Southern cross. (Savannah, Ga.) 1963-2021, April 27, 1963, Image 1

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Southern cross., April 27, 1963, Image 1

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Newspaper Page Text/ Bishop McDonough Tells Irish Congress: “Apathy, Not Communism,Greatest Foe Of Future” CORK, Eire—Speaking at a Solemn Mass marking the open ing of the Christus Rex (Christ the King) Congress, the Most Rev. Thomas J. McDonough, Bishop of Savannah, Georgia at tacked “Christian Apathy”, ra ther than Communism, as “the most feared enemy of the future. He also called for greater participation of a well trained laity in the work of the Church’s apostolate. “The following is an extract of Bishop McDonough’s re marks: “The faithful, and more pre cisely the laity, are stationed in the front ranks of the Church. Consequently they must have an even clearer consciousness, not only of belonging to the Church, but of being the Church.”—Pope Pius XII. Bishop McDonough said that the Second Vatican Council, giv en great prominence in the se cular and Catholic Press and by the media of television and radio, had focused attention on the universality of the Church never before appreciated by the American Catholic, or probably by Catholics of other nations... “Somehow or other the work of the lay apostolate urged ini tially by St. Pius X developed by Pius XI, the Pope of Catho lic Action, proclaimed fre quently by Pius XII and given renewal under the present Holy Father, has never quite gotten off the ground.” “Sometimes the laity have not been conscious of their apostolic role, but, more often, the clergy has viewed this movement with suspicion, feel ing that the word apostolic is their own private domain,” he said. “In spite of the pleas, or rather the mandates of the modern Popes, the laity have not been afforded their proper role in spreading the Kingdom of God upon earth. “It is sad, but true, that many of the Catholic laity who nurture themselves frequently, even daily on the Eucharistic King have made no effort to Chris tianise their corner of the world. ‘ ‘They have left their spiri tual awareness in their church es or in their homes but rare ly have they allowed it to shine in their places of business, in the factories or in their recreation. It is this kind of Catholicity with no apostolic awareness that allows secular ism to gain ground in its ulti mate aim to de-Christianise the world in which we live. “Communism no matter how anti-God it is, is not the great est enemy. The most feared enemy of the future is Christian apathy. “An American bishop friend of mine put it very well when he said, ‘Every layman must be taught to appreicate the full meaning of his membership in the Church, of his incorpora tion by Baptism into the living Body of Christ of his promotion by Confirmation to the rank and responsibility of a true apostle, not in the strict sense of the sacramental priesthood but in the proper sphere of the lay man’s life, not at the altar of the Church, but in the sanc tuary of the home, not from the pulpit, but from every single point of vantage open to the layman in the associations of his private and public life. No less than the ordained priest, the layman has a vocation, a mis sion, a mandate to speak and work for Christ.’ The Congress, held in Cork, under the patronage of the Most Rev. Dr. Cornelius Lucey, Bi shop of Cork was held April 16th through 19th, and had as its theme, “Catholic Social Ac tion: The Layman’s Part.” Eight Religious Leaders Vol. 43, No. 32 10c Per Copy — $3 A Year Urge Non-Support Of Birmingham Protest Saint Joseph's, Macon Bishop’s Council Topic Of Holy Name Address MACON—Firing the second Salvo in the Bishop’s campaign to organize the Bishop’s Coun cil of Men on a parish level, Father John J. Fitzpatrick, as sistant pastor of St. Joseph’s in Macon, outlined the five basic rules of the organization at the •monthly Communion breakfast of the Holy Name Society. Speaking before the forty men attending the breakfast meeting, Father Fitzpatrick stressed personal contact with Protes tants in the community as the best place to start spreading the Gospel of Christ. “Because we Catholics are definitely in the minority in the south, and par ticularly in Macon, we naturally meet and have more contact with Protestants and non-Catholics in our day-to-day business dealings. Here is where we should—and must—do our ut most to spread the Kingdom of God”, he pointed out. He also commented favorably on the fine turnout at Communion at the 8 o’clock Mass. Continuing down the list of basic fundamentals of the Bish op’s Council, Father Fitzpat rick spoke of the need for more priests for the Savannah Dio cese. ‘ ‘Did you men know that this diocese has a lower per centage of vocations, per capi- NCEA Speaker Pleads “Don’t Abandon Low Income Areas” (By John J. Daly, Jr.) ST. LOUIS, (NC)— A high Federal official urged Catholic high school educators not to abandon low-income urban areas where he said there are Catholics who need their serv ices most. Undersecretary of Labor John F. Henning spoke to the second of three general ses sions at the 60th anniversary convention of the National Catholic Educational Associa tion. Henning cited figures showing that markedly higher unemploy ment is found among low- income minority groups be cause they lack schooling. Pre dicting grave social tensions if this situation continues, he appealed that Catholic high schools stay in urban areas and help the community by educat ing teenagers of minorities such as Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and Negroes. Henning said there is a ten dency today for Catholic high schools to move to the flou rishing suburbs. He said this is due in large part to the move ment by the schools with the majority of American Catholics who have gone from low-income to middle and upper-income groups. “But this is leaving behind millions of Catholics who are in great need of your services,” he said. “Certainly it takes a sense of social conscience to stay be hind in urban areas,” he said. “But whether you like it or not you are facing the social crisis of our time. “In a historical sense, be cause Catholic education’s vi tality came from its struggle to help a lower income group, you would be abandoning your tra dition if you choose the easier way.” ta’ than any other diocese in the South? Did you men know that the last American ordinations were in 1961 and 1962 and that those two priests ordained were from Ireland? And that the very earliest we can expect any more Priests will be 1965?” Mentioning the Serra Club, named for Father Junipero Ser ra, he said that the formation of such a group in the parish would be a concrete way to help with the material side of the vocation problem. “By help ing the present future semin arians find summer jobs and offering financial assistance when needed,” he stated, “you can be really helping the young men studying for the priesthood in our diocese”. Touching very briefly on the Confraternity of the Laity— “you men are all pretty famil iar with the Bishop’s Confra ternity drive in October” the chaplain of the Macon Council of the Knights of Columbus thanked the men present for their past help and asked for the “same splendid co-opera tion” in the future. ‘ ‘The fourth principle of the Council is Catholic Action Father went on, “and all the men of the parish have the ob ligation to spread the word of God”. Bringing out that “the Catholic Church is a limited organization” he pointed out that “you’re not members of this Church, you ARE the church”. Again he pleaded for more participation and cooper ation within the parish, especially among the members. “Last, but certainly not least, we come to the misunderstood part of the Council”, he contin ued, "that area covered under Catholic Charities”. Catholic Charity is “not to be viewed with an eye toward income tax deductions” but rather as “an (Continued on Page 5) D. C. C. W. Convention Information General chairman of this year’s convention is Mrs. Warren Purks of Columbus, Georgia. Headquarters for the convention will be the Ralston Hotel. Registration begins Saturday, May 11th, at 12 noon m the hotel lobby. The opening session begins at 2:30 p.m, in the Civic Room on the hotel. The ball room will be the scene of the banquet at 7:30 p.m. Saturday evening. On Sunday, May 12th, Mass at the Church of the Holy Family will begin at 8 a.m. The morning session starts at 10:30 in the Civic Room of the hotel. The luncheon will be held in the ballroom at 1:00 p.m. Anyone wanting hotel re servations should write di rectly to the Ralston Hotel and mention that you are a member of the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women. Reservations for the ban quet and luncheon should be made to Mrs. Herman Hag gard, 3826 Woodland Drive, Columbus, Georgia, no later than May 8th. BIRMINGHAM, Ala, (NC)— Antisegregation demonstrations are in their third week in this city despite an interfaith appeal made to local Negroes not to support them. Auxiliary Bishop Joseph A. Durick of Mobile-Birmingham was among eight religious lead ers who issued the (April 12) appeal, which called the demon strations “unwise and untime ly.” Signers of the statement made clear they prefer local whites and Negroes, rather than outsiders,” to handle racial situations in Birmingham. More than 400 arrests have been made since the start of the antisegregation protests, which chiefly take three forms: sit-ins (in stores), kneel-ins (in churches), and marches on City Hall (for voting rights) The religious leaders who issued the appeal here included those who signed a statement in January calling for “law and order and common sense” in solving racial problems in Ala bama. In the latest statement, they said that since January “there had been some evidence of in creased forbearance and a will ingness to face facts” in racial problems. “However,” the statement continued, “we are now con fronted by a series of demon strations by some of our Neg ro citizens, directed and led in part by outsiders. We recog nize the natural impatience of people who feel that their hopes are slow in being realized. But we are convinced that these demonstrations are unwise and untimely. “We agree rather with certain local Negro leadership which has called for honest and open negotiation of racial issues in our area. And we believe this kind of facing of issues can best be accomplished by citizens of our own metropolitan area, white and Negro, meeting with their knowledge and experi ence of the local situation.” The statement commended “the community as a whole. . . and law enforcement officials in particular, on the calm man ner in which these demonstra tions have been handled,” and urged continued calmness on the part of both. “We further strongly urge our own Negro community to withdraw support from these demonstrations,” the religious leaders added, “and to unite locally in working peacefully for a better Birmingham. “When rights are consistent ly denied, a cause should be pressed in the courts and nego tiations among local leaders, (Continued on Page 5) SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 1963 “Turn Seminaries Over To Lay Elite During Summer ” CORK, Ireland, (NC)—Seminaries throughout the world should open their doors during the summer holidays for the training of a lay elite, it was suggested here by Bishop Thomas J. McDonough of Savannah, Georgia. The U. S. prelate told the Irish group, members of the Christus Rex Society, that the work of the lay apostolate originally outlined by Pope Pius X had never quite got off the ground. He placed the blame partly on the laity for not being conscious of their role, but more heavily on the clergy for being suspicious of a lay'invasion of their private domain. Bishop McDonough urged that the summer seminary pro grams be established as official diocesan efforts. He recom mended that priests and seminarians be given special train ing in the Church’s teaching on the lay apostolate and social action, however, before they are allowed to train laymen. Prelate's Release Seen Dramatizing Plight Of Ukraine WINNIPEG, Man., (NC)—A Ukrainian Rite prelate’s recent release from a Soviet prison dramatized before the world the long persecution of Ukrain ian Catholics, Canada’s four Ukrainian bishops have de clared. The bishops said the release from a Soviet jail of Archbishop Josyf Slipyi of Lwow “has put the cause of the persecution of our Church and our enslaved people in the forefront of the world’s attention.” “The fortitude of our Church and the whole Ukrainian people in defense of Christ’s truth and the freedom of peoples can. . . be attributed to God’s Provi dence,” the bishops said in a joint Easter pastoral. At Catholic Press Convention Press Coverage Of Council Among Wide Range Of Topics MIAMI BEACH, Fla., (NC)— The 53rd annual convention of the Catholic Press Association, beginning at the Americana Ho tel here on April 30, will dis cuss a variety of subjects rang ing from offset printing to the Latin American crisis, from coverage of the Vatican Council by the press to obtaining new advertisers. Meeting at the gateway to the southern hemisphere, some 500 representatives of more than 300 CPA member publications and publishers will find a heavy Latin American flavor at the convention. Featured speaker at the association’s annual ban- INDEX QUESTION BOX 4 EDITORIALS 4 JOTTINGS 5 YOUTHSCOPE 3 HERE AND THERE.. 6 OBITUARIES 6 quet May 2 will be Pedro Bel tran, former Ambassador to the U. S. from Peru, former Prime Minister of Peru, and editor and publisher of La Prensa, Lima daily newspaper. Other sessions devoted to Latin America during the four- day meeting include a meeting entitled “Harnessing a Hemis phere Through Understanding,” featuring addresses by Father John J. Considine, M. M., di rector of the Latin America Bureau, N. C. W. C., andMsgr. William J. Quinn, codirector; a general session under the head ing “Cuba: Pattern for Latin America?” with Msgr. John J. Fitzpatrick, director of the Spanish-Speaking Apostolate of the Diocese of Miami and former executive editor of the Voice, diocesan newspaper, serving as chairman; and an off-the-record briefing for ma gazine editorial staff personnel by Father Albert J. Nevins, M. M., CPA Latin American NEW OFFICERS of the Savannah Deanery Council of Catholic Women Installed at the Spring meeting last Sunday at Savannah Beach. Picturedwith Miss Kathryn Flowers, Saint Michael’s Parish Council President are left to right: Miss Kathryn Flowers, Mrs. A. K. Gannam, 1st Vice-President; Mrs. Edmund Anderson, President; Mrs. Ira E. Smith, 2nd Vice-President; Mrs. William Schneider, Treasurer; Mrs. Lon Blackburn, Record ing Secretary; Mrs. Edward Prieto, 3rd Vice-President. Affairs Committee chairman, editor of Maryknoll magazine, and former president of the CPA. The CPA meeting will again feature an outstanding lineup of speakers and panelists from outside the Catholic press field. They include: Edwin A. Riley, head of Classification and Spe cial Services, Bureau of Oper ations, U. S. Post Office De partment, who will talk on “Mailing Procedures and Regu lations”; Leo H. Smith, vice president and chief auditor of the Audit Bureau of Circulation, Chicago, discussing circulation auditing procedures; Wilson Hicks, former photo editor of Newsweek and now director of the University of Miami’s Con ference on Communications Arts; Dr. Harold E. Fey, editor of the Protestant weekly Chris tian Century, who will serve as a panelist at a meeting dis cussing press coverage of the Second Vatican Council. Macon May 3, 4, 5 State Convention For Georgia K. C. MACON—More than 300 Knights and members of their family are expected to attend the annual state convention of the Knights of Columbus which will be held in Macon on May 3, 4 and 5, Joseph J. Zwick- nagel, Georgia State Deputy, announced this week. Delegates from Councils in Albany, Atlanta, Augusta, Brunswick, Columbus, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Valdosta and Warner Robins will behead ed by the Grand Knights of each of the 13 subordinate Councils in the State. The three-day program will include a dance Friday night, a luncheon and fashion show Saturday for the ladies, the din ner dance Saturday night and a closing luncheon Sunday after noon. Col. W. J. Clasby, Chaplain General, U. S. Air Force, will be the guest speaker at the Saturday night banquet and will also conduct a program of re collection Saturday afternoon for the teen-agers who ac company their parents to the convention. The business session will be held Saturday afternoon and on Sunday following the 8 o’clock Mass at St. Joseph’s Church in (Continued on Page 5)