NATION

National Catholic Reporter, Nov 24, 2000 by Teresa Malcolm

Minnesota bishop, Call to Action member, steps down

Pope John Paul II accepted the resignation of Bishop Raymond A. Lucker of New Ulm, Minn., Nov. 17. The diocese is now considered without a bishop until a new appointment is made.

Lucker, 73, has headed the New Ulm diocese since February 1976. He has been known for his support of a greater role for laity in the church, married clergy and a more collegial exercise of papal authority. He is a member of Call to Action, a U.S. group advocating church reform.

"After 25 wonderful years I leave this responsibility with peace in my heart," Lucker said in a statement. He also thanked the priests, pastoral staff and diocesan staff of New Ulm.

"As I move into a new period of ministry I am interested in research and writing, possibly teaching a course or two in theology, and will be available to help out in parishes," he said. "I look forward to giving more time to my large extended family and long-standing friends."

Lucker, who has doctoral degrees in sacred theology and education, was one of the founders of the Catechetical Forum, an association of catechetical writers, professors and other catechetical leaders. He was a delegate to the International Catechetical Congress in Rome in 1971. He also served on the administrative board of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

First black archbishop dies at age 66

Archbishop Eugene A. Marino, who was the first black archbishop in the United States and whose resignation in 1990 was linked to his affair with a woman, died Nov. 12 at a retreat house in New York. He was 66.

Marino, archbishop of Atlanta when he resigned, had served for the past five years as spiritual director of the Clergy Consultation and Treatment Service, an outpatient program in Harrison, N.Y., for priests with mental illness, substance abuse and sexual behavior problems.

Fr. Robert M. Kearns, superior general of the Josephites, the order to which Marino was ordained in 1962, said Marino suffered an apparent heart attack after participating in a weekend retreat at St. Ignatius Retreat House in Manhasset, N.Y. Marino was discovered dead in bed Sunday by a housekeeper, Kearns said.

Bishop George V. Murry of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, said Marino "dedicated himself to working to advance the black Catholic community, and he was well-loved in the community."

"He was a very pastoral person with great spirituality," said Bishop Curtis J. Guillory of Beaumont, Texas. Guillory lauded Marino's work over the last few years at the outpatient program. "His spirituality expanded after his difficulties," and enabled him to help priests and consecrated religious,

Guillory said.

Marino played a key role in Pope John Paul II's visit with black Catholic leaders in New Orleans in 1987 and was one of the authors of the black bishops' 1984 pastoral on evangelization. In 1985, Marino was elected secretary of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and the U.S. Catholic Conference.

After serving as auxiliary bishop of Washington, Marino was appointed archbishop of Atlanta in 1988. He submitted his resignation as archbishop in June 1990, and admitted in August that he had been having a two-year affair with Vicki R. Long, a 27-year-old single mother.

Voucher supporters pledge to continue after poll defeats

Although voucher referendums in two states were strongly defeated in the November elections, school choice supporters have no intention of throwing in the towel.

Two voucher initiatives on the ballot in Michigan and California lost by 2-1 margins Nov. 7. California's Proposition 38 aimed to provide any child, rich or poor, with a $4,000 voucher, whereas Michigan's Proposal 1 said it would give $3,300 to children in schools with the worst graduation rates.

Referendums on tax credits or voucher proposals have appeared on state ballots 10 times in recent years, and voters have rejected every one.

To date, only Ohio, Wisconsin and Florida have voucher programs, although 21 states have school choice programs pending in their legislatures.

The Michigan bishops sent the state's Catholics three letters urging their support of the state's voucher proposal and calling it "not an option, but a fundamental tenet of Catholic social teaching."

Michigan Catholics still voted 64-36 against the voucher plan, according to exit polls taken by Voter News Service.

Saying that the winners of this referendum are "fear and bigotry," Mercy Sr. Monica Kostielney, president of the Michigan Catholic Conference, said the church would continue in its efforts to promote school choice programs.

In California, where the bishops did not take a position on the voucher proposal, except to issue a statement criticizing "exaggerated and unfounded claims on both sides of the issue," California Catholics voted 66-34 against vouchers, according to exit polls.

Robert Teegarden, associate director for education at the California Catholic Conference, said this particular voucher referendum did not go far enough to provide for those most in need. "There's a mandate out there [for school choice], but this was not it," he, said.