Vicar general explains Catholic cemetery policies

Vicar general explainsCatholic cemetery policies
EDITOR:
In response to a Dec 14 letter to the editor, I am writing to explain some of the policies that affect mausoleums in our Catholic cemeteries. The policy has been that only the name of the deceased and the date can be displayed. The intent of the policy is to present and preserve a clean and respectful place of interment. While this is not a universal policy in every cemetery, it is very common.
Our Catholic cemeteries have made significant efforts to honor those men and women who have served our country. When people inquire about purchasing a mausoleum, the marker policy and cemetery rules are explained. In the case in question and in other circumstances, a person who has purchased a crypt can exchange it for an in-ground burial that permits additional information on the marker.
It is my understanding that the cemetery staff explained these options and the opportunity for an exchange is available.
Our Catholic cemeteries are dedicated to the prayerful and respectful care for our beloved dead, and Catholics are encouraged to use a Catholic cemetery when possible.
MONSIGNOR ROBERT J. SIFFRIN
Vicar general
Catholic Diocese of Youngstown
The son of a steel workerhas a point about tariffs
EDITOR:
There has been much talk as of late about foreign steel tariffs.
Before you voice an opinion, let me offer a little story.
I knew a man named Bob who was a hard worker for a certain steel company.
Bob spent 44 years slaving there to help the company assure quality and perhaps make a profit. Many people have wondered why Bob did this for so long ... simple really, he cared.
Well not long ago Bob retired and that's when his life began to fall apart.
You see, the company Bob worked for could no longer compete with foreign steel producers. The company filed for bankruptcy protection, a bad thing for Bob because the stock Bob had in the company was almost worthless. Bob lost $75,000.
He lost all the money he had in a 401(k) type account. The judge said the company could use the money to pay off their debts. Another blow for Bob, he had been paying into this account for years. The company paid NOTHING. Bob lost $80,000 here.
Next we go to Bob's pension. The government tool it over and cut it to just 60 percent of what Bob was entitled to. Then they cut off his life insurance to boot.
Bob became very ill. So what happened next? They cut off his health insurance.
Now for the last straw, the courts approved MILLIONS in bonuses to the failed company's top executives. Naturally this made Bob very upset. He felt he was lied to, kind of stabbed in the back. He was spending his retirement angry, very bitter, feeling he wasted his life there.
Bob lost hope and the joy of retirement we all would like someday to have ourselves. Sad, really.
Bob passed away Dec. 19. Bob is gone. So is his pension -- his wife can't even get what's left. He'll be greatly and sadly missed by all who knew him. None more so than me. He was my father.
ERIC HORNER
Edinburg, Pa.
Thomas, de Souza columnsshow editorial imbalance
EDITOR:
The Vindicator's editorial pages carry a reasonably balanced range of opinion essays six days each week. Sundays are different, unfortunately. This discordance was particularly evident in the Dec. 21 issue, which featured Cal Thomas' piece, "The enslavement from pornography," at the top of the op-ed page. I'm no fan of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner; a legacy to our society is ridiculous. Hefner popularized and commercialized what was already happening as a result of social and economical trends that Mr. Thomas ignores. Equally fatuous is the suggestion that Hefner is somehow responsible for the horrible AIDS epidemic in Southern Africa. Thomas makes some valid points, but they are buried beneath this absurd fulminations.
Across the fold in the same issue was Bertram de Souza, a piece that took about 700 hyperbolic words to tell us that he doesn't like the 3 percent raises given to some YSU administrators recently. Journalistic second-guessing of university compensation actions is standard practice in some communities, but this was an insult to readers' intelligence. The amount of money spent must be balanced against the loss of efficiency that would result if some of these people chose to pursue career opportunities elsewhere. I don't know if the right number would have been zero percent or 3 percent or 6 percent, and I suspect that Mr. de Souza doesn't know that either. In any event, 3 percent raises for 25 people in an organization as large as YSU are small potatoes.
ROBERT D. GILLETTE
Poland
Girard ambulance servicewas asset to the community
EDITOR:
It is with great sadness that we have learned the fate of Girard's ambulance service. We, as the family of Samuel Andello, cannot extend enough our appreciation to the Girard Fire Department. Our husband, father and grandfather, would never have lived as long as he did without the dedication of our ambulance service.
So many times my grandmother made frantic calls in the middle of the night to the Girard Fire Department, and within minutes, they were at her house and reviving my grandfather. Their compassion and genuine care are immeasurable. My grandfather would have died on a cold January night if he would not have had immediate attention by our ambulance crew. Ronnie Hetrick worked on him continually until they arrived at the hospital, and because of his dedication, we had an additional three months with my grandfather. For that, we are eternally grateful.
I had the men and women of the fire department to my home this summer, and again they were at my home within minutes and were kind and compassionate.
We would like to take this moment to personally thank all of you.
The loss of our ambulance service is a tragedy. I am hopeful that the elected officials will see the error that they have made and take immediate action to rectify the same.
VICKIE L. HILL
For the Samuel J. Andello family
Girard