l)ecember 23, 1994 The Message -- for Catholics of Southwestern Indiana 5
-" Bishop's Forum --
,tChristmas message to the people of the diocese
My Dear Sisters and Brothers, was very hard for some. For others, need, especially through the missions and relief ef-
it did not seem to be enough. The
Christmas Masses will be cele- natural tensions of renewal and
brated in our parish churches for growth have required dialogue and
e fiRy-first Christmas since the consultation in our Church. We are
ounding of our Diocese on Novem- still getting used to this new dy-
)er 11, 1944. _ . namism as we continue to imple:
It is both frightlhl and encourag- ment the teachings of Vatican
m.g to ponder all that has tran- Council II.
splreci since then We took on the Through instant communica-
identity of a diocese, a particular tions, we have witnessed the
Church, much like a young couple ByBISHOP shrinking of the world into a global
at marriage begins a new home. GERALD A. village and have even seen it from
dw wOUng couple it was not GE2"rELFINGER the moon. Yet the message of
at was ahead for the Christmas remains unchanged.
raernbers and member anshes of
thn: The promise of peace to all those of
_diocese 50 yePs ago. good will continues to be our Christmas prayer.
ave al! been touched by World War II. Fifty The whole world is not at peace. Families are
ears ago many of our men were engaged in the
attle of the Bulge Durin- ,L^ fiftio d Ix i
Wen,a-_ " ;, an s" tes,
and m su1'ered greatly Wioth:he Kor:::loWs::f
he Vietnam Conflict, n ly y
life and limb of man of
sUie_r ,t y our famlly members, we
aean ish " " ' "
less co .... , gu of being enmeshed m win-
. reacts in far off lands The bloody battle
lelds of Vietnam were br
living ro ought nightly into our
oms.
, Pope John XXIII called th
ou e;! t . e Second Vahcan
n .... ne Church was renewed. The. change
torn asunder by internal strife and brokenness.
Children are victimized by adults. We beseech the
Holy Family for healing, reconciliation and love to
reign within all families.
Yet, in spite of all that is not well, what bless-
ings God has bestowed upon us over these past 50
years of Christmas celebrations in our Diocese!
How many families there are who are filled with
the love and radiate the joy of Christmas daily!
Our parishes are alive. The faithful of our diocese
reach beyond its boundaries to assist others in
forts for those in need both at home and abroad.
There are so many who have preceded us and
who have been the faithful architects of our diocese.
Particularly we are deeply grateful to those who
took the risk to lead our diocese; they include bish-
ops, lay men and women, priests and the men and
women of religious communities.
We rejoice too in being part of the Church Jesus
founded long ago, a church that still stands before
the world as sign and symbol of hope. We pray"
daily for our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. The
secular world also has recognized his stature as
spiritual leader in a world hostile to truth. His re-
cent book is one of hope.
Christmas is a sign of hope for us and for the na-
tions. May the history of the next 50 years of our
diocese reflect that message to all as the first 50
years have to us.
May the Prince of Peace reign in your hearts and
homes this Christmas and always!
Fai:hrist,
Most ReveredGerald A. Gettelfinger
Bisho'flf Evansville
]3 COMMENTAR
YSAI-. Y
It& $CHNELLENBERGER
A gift of hope: (00atholic Charities at work
of Christmas is
and towns are
strings of twin-
and downtown
dl of shoppers.
of Santa Claus
presents beneath
many families,
of Christmas
feeling of hap-
IOy. HOWever, these
not shared by all.
needy families
)ften a less than
lights
often create a
Needy children
mg a visit
Year due
illness, or
Is Assistance
]s adminis-
Charities
gives the
The pro-
helping the
years. Wayne
°rdinator of the
Night
Christmas Assistance Pro-
gram, is Santa's secret elf. He
agrees that Christmas for the
needy "is often a sad and diffi-
cult time. Through the Christ-
mas Assistance Program,
needy families can receive ne-
cessities and presents for their
children. The program is de-
signed to help those in need
during the holiday season.
Every year Bochert receives
the names of needy families
throughout the Tri-County
area. He and his volunteers,
many of whom are affiliated
with St. Vincent de Paul,
gather information about fam-
ily income, visit homes and col-
lect other valid information.
They then conclude whether
the family is truly in need.
Bochert stated that "500 fami-
lies are helped by the pro-
gram." After the family quali-
fies, Bochert matches a donor
to the family. Donors consist of
individuals, businesses in the
community, and churches who
have contacted the Catholic
Charities wanting to help.
According to Bochert, donors
specify how large a family they
would like to help and can
even ask for the gender and
ages of the people. The donors
receive a list of the recipients
first names, items needed, and
sizes for clothing and shoes.
Requests on the lists are ob-
tained from the families.
USI Social Work Club mem-
bers who are some of the pro-
grams volunteers stated that
"It is very touching to hear the
requests of the needy." Jenny
Schuetter, a USI. social work
student, stated that "as a col-
lege student it is hard to do-
nate money. By volunteering, I
receive a wonderful feeling
when helping the families."
Schuetter recalls a mother liv-
ing in poverty. She was only
concerned for her son and
asked nothing for herself. Her
heart would be full of joy if
only her son could receive some
gifts. Schuetter also remem-
bers a mother of a family ask-
ing them to provide her with
sheets. Many Americans do not
include bed sheets on their
Christmas lists.
Bochert also remembers
some of the needy. He recalls
one family consisting of four
generations who were living in
a three-bedroom apartment.
They owned a couch, a card
table, a chair, and one or two
mattresses which rested on the
floor. Another volunteer recalls
a very young mother with four
children living in a home
which was literally falling
apart.
After the donors purchase
the gifts, they can either de-
liver the presents to the family
or leave them at the Catholic
Charities Bureau's office. One
volunteer, who helped deliver
the presents to the families,
will always remember a family
crying tears of joy and thank-
ing them over and over. For
that family, it was one of the
greatest gift of love they had
ever received. The families
that are helped through this
program are very appreciative.
In fact, Bochert states that
"many families who were once
helped through the program
are now donors."
For the donors as well as the
needy families, Christmas
takes on a whole new meaning.
It is no longer a season of
Santa Claus and presents, it is
a time of giving. Too often we
forget the true meaning of
Christmas. God gave us the
greatest gift, his Son. This
Christmas give the gift of hope,
remember the poor and needy
with your contributions and
prayers
DEWIG BROS.
PACKING CO.
FRESH MEAT
BEEF AND PORK
HAUBSTADT, INDIANA
I i I I iiii I
TEKOPPLE BLOCK
1701 West Ohio 422-2491 or 422-2416
00/A'NI}ERBURGH CO. RIGHT TO LIFE
473-3195 Evansville, IN
Peace and Good Will Toward Men
Along with our best wishes of the season go
thoughts of thanks to our many friends.
FLECK INSURANCE, INC.
Jasper, Indiana
THE HERALD
OF DUBOIS COUNTY
