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Farewell, William Tenn. And, Thanks
Fans of classic science fiction will be saddened to hear that one of its most imaginative writers has passed. In the 1950s and 1960s, William Tenn stood with pioneers like Theodore Sturgeon in creating vivid scenarios of mind-blowing alien worlds in novels and stories that illuminated emotional, political and ethical issues of good old humanity. Tenn was a pseudonym for Philip Klass. His particular contribution to the Golden Age was a willingness to put humor at center stage. (My favorite story of his: “On Venus, Have We Got a Rabbi.”)
His death on Sunday, a few months short of his 90th birthday, is a blow to sci-fi. Condolences to his wife Fruma (herself an award-winning writer) and daughter Adina. But the loss also extends to those who never did manage to crack his novel about an extraterrestrial race with seven sexes.
After living a scuffling life of a freelance sci-fi writer in Greenwich Village for many years, Klass joined the faculty of Penn State in the mid-’60s. He was instrumental in encouraging the careers of fiction writers and journalists like David Morrell, who dedicated his debut novel, First Blood, to his mentor — that’s right — the book that unleashed Rambo.
Those who took his creative writing classes and waited outside his office or his home for a personal critique of their work — Klass was always booked for more meetings than a 24-hour day could handle — got tough-love assessments, and a dare to do better. Coming from a pro, that meant a lot.
I was one of those students, an English lit major in the grad program slowly grasping that I was not destined for academia. In his lengthy comment on the first story I handed in for his class, Klass began, “Well, at least you can write,” and proceeded to eviscerate almost every line of my work.
No matter — I could write! Klass helped get me an internship at the local newspaper — something not usually done for grad students. During my semester at the Centre Daily Times I covered a science fiction conclave held at the university and saw first-hand the massive esteem with which giants in the field like Frederick Pohl regarded Klass/Tenn. With his encouragement, I left State College with hopes of making a living with my typewriter. (Computers were a few years away.)
Fortunately, William Tenn’s work, all of which breaks out of the genre with his unique generosity of spirit, survives. His fiction is collected in two volumes, both in print: Immodest Proposals and Here Comes Civilization. But I’ll always remember Phil Klass for a sentence he wrote about a callow short story from a student with deeply buried potential: At least you can write.
God knows where I would have wound up without hearing that.
Home page photo courtesy The Official Home Page of Science Fiction Writer William Tenn
Communication from the Metropolitan Curia of Bialystok on the case of Eucharistic phenomena in Sokółka
Metropolitan Curia of Bialystok announces that the Ecclesial Commission appointed by Archbishop Edward Ozorowski (on 30 March 2009) to investigate the phenomena of the Eucharist in Sokółka has just completed its work. It examined and interrogated the witnesses and the pathomorphology experts. Here follow conclusions.
1. On 12 October 2008 a consecrated Host fell out of hands of priest distributing Holy Communion. He has picked It up and placed in the vasculum in tabernacle. After the Mass, vasculum with contents has been transferred to the safe in sacristy.
2. On 19 October 2008 after opening the safe one could see a red stain on the Host, giving the impression of being the blood stain.
3. On 29 October 2008 the vessel with Host was transferred to the tabernacle in the chapel of the rectory. Next day The Host has been removed from the water and placed on the corporal in the tabernacle.
4. On 7 January 2009 the sample from the Host has been taken and examined independently by two professionals in pathomorphology of Medical University in Bialystok. They have issued a common statement as follows: "the sample sent to assess (...) in our opinion (prof. Maria Sobaniec-Lotowska and prof. Stanislaw Sulkowski) looks like the myocardial tissue, at least of all the tissues of living organisms it most resembles."
5. The Commission found that the Host, which was sampled for the assessment is the same that has been moved from the sacristy to the tabernacle in the chapel of the rectory. Third party intervention was not found.
Files of this case has been submitted to the Apostolic Nunciature in Warsaw.
The Case of Sokolka does not oppose to the faith of the Church, rather confirms it. Church believes that the words of consecration, by the power of the Holy Spirit, transform a bread into the Body of Christ and wine into His Blood. It also provides a call to ministers of the Holy Communion to distribute the Body of Christ with faith and attention and to faithful - to receive It with reverence.
Fr. Andrzej Kakareko
Chancellor
I was able to find a photo [left] of Fr Adrzej (Andrew) Kakareko from the website of St. John the Baptist parish of Bialystok. He is listed as "Chancellor of the Curia, Archbishop of Bialystok and official of the Court". This seems redundant as I think any member of the Curia would be referred to as "an official of the Court".
It's difficult to paste the news reports I've been finding because of technical limitations but I've been reading reports that this particular area, statistically speaking, is rich in vocations and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. There is some local skepticism, however people seem to be very open-minded for the time being, based on what I am reading. Also, one Polish Catholic commentator noted that this is not really a time of serious social upheaval in this area. Take that for whatever it's worth. One priest noted, and rightly so, that the real miracle is the Eucharist itself.
I will post that snippet for you below....via ekai.pl, but again, this translation is a bit fuzzy, via Google:
The text examines the case of the miracle of the Eucharist, which was to happen in the Bialystok Sokółka.
In the article we find such interviews with residents Sokolka.
Olszewski says that the "miracle" did not provoke the normal movements in these moments.
- Christian is obliged to accept what is revealed in word and action of God in Scripture and Tradition. Construction shaken faith, speaking of miracles, not about the Gospel - Fr convincing. . Grzegorz Rys, theologian and Church historian, in an interview published in Tygodnik Powszechny.
- The real miracle is the Eucharist itself - says the priest. - Some say that the world needs this kind of character, for example, because the Eucharist is in many ways the profane. Others say that mature faith does not need these signs.
Not wartościowałbym these reactions - says Fr. Ryś.
- But most important not to bring faith to the level of fantasy.
The recognition accuracy of special Eucharistic miracles far more important is trust in the Word of Christ, which leads to Eucharistic communion with God and our brothers in the community of the Church - he adds.
For more on Eucharistic miracles, see the website of the Real Presence Eucharistic Education and Adoration Association
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