Southern cross. (Savannah, Ga.) 1963-2021, February 23, 1963, Image 1

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Southern cross., February 23, 1963, Image 1

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Newspaper Page Text» BISHOP ADDRESSES MINISTERS- Pictured at the meet ing of the Chatham County Ministerial Association are (L-R) Bishop McDonough, Rev. R. F. Hoover, Chaplain Ben Walters. - (Savannah News-Press-Gene Taggart) WECKIY NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH folHlt SINE PEO Illinois Birth Control Aid Rabbi, Minister, Bishop Chide High Court Vol. 43, No. 23 10c Per Copy — $3 A Year Teaching sisters and layteachers of the Diocese's elementary schools pose at two day institute. Seated in foreground are left to right, Rt. Rev. Msgr. Andrew J. McDonald; Rt. Rev. Msgr. Thomas A. Brennan, pastor of host parish; the Most Rev. Thomas J. McDonough; and Rev. John Cuddy, Superintendent of Diocesan Schools. Materialism And Secularism i Threaten Democracy In US Ministerial Association Hears Bishop McDonough SAVANNAH--His Excellen cy, The Most Reverend Thom- * as J. McDonough was the guest speaker at the February meet ing of the Chatham County Min isterial Association on Monday, Feb. 18th. He was accom panied by the Rt. Rev. Msgr. Andrew J. McDonald, Savannah Chancellor. Members of another local protestant clergy group, The Savannah Protestant Minis terial Association also attended the meeting, along with Hunter Air Force Base Chaplains in cluding the Rev. George O. Murtagh (Capt.) Catholic chap lain. The meeting was under the ■ direction of the Rev. Francis X. Walter, Vicar of Savannah's Holy Apostles Episcopal Church and President of the Chatham County group. The invocation was delivered by the Rev. Curtis Derrick, pastor of the Lutheran Church of the Ascension in Savannah, and President of the Savannah Ministerial Associa tion. Bishop McDonough charac terized his talk as a “personal look’’ at the Second Vatican Council. “This council was called, not simply to effect some par ticular change or changes in Catholic practice,’’ he said. “An ecumenical council would not have been necessary for that.’’ “Pope Pius XII liberalized the laws concerning the Eucha ristic fast for the universal church, and he did so without convoking a council—he re stored the ancient Easter Lit urgy throughout the Latin Rite Church, and he did so without convoking a council,” he decla red. Bishop McDonough said it is “almost impossible” not to see “the workings of the Holy Spirit in the calling of the council as well as in its work thus far.” When Pope John XXIII suddenly announced his in tention of convoking a council of the world’s Catholic bishops, while visiting the Church of St. Paul outside the Walls at Rome, “he, himself, declared that he had been inspired by the Holy Spirit of God to do so,” said the Bishop. “And how else but through the working of the Holy Spirit can we explain the fact that people of virtually all Faiths and their religious leaders have prayed and are praying so ear nestly for the success of the Second Vatican Council,” he added. Bishop McDonough said Pope John envisioned the council as “the opening of a window, which lets in not only the light, but also fresh air, to refresh and invigorate all.” “It is the Holy Father’s in tent and the purpose of the coun cil to present the age-old doc trines of the Church in a way that will make them more easi ly known and understood by all,” he said. He lauded the “observers from other churches” who at tended the council proceedings and expressed “deep gratitude (Continued on Page 6) PRAY FOR OUR PRIESTLY DEAD VERY REVEREND MICHAEL CULLINAN Feb. 23, 1877 Oh God, Who didst give to thy servants by their sacredotal office, a share in the priest hood of the Apostles, grant, we implore, that they may- also be one of their company forever in heaven. Through Christ Our Lord, Amen. NEW YORK, (NC)--Secularism and materialism pose a grave threat to American democracy, a Catholic bishop, a rabbi and a Congregationalist minister have agreed. Bishop John J. Wright of Pittsburgh, Rabbi Louis Finkel- stein of the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York, and Rob ert E. Fitch of the Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, Calif., express their views in separate interviews published in a pamphlet by the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions of the Fund for the Republic here. The pamphlet is one of a series the center has pub lished in its study of “Ameri can character.” Donald Mc Donald, dean of the College of Journalism at Marquette Un iversity, Milwaukee, conducted the interviews. Bishop Wright sees grounds for ‘ grave concern” in impli cations of the U.S. Supreme Court's June, 1962, decision barring official prayers and religious exercises from pub lic schools and at lower court decisions on laws dealing with pornography, narcotics and prostitution. Warning about moral liber alism, he said that forcing a wide distinction between legal ity and morality leaves the na tion open to a “dreadful har vest” if the "glib dismissal of any moral implications in the Dispensation Feb. 22nd A dispensation is granted from the law of abstinence on George Washington's birthday, Friday, February 22nd. areas of legal obligation be comes the permanent pattern of our national Jaw.” He said; “aggressive secu larism” is behind the trend to ward such a pattern. “They for get,” he said, “that unless the Lord build, they labor in vain who strive to build the human city.” “We tend at the moment, I think, to be too facile about the overly sharp distinction be tween what is legal and what is moral. Sometimes the Su preme Court seems too eager to say that it cannot define concepts like ‘blasphemy’ or ‘obscenity’ and so cannot rule on questions involving these concepts.” Bishop Wright said he fears that “as excesses of authori tarianism historically lead to extremes of libertarian reac tion, so the present extremes of libertarianism will lead to a conservative reaction, even a reactionary conservatism.” Rabbi Finkelstein related secularism’s impact on public education. “Our colleges,” he said, “are the seats of great spiritual confusion.” Teaching religion in tax- supported institutions is not permitted, he stated, although teaching non-religion is per mitted. “So a biologist can say that he does not believe in God or that he thinks man is an ‘ac cident.’ But if a religious per son said that biology cannot be understood without refer- erence to a wise Creator, he might be fired for trying to ‘indoctrinate’ his pupils. (Continued on Page 6) 2,500,000 Adults U. S. Bishops Aid Radio Education In Latin America NEW ORLEANS, (NC)- Some 2,500,000 adults in Latin Am erica are being educated through a series to radio class room programs assisted by a U.S. Catholic relief agency. The far-reaching effects of the instructional setup were described at a regional meet ing (Feb 12) here of the Cath olic Bishops’ Relief Fund by Msgr. Joseph Gremillion, so cio-economic development di rector for Catholic Relief Ser- vices-National Catholic Wel fare Conference. The operation is one of a number of programs for so cial and economic development in South America which have been assisted through CRS- NCWC with technical and ad ministrative guidance. Started 12 years, ago, the ra-’ dio-instruction program began its spread in Latin America about five years ago, Msgr. Gremillion said. The broadcasting stations— which have a radius of 50 to 100 miles—are used exclusive ly for educational purposes. Groups of citizens interested in studying under the program are helped to obtain a receiv ing unit and 20 to 30 persons participate in each classroom, Msgr. Gremillion said. A local volunteer with the equivalent of an elementary school education helps the adult students with his ABC’s and other basic studies, he said. “The desire for education is strong,” Msgr. Gremillion said. He noted that in the slum areas of the large cities there are not enough facilities to take care of the education of (Continued on~Page 6) Savannah Teachers’ Institute SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1963 Catholic Prelates Call For Changes In U. S. Foreign Aid NEW ORLEANS—Policy changes in the nation’s foreign aid program were suggested here by speakers at a regional meeting of directors of the 1963 Bishops’ Relief Fund appeal. Bishop Edward E. Swans- trom, executive director of Ca tholic Relief Services—Nation al Catholic Welfare Conference, said one weakness in the pro gram is “failure to bring help down to the level of people in the towns and villages in the underdeveloped and emerging countries.” “Aid programs that oper^tq exclusively on a government- to-government level cannot easily accomplish this,”, the Bishop said. “Programs con ducted by American voluntary agencies, such as CRS-NCWC, can and do. Theirs is foreign aid that improves social and economic conditions by getting down and working on the village level. This is the sort of foreign aid that we are asking Ameri cans, and especially American Catholics, to support and in crease by giving to the 1963 OPEN HOUSE—The Rev. R. H. Baker Jr., Assistant Rector of Christ Episcopal Church, Savannah (1) and the Rev. John O. Ford, Rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Isle of Hope (r) examine Monstrance, Oil Stocks, and Ritual, at Open House and Guided Tour of Sacred Heart Church, Savannah. Bishops’ Relief Fund appeal. Msgr. Marvin Bordelon, Shreveport, La., pastor, re cently returned from a three- month trip to 14 African na tions, advocated foreign aid on a long-term basis so that those helped can “plan for the next 10 years rather than for the next 12 months.” A prime reason for his trip, the Monsignor said, was to get a firsthand view of the U. S. foreign aid program. He said: “I’m more for foreign aid now than I ever was before.” He said he favored an increased U. S. foreign aid program. He also advocated that countries of western Europe get more involved in foreign aid so that a coordinated program of help for underprivileged countries could be operated. In the 14 countries he visit ed, the Monsignor said, he found the people eager to better them selves economically and educa tionally. He said these people reason: “We have this for this year, but will it be cut next year? Should we just plan ahead for a year or could we plan for 10 years?” The meeting brought toget her archdiocesan and diocesan priest directors of the 17th an nual Bishops’ Relief Fund ap peal to discuss the 1963 cam paign. A minimum goal of $5 million has been established. The campaign will be conducted throughout the nation from March 17 to 24. It will be cli maxed, generally, by the tradi tional Laetare Sunday (March 24) collection taken up in pari shes throughout the country. (Continued on Page 6) Non-Catholics Visit Sacred Heart Church SAVANNAH--One hundred and twenty three persons were conducted through Sacred Heart Church, Savannah, in the course of an “Open House and Guided Tour” for non-Catholics on Sunday, Feb. 17th. The tour, sponsored by the parish Holy Name Society, was undertaken as an effort on the part of the men of Sacred Heart Parish to make some of the practices of the Catholic Church better understood in the Chat ham County area. Visitors were escorted to various “stops” in the church, where members of the Holy Name Society explained the meaning of Confession, The Mass, Benediction of the Bless ed Sacrament, and the vest ments and Sacred Vessels used in Liturgical services. Also on display were several Catholic versions of the Holy Bible, including the famous Douay-Reims, Monsignor Knox, and Confraternity editions. Signs at each of the “stops” identified objects on display, and a series of signs in the Sanctuary recounted the rea sons for some of the Catholic practices and observances which might seem strange to others. Included among the visitors were several clergymen from local Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian and Methodist Churches. The tour was concluded with coffee and cake at the Benedic tine High School Armory. Program Chairmen were the Rev. Luke Bain, O.S.B., Spiri tual Director of the parish Holy Name Society; William Lain, Jr., Hugh H. Grady, K.S.G., and Edward Krebs, Jr. Official Blasts Program DETROIT, (NC)—A member of -the Illinois Public Aid Com mission has sharply attacked that body’s new policy of dis tributing contraceptives to relief recipients who request them. Michael J. Howlett, Illinois State Auditor of Public Accounts, charged that the pro gram's purpose is “to reduce the birth rate among relief recipients to save taxes.” “The basic philosophy is that contraceptives are cheaper than babies,” Howlett declared in an address to a Knights of Colum bus banquet here (Feb. 17). Howlett was one of four mem bers of the Illinois Public Aid Commission who voted against MAILING ADDRESS using tax funds to supply birth control information and devices to any public relief recipient “with a spouse or child” who requests them. Six members’ of the commission voted in favor of the program in early December. Howlett said that under the program tax-paid contracep tives would go not only to mar ried women living with their husbands but also to “unmar ried girls, widows, divorcees and to married women who don’t live with their husbands.” Although he and the other aid commission members who opposed the program are Catho lics, Howlett said, they were not seeking to impose their re ligious beliefs on non-Catholics in voting against the program. “This is not rightfully an is sue between Catholics and Pro testants,” he said. “Protestants and Jews, as well as Catholics, oppose adul tery and promiscuity. But fur nishing contraceptives to un married women is encouraging promiscuity and adultery.” INDEX LEGION OF DECENCY. EDITORIALS 4 JOTTINGS 5 YOUTHSCOPE 5 QUESTION BOX ..4