News Briefs

Nothing Sacred leaves the air

Though critically acclaimed for its sensitive portrayal of a Catholic urban parish in the 1990s, and probably a candidate for an Emmy award, the ABC-TV dramatic series, "Nothing Sacred," has been yanked from the screen. Four more episodes were completed and scheduled to air, on themes of a Jewish-Christian wedding, sexual abuse by the clergy, contraception, and "Felix Culpa," a moving depiction of the Easter Vigil. A fifth installment, about an HIV-positive gay priest, extolled by Andrew Greeley in a New York Times essay for its superb realism, was ready last fall but never shown. Supporters of the show argue that the show's low ratings occurred because ABC scheduled it opposite top-rated shows on Thursday, then moved it to Saturday, then dropped it for weeks. The program never had a chance to develop a regular audience. To contact ABC about televising the finished episodes, or further developing the show, write to Robert Iger, President, ABC, Inc., 77 W. 66th St., New York NY 10023. Send copies to the head of Disney, which owns ABC: Michael Eisner, 500 S. Buena Vista, Burbank CA 91521.

Seamless Garment
by Dan Berrigan

The beauty of the "seamless garment" image!
no one, not one
exposed to the rude winds of the world,
No one, however lorn or lost, out in the cold!

No one rejected, no one unwanted!
the unborn, the aged, ill, condemned,
the expendable, "lives of no worth" --
no matter the tag,
everyone matters!

If these are expendable, who is precious?
No one expendable!

Everyone wrapped in a vast enfolding embrace,
a garment designed by God
bequeathed to us --
we wear it proudly,
tend it, repair it,
cherish it, design it anew,
yes -- lend it, offer it everywhere!
a baptismal robe for the twice-born,
the woof and warp of our humanity!