2
The Message -- for Catholics of Southwestern Indiana
Redemptorist,priest to lead series of healing s
By PAUL R. LEINGANG
Message editor
A priest known as "the Gen-
tle Healer" is coming to south-
western Indiana for a series of
healing services. Redemptorist
Father Edward J. McDonough
will conduct services at Resur-
rection Church in Evansville,
St. John Church in Daylight,
and Holy Family Church in
Jasper. He will also lead a ser-
vice at Holy Name Church in
Henderson, Ky.
"The medical physicians I
have seen are limited in what
they can do for people with
Chronic illness," said Suzy
Sims, one of the coordinators of
the series of services. By way
of contrast, she added, "God
has no limitations.,
Sims said she is anxious "to
give the Holy Spirit an oppor-
tunity through his earthly ser-
vant, Father Edward McDo-
nough."
Doctor Larry Sims expects
the healing services to "give us
an opportunity to be led to a
more intense awareness of the
great love and healing powers
Bernardin
of our Lord." He described Fa-
ther McDonough as "a man
that has been blessed in this
mission for many years."
Suzy Sims.and Marita Di-
eter are the coordinators of the
service at St. John Church,
Daylight. Dieter has already
attended a healing service with
Father McDonough presiding,
in Florida. She said she and
her husband "were struck by
his simplicity and his contin-
ued emphasis on thanking
Jesus for the spiritual and
physical healings taking
place." Dieter concluded, "The
Holy Spirit most definitely
works through this dedicated
man."
Father McDonough is the di-
rector of the Healing and
Restoration Ministry, which
started in Boston in December
1975. He was ordained in 1948,
and has worked in parishes,
conducted novenas, and served
in the apostolate to the black
community in the south.
According to a publicity
brochure, Father McDonough
has the encouragement and
permission of his ecclesiastical
Although CNN was the most
visible focus of criticism and
questions, the debate over
journalistic responsibility was
much broader, and perhaps
nowhere more thoroughly dis-
cussed than in Chicago itself.
"Many of us in the media
owe Joseph Cardinal
Bernardin one rather large"
apology," wrote Chicago Sun-
Times editorial columnist Den-
nis Byrne shortly after the
claims against him were dis-
missed.
Peter Steinfels, senior reIi-
gion correspondent of The New
York Times, told Catholic
News Service, "Anybody can
file a lawsuit saying any-
thing .... I don't think the media
can use the fact that a lawsuit
has been filed to avoid making
an independent judgment" on
the credibility of the accuser,
the plausibility of the allega-
tions and how to report the
event.
Continued from page 1
credibility to the allegations,"
said Msgr. Francis J. Manis-
calco, press spokesman for the
U.S. bishops.
When Cardinal Bernardin
held a press conference Feb. 28
to comment on the complete
withdrawal of all allegation's
against him, he made an
oblique reference to the CNN
reporting that was immedi-
ately recognized by those fa-
miliar with the story.
"There is only one thing that
still troubles me," he said. "I
am concerned about the almost
instantaneous judgment made
by some that I had fallen from
grace or had been permanently
damaged, even before I had a
chance to respond or the legal
system had deliberated.
"I trust that, after reflection,
the appropriate persons will
address this issue so that oth-
ers will be spared this trav-
esty," be added.
is pleased to announce that
ROBERT J. PIGMAN
has become a
partner in the firm in
the practiceof law
Attorneys and Counselors at Law
813 Main Street
Evansville, Indiana
(812) 425-8101
(800) 622-3604 in Indiana
(800) 327-0182 Outside Indiana
Clmrles I,. Beqfer, 8hdla M. Corcortn, Mark W. P.ietmn
superiors for his full time work
in the healing ministry.
The brochure also describes
the kind of healing service Fa-
ther McDonough conducts. It is
a para-liturgical service, not
Mass. "It is a prayer service for
healing. The purpose of this
service is to establish a com-
munity of faith and prayer to
seek together the healing love
of Jesus and his Holy Spirit."
Participants pray for spiri-
tual, emotional and physical
healing. The emphasis is on
the power of united prayer
rather than on receiving an in-
dividual prayer blessing.
According to the brochure,
many persons at such a heal-
ing service seem to fall into a
faint. "Actually, they don't
faint or lose consciousness.
They experience a special spiri-
tual presence of God and his
peace."
The brochure also states
that not every person seeking
physical healing will be healed.
"I believe God answers our
prayer as he promised but ac-
cording to his own loving plan."
Services will be at Resurrec-
For more
tact Suzy Sims
Marita Dieters
Dianne Klein
or Lynda peters
3817.
,/i
Despite the fact that CNN
and the other TV networks
played the lawsuit as a major
story, the editors at The Times
decided to give it minimal cov-
erage. They buried it deep in-
side the first section of the
paper, with only a few inches
of newsprint under a single-
column headline.
The story got Page One play
and much more extensive
treatment in many other
dailies, but most of the cover-
age balanced the allegations in
the lawsuit with careful em-
phasis on Cardinal Bernardin's
absolute denial of ever having
abused anyone and his re-
markably unblemished reputa-
tion,
Chicago sociologist and
writer Father Andrew Greeley
told the Daily Southtown, a
Chicago daily, that he thought
the local media did a good job
covering the story, but he did
not give high marks to the na -
tional media.
"I think CNN was the real
villain," he said. "They played
it so big. They used the
charges against Bernardin to
hype their Sunday evening
special all day Friday, Satur-
day and Sunday. That made it
a worldwide story."
CNN itself dealt with ques-
tions about its coverage in a
program on the U.S. media and
religion a little more than a
week after the Bernardin case
broke.
In the program, "Reliable
Sources," moderated by
Bernard Kalb, Steinfels and
veteran religion commentator
Father Richard John Neuhaus
both criticized CNN's handling
of the lawsuit story.
CNN's lead reporter on the
case, Bonnie Anderson, de-
fended her network's coverage
as "extremely fair" but ac-
knowledged later in the pro-
gram, "I think we overplayed
the story...: My sense is that
we overplayed it far more than
it was worth."
Dan
gion reporter
Sun- TimeS,
News Service
thought
had
of balance
coverage t
Lehmann
reporters
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beat the stree
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cities to
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connected with !
He said he
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leads that
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he said.
By CINDY WOODEN
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) --
Pope John Paul II described
himself as "by nature rather
sweet, not severe," but said he
must be "rigid regarding the
principles" on which healthy
families are based.
Speaking during a March 6
parish visit, the pope said only
Pope says-Church must defend the
families "built on the truth and
the (Ten) Commandments can
remain solid and united."
"Some have been talking
about building a false family, a
fictitious family of two men or
two women," he said, referring
to a February proposal by the
European Parliament and sub-
sequent debate across the con-
tinent to grant homosexual
couples rights equal to those of
ot Bu:00 w or Seller
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married
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every woman,
family this
ing his
to St. B er8
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sition on
sented to
Rights
Geneva.
"These
clear
said
the head
gation to
based
"The
marriage,
and a
of a
licly affi
open to
life," he;
day, March 18, 7 p.m.; St. John
Church, Daylight, Sunday,
March 20, 2 p.m.; Holy Name
Church, Henderson, Ky., Tues-
day, March 22, 7 p.m.; and at
Holy Family Church, Jasper,
Thursday, March 24, 7 p.m.
FATHER EDWARD J.
tion Church, Evansville, Fri- (All times are local.)
