Fr. Bill's Weekly Message
for 10/4/98
Dear Parishioners:
How many times have we bemoaned, "Why I remember
how much less I paid for some thing twenty-five years ago. It's so much
more today!" For the most part that is correct. But that's only from one
perspective. From another, things are less expensive today.
In March, a regional Federal Reserve Bank published
the following comparison of work hours needed to purchase an item in 1970
and 1997. While this is not the entire picture, it does help to offer a
broader framework of reference. In some ways, these are the "good old days."
| Product |
1970 Cost
(hours labor) |
1997 Cost
(hours labor) |
| Automobile |
1,397 |
1,365 |
| Refrigerator |
112 |
68 |
| Long-distance call |
0.4 |
0.03 |
| Movie ticket |
0.47 |
0.32 |
| Air travel, 1,000 m. |
18 |
11 |
| Microwave oven |
176 |
15 |
| Color television |
174 |
23 |
On the other hand, we have the following from Fr.
Francis Wright, C.S.Sp., National Director of the Holy Childhood Association.
Every day in America
6 children commit suicide
316 children are arrested for violent crimes
403 children are arrested for drug use
3,356 children drop out of high school every school
day
5,702 children are arrested
100,000 children are homeless
Now we could "cook" these figures and make things look
different, but it wouldn't change much.
Fr. Wright continues, "Responsibility to our children
is as universal as faith itself. ... It is commonly said that children
of the world are the hope for the future, but so often they are not being
allowed to fulfill their potential. Are we not responsible for the widening
gap between our young and their ability to contribute, simply because we
underestimate their capabilities? ...
Our young are unfortunately bombarded with harmful
messages about sex and drugs, desensitized to violence in video games
and lyrics, victims of dysfunction within their families.... "
"Cultivating our young now will create a readiness
to accomplish more as their faith adds to the meaning of their life;
like the pliability of a young tree, whose roots become well developed,
and whose branches are firm in their reach."
At STM we make a concerted effort to recognize
the needs of our children. We will continue to do so, because they are
our present and our future.
Thank you so much for your continued support of
our parish which makes these programs possible.
God bless,
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