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worth noting . . .
IGNORANCE OF CATHOLICISM AMONG OUR YOUTH . . . A gnawing question for many parents and grandparents is: Why is it that our children do not know the fundamentals of their Catholic faith? The fact is undeniable. How and why did that happen? In this issue Mrs. Geraldine Stafford—wife, mother, and catechist for many years—explains in clear language that anyone can understand what has happened and why. Her article is the result of years of study and practical experience. She sets forth the reasons why Johnny does not believe. But it is not all negative. She also offers a simple recipe on how to solve the problem.
WAS POPE PIUS XII REALLY HITLER’S POPE? . . . The Big Lie is very hard to refute. No matter how much evidence is put forth to show that Pius XII personally saved hundreds of thousands of Jews and others from the Nazis during WW II, the lie is still used to blacken his name, as if he were an “agent” of Hitler. The charge is absolutely preposterous, but it is constantly made and often believed. This month Fr. Robert G. Fin presents some of the evidence in defense of Pius XII. Instead of being a supporter of the Nazis, he detested them and did all he could to oppose them and defeat them. In the long run the truth will out.
VALUES CLARIFICATION IS STILL ALIVE AND WELL . . . Values clarification, as a philosophy and teaching technique, was introduced into our public schools about thirty years ago; in the past two decades it has also invaded Catholic schools. In its essence it is based on a philosophy of relativism—the belief that all norms are relative and that there are no absolute moral values, such as “adultery is always wrong.” In this issue you will find a comprehensive article on the subject by Mrs. Lisa Marie Contini who speaks to teens about abortion, chastity and family values. As she shows, values clarification is an insidious tool often used in our schools to destroy the good conscience of children.
SPREADING THE WEALTH . . . In the Church’s treasury of merits there is infinite wealth due to the merits of Jesus Christ and the merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints. The Church dispenses this treasury in the form of partial and plenary indulgences as remission for the temporal punishments due to the “after-effects” or residue of sin. In this issue Professor Dermott J. Mullan, the father of ten children, offers us an analogy between the family and the Church. Just as family members help each other to grow, so also we should help the suffering members of the Church who are in purgatory.
Back to Homiletic & Pastoral Review Table of Contents November 2000