Catholics decide marriageability
i n _it. a u., - n^cincr a threat to the common met bv the couple, but their titudes. desire to escane an un-
THE BATTALION
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 1975
ORLANDO,Fla, (AP) — In
an attempt to curtail the rising
divorce rate, the Roman
Catholic Diocese in Orlando
has set a three-month cooling
off period for anyone under the
age of 19 wishing to marry in the
church.
Under the “Youthful Mar
riage Policy,” priests also will
scrutinize teen-agers to see if
they are mature and financially
stable enough to make a success
of marriage.
Adopted Tuesday by the
diocese’s policy-making board,
the program was drawn up by a
committee of priests and
laymen headed by the Rev.
John Bluett, director of the
Diocese’s Family Life Depart
ment.
The diocese, which includes
13 Central Florida counties, has
more than 140,000 members.
Father Bluett estimated that
about 100 to 120 cases a year
TIA
asks for
funds
The Trinity Improvement As
sociation (TIA) delegation was in
Washington to appear at hearings
April 30 before the House and Se
nate Subcommittees on Public
Works.
Congressman Olin E. Teague
met informally with the delegation
on April 29 and then accompanied
the group to the House Subcommit
tee hearing.
The TIA delegation asked the
subcommittee to appropriate the
following monies for a 15-month
period including fiscal year 1976:
— $7.3 million tor Aubrey Lake;
— $265,000 for flood control on
Johnson Creek in Arlington and
Grand Prairie;
— $6.23 million for Lakeview Re
servoir;
— $4.26 million for enlargement
of Lake Lavon;
k-L $1.1 million for the Trinity
River Project which includes a mul
tiple purpose channel, the Tennes
see Colony Lake, West Fork
Floodway and the Dallas Floodway
Extension;
— $248,000 for routine mainte
nance and operation of the Trinity
River Navigation Channel from the
mouth of the river to Liberty,
Texas.
Board to hear
school budget
A public hearing on the A&M
Consolidated School District’s
1975-76 budget will be held Thurs
day at 7 p.m. during a specially cal
led school board meeting.
The meeting will be held at the
A&M Consolidated High School
cafeteria at 701 West Loop South.
Due to miscalculations in the
mailing process, the public will not
be notified through the mail.
A tentative budget will be pre
sented by Bill Lancaster, chairman
of the budget committee, during
the hearing.
We Praise Hie
LORD
SUNDAY
10.45 a m.
and 6 p.m.
.mie
to Celebrate
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LUTHERAN CHAPEL
315 N. Main — 846-6687 BIBLE CLASS
Hubert Beck, Pastor 9:30 a.m.
would be affected by the policy.
He said the right of couples to
marry who gave evidence of
required minimal maturity
would be guaranteed.
“The right to marry is a
natural right of high priority,”
the committee said. It is not,
however, an unrestricted
right. Both Church and State
can establish legitimate restric
tions.
“Such restrictions must be
founded in serious causes,
whereby the proposed mar
riage is shown to be in conflict
with Christian revelation, or
posing a threat to the common
good of society.
The committee said the goal
is to fight divorce “where it be
gins — in hasty or ill-advised
marriages, particularly among
the young. ”
It said 33 percent of all di
vorced couples are teen-agers
and “seven out of 10 marriages
involving teen-agers end in
separation. In teen-age mar
riages where pregnancy was a
factor, 90 percent break up . . .
“Many priests feel helpless
where the legal and the mini
mal spiritual requirements are
met by the couple, but their
youth and-or pregnancy factor
leads the priest to believe that
marriage has little hope for suc
cess.”
Under the policy, couples
seeking marriage “when either
party has not yet reached his or
her 19th birthday’ are re
quired:
—To wait three-months from
the time of their first interview
with a priest to the date of their
marriage.
— Have in-depth interviews
with the priest dealing with
family background, parents’ at
titudes, desire to escape an un
pleasant home situation, pre
gnancy, degree of infatuation.
— To submit to a study by the
church of the couple’s financial
status and its ability to handle
money.
— To attend special instruc
tion and counseling sessions.
— To get written permission
from the diocese’s marriage
court before the ceremony
could be performed.
— To delay setting a firm
wedding date until complying
with all sections of the marriage
policy.
Left-overs salute
graduating boots
The Corps of Cadets salutes its
graduating members Saturday at
Final Review.
A unique military formation, the
review is a bitter-sweet event at
which cadets assume their posi
tions, rank and privileges for
1975-76.
On the first go-around of the
Memorial Student Center drill
field, Corps salutes will be taken by
U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen.
Samuel Jaskilka.
Seniors will be on the reviewing
line for the second corps march-by.
Each unit's seniors will step forward
for “eyes right” as their company or
squadron passes.
Col. Thomas R. Parsons, com
mandant, said corps units will be
assembled on the drill field by 3:20
p. m. “Adjutants call” sounds at 3:30
p.m.
SHOP THE STORE HEAREST YOU FOR ALL YOUR MOTHER'S DAY HEEDS
MOTHER’S DAYMAY 11
UNIVERSITY SQ.
AT
COLLEGE AVE.