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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.)