The 33rd International Wanderer Forum In Review Special to the Forum Focus "There can be no mistake that [God] is sending us out into a war" against the powers of evil. "Our militancy derives from our insistence on truth." Fr. John Perricone's words captured the spirit of the 33rd International Wanderer Forum, October 27-29, in Washington, D.C., which featured as speakers many countercultural activists under the theme, "Catholic Action 2000: Today's Soldiers of Christ." With proclaiming the truth of Christ as their motivation, many of the "soldiers" at this landmark Forum discussed their daunting apostolates - in broadcasting, teaching, journalism, art - in a world which glorifies evil as good. Msgr. John F. McCarthy from Rome, who spoke at an early Forum in 1967, returned to provide an overview of the task before the Forum's soldiers and to urge them not to lose hope. In the initial address of the Forum on Friday afternoon, Al Matt Jr., editor and publisher of The Wanderer, described the true nature of Catholic action as under the direction of a bishop. However, he reminded listeners, sometimes independence - particularly in the field of journalism - is essential to spread the truth. The Wanderer's independence has been costly, he added, in the isolation from other Catholic media, which more or less follow the direction of the local bishop, right or wrong, on issues - feminism, church renovation, liturgical abuse - facing the Church today. The role of The Wanderer, he concluded, is to report the news accurately, comment on the news in the light of Church teaching, and inform readers about true principles of Catholic action. Catholic programming on radio is becoming increasingly accessible and popular, according to Vince Heuser, a Louisville attorney who is a general partner of station WLCR which operates in that locality. Many people had told him "It can't be done" when he first thought of the idea, but with a friend and many prayers, the station got off the ground. The station uses tapes of conferences, material from other Catholic stations, and produces local programming. "Be the leader," Heuser told his audience. "Trust in the Holy Spirit" and put "Catholic knowledge to use in a form people can use." He reminded listeners that "saving souls is the bottom line." The possibility of martyrdom as a result of Catholic action was examined by syndicated columnist Joseph Sobran in his talk "Keeping the Faith in America" at the Friday night dinner. "The martyrs didn't intend to start a new civilization," Sobran said. "That was only a remote, accidental, far-off and unforeseeable byproduct of doing their immediate duty. All they were conscious of was trying to remain faithful to Christ as their bodies were being torn apart." He continued, "My point is that martyrdom is normative for Catholics….If nothing else, we can honor them for being what we should be. Even if we can't accept the extremes of physical suffering, which are rare, we can meet the little daily tests of witnessing the faith in spite of human respect…. " As Catholic parents, our duty is to raise martyrs. That is, to instill in our children the conviction that the most important thing they can do is to bear witness to Christ, no matter what." Addressing the topic, "I Tell You If These Were Silent, The Very Stones Would Cry Out," Mother Mary Assumpta Long, foundress and superior of the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, told listeners the question of "when do we speak and when do we remain silent" has troubled God's faithful people since biblical times. Man must speak, Sister went on, when the honor of God or good of a neighbor requires it; for fraternal correction and evangelization. Holiness of life needs no words, Sister added, saying it is manifested in the silence of personal sanctity and reception of the sacraments. One must "break the silence" when truth is assailed. One way of speaking the truth is through Catholic lawyers who are grounded in their Faith. Development of such experts in law and faith is the goal of Ave Maria School of Law, which is in its inaugural year, said Dean Bernard Dobranski. The law has done the most to transform the country into its current degraded state," he said, citing abortion and euthanasia. But there is growing opposition to these evils and truly "Catholic lawyers are in a great position to lead." Reminding listeners that as the Church Militant, "we are the ones God has sent to go out and teach," Joseph Scheidler, who has been on the front lines of pro-life work for over 20 years, urged the fight continue in faith, hope and charity. "If our faith is strong, we will have strong actions. We are like the stewards at Cana. We do what Jesus tells us to do," leafleting, writing letter; "let Jesus turn your water to wine." Hope "keeps us young," he said and charity is the most important, motivating all to love and pray for those who do evil in abortion. In his talk, "Putting Militancy Back Into the Church Militant," Fr. John Perricone, founder of the lay organization Christifidelis, urged his audience to take the term Church Militant seriously. "Our militancy derives from our insistence on truth….We are guarding a fixed position….Continue your assaults on fortress modernism." "We must reclaim the family for God, said Mrs. Cornelia Ferreira, director of Canadians for Faith and Family. "We need Catholic action in the home" through devotions, Mass attendance, and a family life guarded against outside pagan influences. Architecture reflects faith, and the "need to break with the past" in the '40s and '50s in Church architecture has contributed to today's crisis of faith, according to Michael Rose, author of the Renovation Manipulation. It set the stage for the upheaval of the '60s and '70s which saw the removal of kneelers and statues, all of which was in contradiction to the spirit of Vatican II. Now, he said, "Younger pastors realize that the people want to go back to Catholic furnishings." Artist Matthew Brooks echoed these sentiments in his Sunday talk, "Reconversion: Sacred Art as Catholic Action." "In a properly done church, your eyes rest on something that brings you back to God," he said. God is "objective truth and He is objective beauty," Brooks said. Art must convey this beauty. The springtime of the church is coming on the refreshing winds of Catholic action, according to Fr. Kenneth Baker, editor of Homiletic and Pastoral Review. In his talk, "Catholic Action Today," Fr. Baker said Vatican II promoted the participation of the all the faithful in evangelization, particularly in apostolates such as publishing, print and broadcast journalism. Twentieth century martyrs Maximillian Kolbe and Miguel Pro were "ordained to do battle with the forces of the world…with the spiritual weapons won for us by our Lord," Dr. Thomas Droleskey told his audience. Kolbe faced Europe's secularism with his devotion to the Immaculata and Pro defied religious persecution to bring the sacraments to his people in Mexico. For their fidelity to truth, Kolbe earned his martyr's crown in 1941 in a Nazi death camp; Pro was shot by a firing squad in 1927. The fidelity of these two Catholic activists serve as examples to sue in the new Cold War described by the Forum's final speaker, Terence Jeffrey, editor of Human Events. "At stake in this war is the soul of America," Jeffrey said. "American Catholics cannot make a détente with the culture of death….Catholics have to speak out."