1986 April 13 – 3nd Sun Easter (Bulletin Letters)

1986 April 13 – 3nd Sun Easter (Bulletin Letters)

April 11, 1986

Dear Friends:

WARNING…..This letter contains Fr. Frank’s opinions on nuclear weapons and civil disobedience.  If this type of letter upsets you, please read no further.  It is not Fr. Frank’s intention to upset anyone.  The letter is Fr. Frank’s way of letting you know what he is doing and why.  What Fr. Frank is doing and why are integral to his sense of ministry and faithfulness.  That is why Fr. Frank shares this information with you.

Confirmation went off beautifully.  We couldn’t have asked for a better day for the celebration.  The Bishop (Dingman) was pleased with the effort and thanked everyone involved.  The Bishop’s message was inspiring also.  He said his generation had failed in its responsibility to the world.  He told the confirmation candidates that over 60 million people had died from wars in his lifetime.  He challenged the candidates to put their gifts and talents at the disposal of the Church in its ministry to the world.

The Bishop’s message was made more significant for me after experiencing Faith and Resistance II this past week in Warrensburg, MO.  Two hundred committed Christian peacemakers came together to explore the call of nonviolent resistance in prayer, study and action.  This was no small feat for Warrensburg is very pro military with Whiteman Air Force Base just a few miles from town.  The local rural economy is heavily dependent on the base.  Whiteman commands one hundred and fifty nuclear missile silos.

At the retreat Bishop Thomas Gumbelton explained the implications of the U.S. Catholic Bishops conditional acceptance of our national nuclear deterrence policy.  According to the Bishops, our nations deterrence policy is morally acceptable so long as the deterrent threat is minimal and the policy leads to disarmament.  The Bishops conditional acceptance was made three years ago in the Bishops Peace Pastoral.  In Bishop Gumbleton’s mind, the conditions are not being met.  Our nuclear threat is neither minimal nor moving us towards disarmament.  Bishop Gumbleton says the Bishops need a follow-up statement declaring our nuclear policies immoral.  He believes that when this happens our Church should be ready for persecution and even martyrdom.

In an act of Easter hope, one hundred and fifty of us drove out to Whiteman Air Force Base on Saturday.  Seventy-seven of us crossed the line at Whiteman, including ten Catholic priests, twenty nuns and five ministers.  My mother and I crossed the line with the Rural Affinity Group.  We carried corn across the line to symbolize the sacrificing of the American Family Farmer to the insane arms race.

Next time I will fill you in on my trip out East.

Peace,

Fr. Frank