Open windows

Title

Open windows

Language

English

Spanish

Source

Boletin Eclesiastico de Filipinas XLIII (482) May-June 1969

Subject

Catholic Church

Christianity

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

OPEN WINDOWS Demonstration and the Boletin Eclesiastico The recent student demonstration against His Eminence, Rufino J. Car dinal Santos, poignantly lent credence to the popular opinion that there is indeed a “communication gap” bet ween the Philippine clergy and the laity. It can be said that Vatican II, which has made the faithful conscious of their role in the Church, has not been followed up in this country with enough ecclesiastical direction corollary to this point, thus inevitably creating an informational vacuum. It is therefore high time that ecclesiastical magazines like the Bole tin Eclesiastico de Filipinas take cognizance of this problem. It is im perative that they stretch their field of readership and establish a dialogue with the laity, thereby closing or at least narrowing the said gap before it transforms itself from merely a communication snag into a greater burden of credibility. The need here is not for less theological disserta tions and expositions or documenta tions of ecclesiastical articles but for more informative articles of laical interest. But the effort in this regard should not be limited to publication of more articles for general consumption. As in the Boletin, there is the lack of attractive appeal in its outward ap pearance. It has been dishing out important documentations and arti cles, including some which bear great relevance to a layman, but with such dearth of artistic or technical adorn ments that they hardly elicited a second glance from a lay reader. Here lies the initial setback in selling the right ideas to people, even to the clergy. To attract lay people and to help the clergy in their own role of establishing smooth dialogue with their flock, may I suggest that the Boletin be given a new overall for mat? A varied cover lay-out is a must. The type of prints can wel come variety from bold to light to bold, etc, to clearly separate or bring out ideas. It will also be of vast help to adorn its pages with appropriate pictures or drawings. How about employing an artist in your staff? It is hoped that the Boletin takes the lead in bridging the said “commu nication gap.” • Rev. Renato Y. Manansala Masantol, Pampanga Wide Range of Articles Your editorial on the violence in the universities (March 1969) was a very enlightening and interesting reading. It could not but be impres sed not only at your fine editorial writing on a very sensitive secular issue like student demonstrations, but more so at your having made it to the Boletin Eclesiastico. OPEN WINDOWS 447 It is without doubt that Boletin Eclesiastico has always been the first in bringing to the fore for the special information of priests and religious here in the Philippines and elsewhere the latest developments on doctrinal and pastoral matters. But I wish that your range of articles could be expan ded so as to include also regularly those on issues of national interest and concern that affect directly or indirectly the church, as a whole, in the Philippines, the hierarchy, liturgy, religious organizations, religious events etc. It will be an added inte rest for us readers if these articles would be written in the style of an analytic discussion or full-length fea ture writing (Herder Correspondence style, for example, or the style of Philippines Free Press’ articles of the week) such as to stimulate healthy dialogue within ecclesiastical circles. More power to the Boletin Ecle siastico. • Erno B. Diaz Ma-ayon, Capiz Espanol de Vez en Cuando La publicacion e insercion de vez en cuando de articulos en espanol en el BOLETIN es favorable tambien al espanol, y a los padres o sacerdotes nuevos que saben tambien espanol, los sacerdotes tambien de habia inglesa que saben tambien “spanish”, por lo menos para poder conocer la historia y los escritos antiguos del pais. Tambien seria aliciente algun para algunos para que estudiara tambien y se esfuercen en saber o estudiar el espanol. • P. Juto de los Reyes Bolbok Parish Lipa City More Power The Boletin Eclesiastico has done a laudable job for the guidance of the clergy in the past — both in mat ters of doctrine and liturgy. Today, the process of change in the whole Catholic world offers the same pub lication two great challenges: the challenge of the clergy and the chal lenge of the latiy. The challenge of the clergy de mands of it to live up to its name as a teacher and liturgist specially in this period of change and renewal. The challenge of the laity requires of it to broaden its spheres so as to include, not only the clergy, but also a greater number of the laity among its readers because ours is the begin ning of a new era of the lay aposto late. The first challenge asks for more up-to-date and more matter-of-fact pronouncements on doctrine and li turgy. The second challenge requires of it: firstly — to introduce itself to tlie laity, perhaps, through adver tisements; and secondly — to interest itself in the interest of the laity. It is, therefore, with deep hope for the success of the Boletin in meeting these challenges that I visualize its more glorious future. • W1LFREDO C. PAGUIO Rizal St., Pilar Bataan 448 BOLETIN ECLESIASTICO DE FILIPINAS If we scrutinizingly examine the contents of the Boletin Ecdesiastico we will see that this contains in its issues relevant topics concerning the church liturgy in the Philippines, decrees and church legislations parti cularly intended for the church in our Islands and theological as well as doctrinal views and opinions voiced out by eminent Filipino Catholic Churchmen. It also includes timely treatment of present contemporary vital issues of the church such as birth control and family planning in the light of the “Humanae Vitae.” Moreover the articles that appear in every issues of the “Boletin Ecle siastico” concern most particularly the ecclesiastics but also highly to be recommended to a well informed laity especially to those catholic'laymen and women who are interested to know more the functional and ad ministrative structure of the church. It goes out without saying that the different sections of the Boletin Eclesiastico provide homilies, doctri nal evaluations which serve as further development of our Christian faith and tenets. Also we cannot just forego the book reviews contained therein and the cases and queries which pro vide information on how to enlighten the ministers in the proper discharge of their sacerdotal functions. Lastly, more power to those who make possible the publication of this highly scholarly work. May it sail on continuously. • Godofhedo R. Palines Alitagtag, Ba tangas

pages

446-448

Media