Chesterton . . . The 15th Annual Midwest G.K. Chesterton Conference will be held June 27-29 at the Archbishop Cousins Meeting Center in Milwaukee, Wisc. For more information write or phone John Peterson, 740 Spruce Road, Barrington, Ill. 60010; (708) 381-4584. -K.B.