Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 2 January 2004 — Page 13

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2004

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

PAGE B3

REVIEW

► Continued from Page B1 the Dixie Hummingbirds, Junior Townsend. Chris Jones and Christian opera vocalist Sheila Harris Jackson. In regard to promotions, Father Stephan Brown became the new pastor of St. Rita Catholic Church, after the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World elevated Dr. Leonard Scott to the rank of suffragen bishop in January. One of the few downsides of the year arrived in June when New Bethel Baptist Church lost its longtime pastor, Rev. F. Benjamin Davis, who died in June. In'addition. Bishop Woodie White, who served as the first Black bishop of the Indiana Methodist Church, announced his retirement after 11 years of service to accept a teaching position at Emory University in Atlanta. Last year was also a critical year for those in the Islamic community. Members of the American Islamic Society expressed shock at the sudden September resignation of Imam W. Deen Mohammad, the organization’s founder and spiritual leader.

On the local level, Black Muslims celebrated victories that centered on very special trips abroad. In January local members of the American Islamic Society joined over 500 pilgrims from 36 states who traveled to Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia, to observe the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Islamic holy sites. The following June Marion County Judge David Shaheed, a committed Muslim and pillar of community service, joined an interfaith unity delegation who visited Pope John Paul II in Rome. Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, celebrated his 70 ,h birthday in May with the formation of a new foundation named in his honor. Farrakhan, a cancer survivor, said the foundation’s goal would be to reduce the alarming rate of Black men facing prostate cancer. He encouraged men to “not be afraid” of taking the appropriate medical exams. Minister Damon Muhammad and Mosque 74 of Indianapolis experienced steady growth during the final months of 2003.

Subscribe to the Recorder today! Call 924-5143 to find out how.

P.istor John Ramsey, Sr. Senior Pastor 274C Kessler N. Drive Indianapolis, IN 46222 925-8067

New Life Worship Center ‘M /MulChurch W ith , \ Global \ 'ision” Worship Schedule Spnday Morning: 8:00 am 10:00 am Northwest High School • 5525 W. 34th Street 12:00 pm Wednesday Bible Study: 12 Noon kUvv/ Ljf7:00 pm ™ Northwest High School 5525 W. 34th Street

An Affiliate of Eastern Star Church

HEALING

WORD iScWORS'HIl^ ( I Ml K

11 >1 1 a in

Itihle VIn»ol !2 Steps lt»r ( linstians :0\iu,>friti^ Nev, sV Proipetme Mcmlxr < Incnution

III; Is .i m

r r l: a m s

Madame W alker Theater 61" Indiana Avc Indianapolis, IN

W-.ii ship ,Vr\ H’c

\\l DM.SDAY Noon & ":<M) p.m

Ifihle Study

"Living l.iic (>n Purpose" (Purpose Omen Life Stu<l\)

Order Of Service

THIS IS YOUR Persanat JmrUatian

to attend

Pastor Ric & First Lady Sue Thomas 2SM K. IMi Straat Saadey Scbaal IMOaa Maralai Warship ..11:3laa Taasday hrayar 7 Ilya Wad. Mia Out 7:Mya ftaae: 3I7-3771M

New Creation Bible Church

Kevin A. Nichols Pastor Crooked Creek Multi- Service Center 2990 W. 71st Street Sunday School 9 15 am To 10 15 am Morning Worship 10 30 am Prayer & Bible Sludy Thurs 7 00 pm (317) 901-2152 E-Mail kevinnichols@famvid com

A Chance to Testify The Indianapolis Recorder wants to hear about your Acts of Faith. These typed two-page letters should reveal the role faith has played in helping you to overcome any trial or tribulation in your life. Please, provide your signature along with a contact phone number where you may be reached for potential follow-up questions.

Protestants turning more attention to Virgin Mary

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) A renewed interest in the Virgin Mary appears to be sweeping through Protestantism. Articles featured in this month’s issues of several Protestant magazines suggest that the mother of Jesus has been neglected as a biblical heroine for too long. ‘The Protestant church has thrown the baby out with the bath water,” said Joel Green, a MethodisJ minister. “Protestants have had a knee-jerk reaction as a result of veneration of Mary in the Catholic tradition, and for that reason have not taken seriously enough the resources available to us in the stories of Mary.” Green, dean of the School of Theology at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, contributed to the book “Blessed One: Protestant Perspectives of Maty.” It was published by the Westminster John Knox Press last year. Beliefs about Mary, the teenage peasant whom the Bible says was chosen by God to give birth to Jesus, have

traditionally divided Protestants and Roman Catholics. Protestants continue to reject two doctrines popes have declared infallible-that Mary was conceived without sin and that God took her body directly to heaven at the end of her life. Some Protestant scholars say that while they still disagree with elevating Mary to the status of a sinless object of veneration, people should be taking a closer look at her. They describe her as a model who accepted her divine mission without question, urged others to obey Jesus and followed her son to his execution after his male disciples shrunk away. “The fact is, evangelicals often say less about Mary than the New Testament does," writes Timothy George in Christianity Today’s cover story titled “The Blessed Evangelical Mary.” The former professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville is now dean of Beeson Divinity School in Alabama. Articles about Maty are also on the covers of The Lutheran and Good News, a Kentucky-

based publication for Methodists. At St. Meinard Archabbey in southern Indiana. Protestant \isitors have shown more curiosity about Maty , said the Rev. Joseph Cox, a Benedictine monk and the archabbey’s librarian. Some even keep statues ofMaty in their homes, typically a Catholic practice, he said. “Rather than passing over the several (biblical) references to the Blessed Mother, they are looking at it and asking. ‘What is this saying? How can Mary lead me more and more to her son Jesus Christ?” Cox said. Mary Burks Price of Louisville is a Baptist, but visited a retreat run by the Sisters of Loretto in Marion County. At the time, she was angry w ith God over the death of a friend. Then she encountered a moonlit statue of Mary while taking a walk. “When I looked into her face, I saw a kind of mercy," she said. "I felt reconnected with God through her outstretched hands and just her presence. It’s very

affirming to me to know that God used this woman as a means of coming to Earth in the most profound way." Charles Wright, a former Catholic who is a member of Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral in Louisville, said he thinks Catholics used to treat Mary too much like a goddess but now have a more balanced view. His church recently commissioned a painting of Mary for its chapel. “She is in heaven," Wright said. “I feel she watches over us as her children. 1 don’t feel any more discomfort in asking her to pray for me than I would one of my relatives or one of my fellow church members." Still, Protestants are careful about the treatment of Mary in their churches. “We don’t worship Mary,” said the Rev. William Bowling, pastor of Annunciation Catholic Church in Shclbyxille,.which has a sizable Hispanic membership accustomed to devotion to Mary. “She is a member of the saints of God. We honor her for her role. But the only one we worship is God.”

Pope: 'Misunderstood' sense of rights behind movement for civil

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press Writer VATICAN CITY (AP) Pressing his campaign against gay marriage, Pope John Paul II said Sunday that a “misunderstood” sense of civil rights was altering the true sense of marriage and family. John Paul said marriage, which the Vatican defines as a sacred union between man and woman, is a “human and divine” gift that should be defended by society.

“In our times, a misunderstood sense of rights has sometimes disturbed the nature of the family institution and conjugal bond itself,” he said. “It is necessary’ that at every level, the efforts of those who believe in the importance of the family based on matrimony unite." The pope made the comments during his traditional Sunday greeting, reaffirming the Roman Catholic Church’s concept of marriage and the family as it celebrates Christmas and the “holy family” of

Jesus, Mary and Joseph. The pope’s comments came after the Vatican launched a global campaign in July to stem the tide of widening legal recognitibn for same-sex marriages. In Canada, for example, hundreds of gay couples have been married since courts there ruled earlier this year that the definition of marriage as being between a man and woman is discriminatory. Belgium and the Netherlands also have legalized gay marriage. Last month, the highest court

in Massachusetts ruled that it was unconstitutional for the state to bar gay couples from marriage. No states have legalized gay marriage. In July, the Vatican’s orthodox watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a document saying Catholic politicians had a “moral duty” to oppose laws granting legal rights to gay couples, and that non-Catho-lics should follow their lead since the issue concerns ’ ’hatural moral law.”

Abuse victims begin receiving settlement money from archdiocese

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) _ The Archdiocese of Louisville has begun sending checks in a $25.7 million settlement to 243 people who claimed they were sexually abused by some of its priests and employees. The abuse settlement is one of the largest in the nation from the Roman Catholic Church. The archdiocese agreed to the settlement in June. Jefferson County Circuit Judge James M. Shake approved it in August. And

in October, he approved the plan byaCincinnati attorney that separated the plaintiffs into three tiers based on the severity ofthe abused they suffered. Ross Turner, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said that some received the money about a week ago. The 77 victims ofthe most severe forms of abuse _ including rape and sodomy _ received the largest aw'ards, $141,000 to $163,000, Turner said.

The middle category, which included fondling and genital touching, encompassed 160 plaintiffs receiving $71,000 and $92,000, Turner said. The six plaintiffs who fell into the third category, which included lewd behavior and non-genital touching, will get $20,000 to $30,000. Twenty-three ofthe 243 plaintiffs are appealing the sums determined by settlement’s courtappointed administrator, Cincin-

nati attorney MatthewGarretson. An arbitrator will decide how much those plaintiffs receive, Turner said, adding the relatively small number of appeals is “a testament to the plan that Mr. Garretson put out.” “He had worked a long time,” Turner said. “The plan is fair.” PlaintiffJamesB. Corcoran Jr. declined to talk about the amount of his award but said he won’t appeal. The money is “going to help," he said.

AL-ISLAM IN AMERICA

Imam Muslafa Hassain chosen ‘Muslim Man of Hie Year'

By MIKAL SAAHIR

CHICAGO - During the An-

nual Islamic Convention Imam Mustafa Hassain of Pittsburgh was selected as “The Muslim Man of the

Year.”

Imam Hassain was caught a bit off guard when he first heard that he had

been chosen for the honor. “Really, it was surprising to me when the brother mentioned to me about being Man of the Year.” Before recounting many of the accomplishments of the Pittsburgh Islamic community, Imam Hassain with laughter in his voice added, “I asked him, ‘what does a person have to do to become a Man of the Year?”’ He concluded, “I think it is great. I do my best to try and do things that will compensate what the Man of the Year

means.

When Imam Hassain, the former Robert Davenport, joined the Nation of Islam in Detroit in 1.949 he had already established himself as a man of many accomplishments; however, after only hearing the Hon. Elijah

Muhammad speak one time, being an excellent and honorable Muslim became - and has remained - his number one achievement. “One ofthe greatest things (achievements) is just being a Muslim. That is the main thing I’ve been looking for all my life, I believe,” observed Imam Hassain. Some of Imam Hassain’s accomplishments include retiring from professional boxing undefeated wi th 17 wins u nder his bel t. He also played drums professionally with a five-piece combo. His Indianapolis connection is that he played professional baseball in the Negro League with the Indianapolis Clowns in the 1.940s. Upon joining the NOI, Imam Hassain, at the time called Robert X, gave up his promising career as a professional boxer and as a musician; however, he continued playing baseball. Although he never again boxed professionally the imam continued sparring in the gym against pros such as Sugar Ray Robinson. “I use to beat Sugar Ray Robinson." Humbly he added. “I’m not bragging on myself, but they used to call me the uncrowned champion." Joining NOI may have ended his personal music career, hut his

legacy kept him in the company ofmany who were still in the music business. Every band that came to Pittsburgh would stop by and visit him. His visitors included Kool and the Gang, Grant Green a guitarist from St. Louis, Eddie Jefferson, Joe Tex, and the Three Sounds. “Whenever they came through Pittsburgh they would come by and find me.” Hassain is one ofthe few remaining rare sources for firsthand information on Malcolm X. “Malcolm came to me in 1952," Hassain explained. “He came to the FOI (Fruit of Islam) class on Monday night and made it known he had no place to stay.” Even though Hassaip didn’t know him; or anyth ing ab(nit his baekgn>und, I lassain took Malcolm X in to live with him without ever charging him rent. The imam explained. “I lelived with me for threeyears." Hassain, noting that Malcolm was both articulate and streetsmart. kept the youngster in his company. "Malcolm would really talk, he could talk street language. Although 1 Was raised in the streets too, I didn't know that language like he did." In July of 1956 Hassain began establishing the groundwork for a NOI Temple in Pittsburgh. To

maintain his family, Hassain began selling eggs. Not only did his egg business excel as his other endeavors in life had excelled, his egg business allowed for him to bujld contacts in many neighborhoods. , Imam Hassain has served as the leader ofthe Islamic community in Pittsburgh without missing a beat for 47 years during which he witnessed the transition ofthe Nation of Islam from a Black nationalistic expression of Islam to the universal practice of Islam ushered in by Imam W. Deen Mohammed. The selection of Hassain as the Man ofthe Year is long over due. He is one ofthe many unsung pioneer-heroes of the Islamic community in America. He has stood brilliantly, yet quietly as a strong durable believer who has given his all for the growth and development of the proper and best image and reality of true Islamic life. Prophet Muhammed once said, “Whenever a Muslim endeavors to do a thing, he (or she) seeks to perfect it." 1 mam 1 lassain has repeatedly fulfilled that hadith with his stick-to-it-ness, thus earning him the honor of being “The Muslim Man of the Year.”