1986-04-18

              NEWS

¦o

D»

(Q

(D

MINN. SEN. COLLIN PETERSON ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY FOR CONGRESS

(D

O

0)

State Senator Collin Peterson (DFL-Detroit Lakes) today announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Congress from Minnesota's 7th Congressional District,

Beginning his campaign swing at his cousin's farm in Clay County, Peterson called the current Administration's farm policy a "prescription for disaster" and said the district needed a Congressman who would stand up to the Administration and Congress and "fight to protect our rural way of life."

Attacking his Republican opponent, Arlan Stangeland, for being insensitive and ineffective in solving critical problems in the 7th District, Peterson said, "While he was in Washington writing a farm bill that lowers prices and voting for Gramm-Rudman which further reduces support payments, I was in St. Paul writing and passing a bill that gives 16% in property tax relief to farmers,"

Peterson is a ten-year veteran of the State Senate where he has established a reputation as an effective and innovative legislator. Serving on the Senate Agriculture Committee, he has used his farm background and his financial management skills to modify the tax system for farmers, to create new jobs in agriproc-essing, and to improve the availability of farm credit.

During his Senate career, he authored and passed numerous pieces of legisla-

Sadat continued from page 1

While at Saint John's, Mrs. Sadat toured the Hill Monastic Manuscript Library (HMML). One of the largest repositories of microfilmed manuscript collections in the world, HMML will be the beneficiary of the "One World" concert was presented Monday, April 14 at 8:30 p.m. in the Ordway Music Theatre of St. Paul.

The "One World" event is a unique poetic and musical collaboration between Mrs. Sadat and Minn, composer Libby Larsen. Entitled "Coming Forth Into Day," the concert featured Mrs. Sadat reading poetry, of her own writing or selection, concerning the human struggle for world understanding. Larsen composed the musical score expressly for "One World."

The music was performed by the Plymouth Festival Chorus and Orchestra under the direction of Philip Brunelle. Proceeds from the concert will be used exclusively to build the endowment of the Hill Library at Saint John's.

"We are happy to welcome Mrs. Sadat to Saint John's," said University President Rev. Hilary Thimmesh, OSB. "Her visit underlined the growing resources of HMML for the study of civilization. By conferring an honorary degree on her, we wish to recognize her standing as an advocate of international understanding arid peace."

Library continued from page 1

library collections, will be installed in the new building, permitting users on either campus, from any location, to search the catalog for a particular item.

A computer study center will include both micro-computers and terminal hooked up to the academic computer. Adjacent areas will provide opportunities to access video disks, electronic publishing technology and print-on-demand units.

reduce the tax burden on Minnesota citizens. He is the author of the Minnesota super fund bill to clean up toxic wastes. In 1986, he sponsored a bill that challenges the Federal Government's right to locate nuclear waste disposal sites in Minnesota by requiring an affirmative vote of the legislature before a site can be chosen.

As Chairman of the Senate Fish and Wildlife Committee, Peterson has been the chief author of virtually all of Minnesota's major wildlife, sporting and conservation bills for the past 10 years. He has initiated a new and innovative proposal for protecting wetland and habitat areas on farm property not currently in use for agricultural production. In 1981, Peterson was named Conservationist of the Year by the Minnesota Nature Conservatory, and in 1982 the Conservation Foundation named him Legislator of the Year for his work in conservation legislation. In 1984, Peterson ran as the DLF candidate in the 7th Congressional District. . Peterson is a life-long resident of the 7th District, growing up on his parents' farm in rural Clay County. He is a Certified Public Accountant and the father of three sons: Sean, 19; Jason, 17; and Elliot, 14.

Other media stops were made at Be-midji State University in Bemidji and

WING TO HOUSE 50 ADDITIONAL STUDENTS

Groundbreaking for the new $750,000 addition to the College of St. Benedict's Richarda Hall dormitory was Friday at 4:00 p.m. Miller Construction of St. Cloud is the general contractor.

The new wing will house 50 students. That means that in the fall of 1986, 84 percent of CSB's student body will live on campus.

"St. Benedict's has a long tradition of being a residential college," said S. Emmanuel Renner, CSB President. "There is a direct correlation between the quality of living which students experience on a campus and the quality of education they receive.

"The fact that we continue to build at a time when many other colleges are cutting back speaks well of our college's confidence in the future," continued Renner, noting also the new $5 million Clemens Library that will open on cam-us this fall.                              ______

Htt

\

NEXT CABLE DEADLINE APRIL 27

Eleanor Larabee and Danforth Toan of Warner, Burns, Toan, and Lunde of New York were the architects. The firm has designed libraries at Cornell University, Brown University, Oberlin College and Sarah Lawrence College, as well as the John P, Robarts in Toronto, the largest academic library in the world. • Witcher Construction of New Hope, Minn., is the general contractor.

Dedication for the Clemens Library is Saturday, September 13.

4-$**

mm®.







M/:'

Is

"Mary" continued from page 1

some people feel the reality of the Mary tradition has implied. According to feminist theologian Kari Borresen, "The figure of Mary is a patriarchal construct; virgin, wife, mother, and adjunct to the male. She embodies the essential connection between femininity and subordination forged by the patriarchal mindset." These are strong words that, because of the lack of evidence of Mary's Immaculate Conception in the Gospels, question how such an oppressive nature of the Mother of Jesus has been adopted in the Catholic traditoin.

The strong accusations and negative criticisms of "Hail Mary" illustrate how Mary has been stereotyped into an image that exalts the mythical spiritual feminine ideals of obedience, submis-siveness, and purity. The good feminine established by men, in the Mary tradition does not fully honor the dignity of her womanhood. A Christian tradition which honors Mary for her devotion and obedience to a male-imaged God has significant social implications to the image of Mary as the ideal role model, especially for women.

Have we forgotten the humanity of Mary? Didn't she struggle and question her call to bear the Son of God? (Lk 1:28-35) lam not trying to devalue the sacredness of Mary in the Christian tradition. On the contrary, by realizing the true nature of her womanhood, 1 find her role in redemption more meaningful and virtuous.

Mary, according to tradition, gave birth to the Messiah while remaining a virgin to establish the truth that Jesus was conceived from the Divine. Has such a peak in woman's role in the history of the Redemption been left simply as the abstinence from sex? Our tradition has overlooked the symbolism of Mary's  virginity.  Being  a  virgin

m

m



C-V

2

(D

I

¦n 5!

0)

staining from sexual activity, but her autonomy and independence from men. She was never subject to her husband Joseph. Furthermore, we must recognize that God the Creator invited Man to freely choose motherhood, which liberated her from a patriarchal structure of marriage.

For Mary to be a realistic role model for people today, a feminist perspective is needed in incorporating a redefined role of Mary in Church Tradition. We need to credit Mary (and other women biblical figures) with the equality she deserves as a true disciple; a disciple who heard the call of God, kept it, and lived it out.

The movie "Hail Mary" characterized Mary as a REAL woman, who lived an unglorified life as did the historical Mary of Nazareth; a woman with her own struggles, yet remaining faithful to her call, thus becoming a symbol of freedom and hope for all who suffer. The offense taken by Catholics to a film which, to me, was refreshing and liberating, reinforces the idea of a need for a reformation of a Mary tradition from a feminist perspective. What is needed is for us to imagine a renewed tradition about the nature of Mary and women; a tradition which Elizabeth A. Johnson from Catholic University of America outlines in her article "Marion Tradition and Reality of Women." Johnson's reformation calls for a "non-stereotypical understanding of the nature of woman, one which recognizes the values of autonomy, integrity of conscience, courage, correct use of power, the goodness of female sexuality, self-assertion, and the relations of motherhood to sisterhood." Until Mary's image is incorporated into tradition as a woman of faith, intelligence, strength and wholeness, will she be a realistic image of women's nature as disciples and

00

CO 00

mother does not just symbolize her ab-     a symbol of hope for all?

Reference: Elizabeth A. Johnson, "The Marion Tradition and The Reality of Women," in Horizons; The Journal of the College Theology Society. (Spring 1985) pp. 116-135.