LETTERS: LOOKING FOR COOPERATION

To the editor:

I have always had an affection for Cape Girardeau. It is a beautiful city, a good place to live. As a child, I delighted in coming to Cape about three times a year as a family outing. The journey from Caney Creek to Cape was quite a journey, lots of fun. There was usually a little business to attend to by Mom and Dad, while we four kids waited in expectation for the treats. Almost invariably we dropped in for a prayer at St. Vincent's Church. That is one of the reasons I cherish the opportunity of having served as project director for reclaiming that venerable church building from the ravages of time and weather through a restoration project from 1978 to 1987. St. Vincent Church was built by the Vincentian Fathers. It is one of their significant, visible contributions to the Cape Girardeau community.

One of my avocations is history. Being a priest, the history of the Catholic church is of special interest to me. The Cape Girardeau area is rich with the history of the church and the Vincentian Fathers. One of my delights in coming from Cape Girardeau to Fredericktown as a pastor was to learn what I did not know before, that the Vincentian Fathers played a very prominent role in the development of totally new communities in this area as early as the late 1700s.

These pioneer Vincentian missionaries were regarded as giants for their learning, their services to people of all faiths, their support of civic government, their special interest in education and the witness of their personal integrity. Much of Southeast Missouri and the four directions out of Cape owe the Vincentian Fathers at least grateful remembrance of their early deeds.

At this times in the history of the Congregation of the Missions (the exact title of the Vincentians) the congregation was experiencing a decline in membership. This is a phenomenon that has become the lot of many religious communities of men and women in the church. No, God, is not punishing them. They are the victims of changing times and new beginnings for the communities and for the Vincentian Fathers. This has happened often in the 2,000-year history of the Catholic church. I spoke to a young Vincentian brother as we walked through an empty seminary structure at Perryville last week. "Do you see any possibility of these wonderful halls teeming with activity in the future?" "Yes," he said without hesitation. I agree with him.

The problem for a religious community that is experiencing slower growth with a lengthy roster of members in declining years is truly a human crisis. A particular community might own considerable property which it has used profitably in the past that has now become a liability because of the cost of maintenance. Being rich in historic sites results in depleted bank accounts. Can we imagine the pain of heart when a community such as the Vincentians must give up an Old St. Vincent's Church or St. Vincent's Seminary? A true Vincentian would respond that these are merely physical assets to be used as long as they serve a purpose of their mission, to be shucked off when they are no longer needed.

We might be surprised, even turned off, by the seemingly lack of concern of the Vincentians over such losses. We don't understand, because we are not Vincentians. Vincent de Paul lived in France at a time when there were drastic changes in social structures. The wealthy continued to take care of themselves. A growing middle class began to be able to cope with life. But the poor in the rural areas were left to live in dire poverty. Vincent saw their plight and formed a religious community of men and a community of women to care for the poor. He is acknowledged as the father of organized social services to the poor performed by the church and later by civil societies. Vincent seemed not to have time to fight those who caused poverty. He was too busy taking care of the victims. Vincentians, learning from their founder, are not good fighters or even refuse to fight. That is why activists like myself can become impatient, even irritated, with them. I hope they understand that my intention is to compliment them.

We who have another set of values might stand by, much like heirs to a wealthy estate. We possibly even covet the prize to be had. Our concern is the usefulness of these properties for our own purposes. Sometimes, to prove that there is still goodness in the human heart, such divested properties might be diverted by the purchases to the public good.

It would have been better if recent public comments made in Cape Girardeau about the Vincentian Fathers had not been uttered. For example, the implication that the Vincentian Fathers have an abundance of cash assets probably has no foundation in fact. I do not know the financial status of the Vincentians. Therefore, I will make no comment about it. I recommend that way of dealing with the subject.

If I were to single out one flaw in my beloved city of Cape Girardeau, it would be the endless ways in which people choose sides in public controversies, with injury not only to the participants int the fight, but to the city we love. I doubt that this was true in the early days of Cape Girardeau. Those were different times, and to survive and to grow meant absolute cooperation and goodwill toward everyone. The giant leaders of those times seem to have possessed and integrity that was clearly genuine, without which they would have not survived long as leaders.

Is there a lesson in all of this for our dear city of Cape Girardeau?

MONSIGNOR JOSEPH GOSCHE, Pastor

St. Michael Church

Fredericktown