By Paula Day

In an interfaith outreach to the Jewish community, Archbishop John F. Donoghue addressed the congregation of Temple Emanu-El in Dunwoody Sept. 25.

At Rabbi Stanley Davids' invitation, the archbishop spoke on the topic of conveying family values during a break in Yom Kippur services. Following the address, Archbishop Donoghue and Rabbi Davids fielded questions from the congregation.

In his prepared talk, Archbishop Donoghue alluded to the recent breakthrough in Israeli-Palestinian relations, saying, "I truly feel that the forces who are seeking to find a peaceful solution in the conflicts of that area ... are teaching a valuable moral lesson for all of us, but in particular, to our young people.

"For at the bottom of all the efforts to bring peace to Israel," the archbishop observed, "are to be found ... the desire to live in safety, the desire to have a home of one's own, the desire to engage in fulfilling work, the desire to raise children to provide for one's self a posterity..."

"Even if these efforts should fail," the archbishop said, "the effort to succeed is what will be remembered best and certainly will inspire our young people the most."

Archbishop Donoghue told his audience adults have a "special duty" to young people to be examples of faith in God.

"We cannot necessarily get our young people to do what we want them to do at this moment ... but in the context of a lifetime, almost all children who have witnessed good example will in time yield to the desire to follow that example... We can impart values and revitalize fundamental morality by being firm and consistent in our example."

"There is no real way to give life to fundamental values," he concluded, "except by living those values and being seen to live those values. The young will do what they see, and what they see must be the best that we can offer."

In the question and answer period a concern was voiced about making religion relevant without sacrificing values. The archbishop pointed out that the essence of religion is relevant. Since the Second Vatican Council, however, the Catholic Church has tried to make its celebration of liturgies more relevant by making them more participatory.

Other questions revolved around the place of dialogue between faith communities.

Archbishop Donoghue noted that people from different faiths are at least now able to talk to each other, something that was not always the case several decades ago. Such dialogue leads to cooperation, which is necessary if religious values are going to have an influence on society. "We can't do it (influence society) on our own," he concluded.

Responding to a concern about avoiding the blurring of one's religious identity and thus losing its uniqueness, the archbishop said he believed the answer was in building on likenesses without compromising what is unique.

One questioner asked what the Catholic Church was doing to involve parents in the teaching of their children. The archbishop admitted adult religious education classes are not well attended and he sees that as a real problem. However, alluding to the closing comment in his prepared remarks, he said adults must set a good example.