CNEWA’s New President
In addition to being Archbishop of New York, Archbishop Edward M. Egan is the new president of CNEWA. Although a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, he is no stranger; from June 1985 to December 1988 he served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of New York. Members of CNEWA’s staff ran into him often in the Catholic Center, where CNEWA’s New York offices are located.Archbishop Egan was ordained a priest on 15 December 1957 and consecrated a bishop on 22 May 1985. On 14 December 1988 he was installed as the third Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport. He holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University and earned a doctorate in Canon Law summa cum laude in 1964 from the same university. He also served in several important posts in the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Archbishop Egan returned to Rome in 1971 and held professorships at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Studium Rotale, the law school of the Sacred Roman Rota, while serving as a judge of the Rota’s Tribunal. While in Rome, Archbishop Egan worked closely with Pope John Paul II and assisted the Pope by reviewing the Code of Canon Law before its promulgation in 1983.
Distinguished Visitors
On 19 May, Archbishop Giovanni Battista Re, Substitute Secretariat of State for General Affairs, and Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, visited CNEWA’s New York office.
These distinguished guests toured CNEWA’s offices, greeted employees individually and through their comments and questions expressed their interest in the work of this papal agency.
The archbishops were in New York for an observance of the Pope’s 80th Birthday at the United Nations on 18 May.
Ecumenical Gathering
Sharing the Sacraments was the subject of an address by Chorbishop John D. Faris, Assistant Secretary General, on 20 June at Orientale Lumen, an annual symposium on the Eastern churches held at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
On 5 June, Chorbishop Faris also gave a presentation at the National Oriental Orthodox-Roman Catholic Dialogue in New York City. His topic, “Eastern Churches in the Western World,” included a discussion of the struggles, the difficulties and the progress of these churches.
Peregrinacion
Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in the Palestinian village of Bir Zeit was a highlight of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land by a group of Spanish-speaking pilgrims.
Led by Msgr. Robert L. Stern, Secretary General, the pilgrims visited the Basilica of the Annunciation, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre and other holy places. They also visited such CNEWA-funded institutions as Bethlehem University. The Northeast Catholic Hispanic Center sponsored the week-long pilgrimage from 22 May to 2 June.
We’re Number One — Again!
For the second consecutive year, Catholic Near East received a first-place award for General Excellence at the annual meeting of the Catholic Press Association in Baltimore on 26 May. The magazine received two additional awards, one for Best Article and the other for Best Cover, while Msgr. Stern received an award for his feature column titled “Sons and Daughters.”Praising the general excellence of the magazine, the panel of 30 judges called Catholic Near East “a well organized publication.” Covers are “varied, nicely done,” the judges said, adding, “nice job with layout, story treatment and art.”
Eastern Church Meeting in Beirut
Representatives of the eastern churches and funding agencies working with the Holy See’s Congregation for the Eastern Churches met in Beirut on 3 and 4 May to prioritize the social-pastoral needs of Lebanon. Msgr. Denis J. Madden Associate Secretary General, presented an overview of CNEWA’s activities in that country.
Famine Update
In response to an emergency appeal for famine relief in Ethiopia and Eritrea, CNEWA’s generous donors provided an extraordinary amount of assistance–to date, roughly $360,000 has been donated.
The monies flow through the church’s network–bishops, priests and religious–to thousands of children and their families in local parish communities in Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Notwithstanding the logistical difficulties due to war between the two countries, CNEWA is able to get your help to them, thanks be to God.