South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 21, Ed. 1 Friday, November 7, 2003 Page: 2 of 20
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diocese
November 7, 2003
2
South Texas Catholic
Letter ROM tke editor
Happiness not for sale
m
By Georgina Stark
Associate Editor
Have you ever dreamt about win-
ning the lottery and all the things you
would do with the money if you did?
If you say you’ve never really thought
about it, that’s a lie! We all have.
This came true for the middle-aged
housewife and mother of three in a new comedy on BBC
America called “At Home with the Braithwaites.”
The Braithwaites are an average dysfunctional family
from England, whose mother, Alison happens to have
won about $60 million on the lottery Naturally, at first
she’s in shock, then it sinks in and she doesn’t know what
to do with the money
She keeps the win a secret from her family, worried it
will spoil her children and they won’t go off to university
or try and get good jobs if they know their mother is a
multi-millionaire. She keeps it a secret from her husband
because she wants to have something that’s just hers.
So after a lot of agonizing, Alison sets up a founda-
tion to give the money away to good causes. Of course
the rest of the family finds out and they all become more
dysfunctional than they ever were before the big win. The
teenage daughter gets pregnant and moves out, the eldest
daughter falls for her female neighbor then gets kicked
out of university, it comes out that the husband is having
an affair with his secretary and the money drives them all
further apart rather than uniting them in their new found
wealth.
Sounds familiar? Throughout history, often people
with vast sums of cash, although they no longer have
financial worries to deal with, run into to a whole host of
new problems that can be from family disagreements, law
suits and emotional problems, to addiction, breakdowns
and sometimes tragedy. You only have to look at the lives
of many Hollywood celebrities to know that’s true.
Fame and fortune seems to take its toll on most super-
stars. Many end up divorced over and over, in therapy
and checking themselves into $1000 a day rehab clinics
to break an unhealthy addiction. With the price of expen-
sive drugs and parties in swanky hotels as no barrier,
they find it hard to maintain a sense of self-control and
over-indulgence is an all too easy slippery slope. It seems
they can afford it all, except the price of fame.
Now I’m not saying I wouldn’t be jumping for joy if I
suddenly won the lottery, but I think like Alison Braith-
waite I’d panic. I wouldn’t know who to tell, I wouldn’t
really know how to put that kind of money to its best use
or be able to comprehend even what I had. Maybe people
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I hadn’t seen since elementary school might call me up
“just to catch up on old times.” It might cause disagree-
ments in my family if they didn’t think I’d distributed
some of my wealth equally. The jealousy it could cause
might ruin good relationships and leave me feeling alien-
ated. The novelty of riding around in a flashy sports car
and roaming around a big house would wear off soon
with nobody to share it with. I might even invest it all
poorly only to lose it all and find myself worse off than
before. Who knows?
But I do know that money can’t buy you love and it
can’t buy you happiness, (if the source of your unhap-
piness can’t be solved by aquiring something that’s for
sale.) There is no price tag on your health, happiness,
relationships, family, friends, spiritual well-being, sanity
or emotions. It may bring you a whole host of new prob-
lems and not solve many of the old ones you’d hoped it
might.
Many people seemingly have very little in terms of
material wealth, but lead remarkably rich lives. They
donate their time and skills to help others more in need,
are surrounded by a loving family, devote time to their
faith and find happiness from life’s simple pleasures. It is
these people who are an example to us all that the most
fulfilling lives are ones we create for ourselves through
our choices and relationships, and not through our pur-
chases.
It’s very easy to believe in our consumer driven society
that the material things we strive for will turn our lives
into a happily ever after. Unfortunately that’s not the
case, and the only things that can really do that can’t be
bought, or of course, life would be so easy. This is the
realization of Alison Braithwaite in a TV fictional story
and of many wealthy people the world over. Throughout
history people have been discovering first hand the con-
troversy and pain such wealth can bring and shatter the
commonly held belief that a very rich life is necessarily a
very happy life.
South Texas Catholic
Bishop
Edmond Carmody
Publisher
Georgina A. Stark
Associate Editor
Father Paul Hesse
Theological Consultant
Paula J. Goldapp
Bditor
Joe P. Hardeman
Advertising Representative
The South Texas Catholic cannot beheld liable, or in any way responsible
for the content of any advertisement appearing within these pages. All
claims, offer guarantees, statements, etc,, madeby South Texas Catholic
advertisers are solely the responsibility of the advertiser. Deceptive
or misleading advertising is never knowingly accepted. Complaints
regarding advertising should be made directly to the advertiser or to
the Better Business Bureau.
(ISSN 0745-9343).
Published semi-monthly Jan. 1-Dec, 31; by the Diocese of Corpus Christi
for $12 per year. Office address: 620 Lipan., Corpus Christi, TX 78401,
(361)882-6191, FAX(361)883-2556. E-mail: stc@diofceseec.org. Periodical
postage paid in Corpus Christi,Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to SOUTH TEXAS CATHOLIC, 620 Lipan, Corpus Christi, TX 78401-2434.
Bishop’s Calendar
Nov/Dec 2003
Nov. 7-13 - Washington, DC, USCCB Mtg.
Nov. 14-15 - Houston, National Catholic Youth Con-
ference
Nov. 16 - Corpus Christi, St. Paul the Apostle, Mass,
8:30, 11:00 a.m.
Nov. 18 - Corpus Christi, Cathedral, Christus Spohn
Hospice 20th Anniversary Mass, 12:00 p.m.
Nov. 19 - Corpus Christi, Chancery, Presbyteral
Council, 10:00 a.m.
Nov. 20 - Corpus Christi, Chancery, Taping “Our
Shepherd’s View,” 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 21 - Corpus Christi, Ss. Cyril & Methodius
School Mass, 8:05 a.m.
Nov. 22 - Corpus Christi, Cathedral, Ordination to
permanent diaconate, 10:00 a.m; Corpus Christi, Ron-
ald McDonald House Gala, 6:00 p.m.
Nov. 23 - Fulton, St. Peter, Mass, 10:00 a.m; Tynan,
St. Francis Xavier, Mass, 2:30 p.m; Skidmore, Immac-
ulate Conception, Rededication of the Church, Mass,
6:00 p.m.
Nov. 24 - Corpus Christi, Bay front Plaza, Head Start
Conference, 3:30 p.m.
Nov. 25 - Corpus Christi, Incarnate Word Academy
School Mass, 10:00 a.m; Corpus Christi, First United
Methodist Church, Ecumenical Service, 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 27 - Thanksgiving Day, Chancery closed
Nov. 28 - Thanksgiving Holiday, Chancery closed
Dec. 1 — Corpus Christi, Maxine Sommers’ Christmas
gathering, 6 p.m.
Dec. 2 — Corpus Christi, Kenedy Memorial Foun-
dation Executive Committee Mtg., 8 a.m; Corpus
Christi, Chancery, Taping “Our Shepherds View,” 1:30
p.m.
Dec. 3 — Gregory, Immaculate Conception, Mass for
International priests, 11 a.m; Kingsville, Jean Claire
Turcotte, Christmas gathering, 6 p.m.
Dec. 4 — Corpus Christi, Cathedral Hall, Priests’ Study
Day, 10 a.m; Corpus Christi, Retired Priests’ luncheon,
12 noon; Corpus Christi, Emmanuel Chapel, Pastoral
Ministries Mass, 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 5 - Corpus Christi, Chancery, Diocesan Depart-
ment Head Mtg,. 9:30 a.m; Corpus Christi, Chancery,
Diocesan Staff Mass, 11:30 a.m; Corpus Christi,
Bishop’s Residence, Christmas gathering for priests,
deacons, women and men religious, staff and volun-
teers.
Give the Priceless Gift of Priesthood
Our seminarians today are your priests tomorrow...
Invest in them for the sake of your future!
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Make checks payable to Diocese of Corpus Christi Seminary Burse Fund and mail to:
Bishop Edmond Carmody
P.O. Box 2620
Corpus Christi, TX 78403-2620
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Goldapp, Paula J. South Texas Catholic (Corpus Christi, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 21, Ed. 1 Friday, November 7, 2003, newspaper, November 7, 2003; Corpus Christi, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth856035/m1/2/: accessed July 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .