Time traveling to past, present, future

Several pages of this week's issue of The Evangelist look into the past, assay the present and glimpse the future -- all at once. We accomplish that time-traveling feat by featuring articles about three significant events: the ongoing celebration of the Albany Diocese's Sesquicentennial, a listening session for young adults and a rally for teen Catholics.

The peek into the past, which we have been taking every week this year as our contribution to the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese, comes in the form of a profile of a major shrine (Auriesville) and some other items that recapture the past.

Past and present then combine in three pages about St. Joseph, whose feast is May 1; the Blessed Mother, who is honored during this month; and St. Adalbert, who died 1,000 years ago. Although they lived in the past, they are far from being forgotten figures of history. Indeed, they are inspirations for the ages, including our own day.

Present and future intermingle on the front page in both Bishop Howard J. Hubbard's monthly column and in a feature article about young adult Catholics, and on pages 14-15 in the story and photos about the Sesquicentennial Youth Rally, held last weekend at Siena College in Loudonville. Young adult and teenage Catholics represent the future of the Church, of course; but they are also its life today.

The accounts of these gatherings provide much hope for the future of the Faith and much enthusiasm about its present vitality. As we continue to celebrate our past during the Sesquicentennial, we also move through the present into the future -- or, as the Sesquicentennial slogan has it: We are "honoring tradition, discovering tomorrow."

(05-01-97) [[In-content Ad]]