Newspaper Page Text
14
THE BULLETIN OE THE CATHOLIO LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
A GEORGIAN APOSTOLATE
By RT. REV. BENJAMIN J. KEILEY, D. D.
(From The Missionary)
Yesterday while searching in a drawer for a mis
laid paper I found a copy of The Missionary and
by it a little leaflet with this caption, “Do you
know that the Catholic Missionary Society of
Georgia was organized February 17, 1920?” Now, I
am sure there are few Catholics in Georgia who
could not unhesitatingly answer this question in
the affirmative. But I fear few outside of Georgia
ever heard of it, and I made up my mind that I
would take the Catholics outside this State into
my confidence and tell them the story. It is only
another version of our Divine Lord’s parable of
the Grain of Mustard Seed, small and insignifi
cant at first, but in His own good way and time
productive of great things.
There is a Catholic lady teaching in the Public
Schools of our City to whom God gave the inspir
ation. At the weekly meetings of the teachers she
frequently heard some of her Protestant co-labor
ers complain that their attendance there had
kept them from a missionary meeting, and she
wondered why it was that Catholics had no such
organization. During the vacation she attended
some lectures at the State Normal School, Athens,
Ga., and there met the Pastor who told her a lit
tle of the scattered missions he had to attend, and
of their many needs. On her return to Savannah,
she pondered this matter, reflecting that Cath
olics living in populous centers had so much help
in daily Mass, frequent communions, the example
of the devout and the many devotions that are
parts of every city parish; while those living in
the out-missions could only enjoy them at rare
intervals; and yet little those who had all these
privileges thought of their less fortunate fellow
Catholics or extended the hand of Christian fel
lowship. Then and there was born the idea
which subsequently was realized in the Catholic
Missionary Society of Georgia.
The Organization
On the evening of February 17, 1920, a dozen
Catholic women met in the basement of the Ca
thedral, in response to the invitation of this good
lady, and there formed themselves into an organ
ization which they called The Catholic Missionary
Society of Georgia.
It is, I believe, the usual thing on such an oc
casion to adopt a constitution and the needed
by-laws, and that officers be elected. But this
Society was not carried on in the usual way. The
lady who called the meeting and presided explain
ed what could be done for the neglected Missions
in Georgia, and asked some to volunteer to col
lect a fund suggesting a penny a month as the
dues, with the understanding that more would
be cheerfully received. The meeting then ad
journed. After they had collected money, and
had secured exact data as to the needs of the
priests, and had interested a larger number of
women in the work, I suggested the propriety of
making rules, or adopting a Constitution and By-
Laws. This was done.
They have a printed Constitution and By-Laws
no,w but I venture to say that more than ninety
per cent of these devoted women know little or
nothing about them; but they are keenly alive to
the interests of the priests on the Missions in
every part of Georgia. They know personally ev
ery one of these priests, and have had each of
them down to Savannah to give practical talks on
their work, and to discuss methods freely.
Besides the dues of the members, they have in
terested the children at our male and female par
ish schools in the work by installing mite boxes
in the schools. The Marist Brothers, the Sisters of
Mercy and the Sisters of St. Joseph have told the
children of the duty and privilege of helping the
children in country districts, where there are no
Catholic schools and where the children have so
few opportunities of Catholic instruction.
In June branches were founded in Atlanta, Ma
con, Augusta and Columbus, and I believe, that
now we shall never again need outside help.
I wish that you, kind reader, could attend a
meeting and see the fervor of these devoted women
as the secretary reads letters of thanks from the
priests for much-needed help. The President
boasts that she knows nothing of parliamentary
law, and I rather think she is correct; but all the
parliamentary rules which were ever devised to
facilitate business could never possibly obtain re
sults in so satisfactory and expeditious a manner
as the Missionary Society’s unparliamentary way
of doing things.
Co-operation
No committee is ever appointed by the Chair,
but the need of one is explained, the privilege of
acting on the committee is mentioned, and in an
instant from every part of the room one hears “I
will be glad to act”; then they are thanked, and
everyone knows the work will be done and well
done.
There are about 20,000 Catholics in the entire
State of Georgia. In the cities of Savannah, Au
gusta, Macon, Atlanta, and Columbus there are
about 17,500 and the remainder are scattered over
an area of 45,500 square miles, covering 104 coun
ties. Missionary women drew up a plan/ dividing
the Missions into Northeastern, Southeastern,
Northwestern, Southwestern and Central Georgia
Missions. Let me give you a sample of the infor
mation they asked for and secured from the
priests. I will take the Southwestern Division as
an example: territory embraced, 15,000 square
miles; counties covered 41; stations visited, 34;
churches or chapels, 9; priests on the Mission, 2;
Catholics, 950.
Throughout the entire State, outside the larger
cities enumerated above, there are about 2,500
Catholics. The total area of the Mission field in
the Diocese is 45,500 square miles. The Catholics
are found in 104 counties. The average number of
miles which the priests on these missions travel
each year is 14,000. Be it known that not only are
little groups of Catholics regularly visited, but
every outlying Catholic family or individual also.
Now, the devoted women who have organized
this Missionary Society made a report of their
work on the first anniversary of their Society, and
from it I gather these details: Received from dues
of members, $989.53; from Mite boxes in schools,
$250.38; from sale of tin-foil and papers, $39.42;
from all other sources, $499.67; total $1,779.00.
They wisely decided to deposit in a Savings
Bank a certain percentage of their receipts each
year, and after doing this and paying the small
incidental expenses of the Society, they sent the
balance to the Priests on these Missions.
An examination of what I have written will
show that the greatest expense of the priests is
railroad fare, which, although the so-called min
isterial lates prevail, yet amounts to a very con
siderable sum.
The Laymen’s Association
Perhaps your readers do not know that we have
also established in Georgia a Catholic Laymen’s
Association which has waged a very successful
wai against the bitter prejudice which prevail©^
here, and this Association is now conducting a
(Continued on page 16.)