Newspaper Page Text
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH EDITION
Published By The
Catholic Laymen's
Ass'n Of Georgia
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH
Serving
Georgia's 88
Southern Counties
Vol. 39, No. 6
MONROE, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 1958
10c Per Copy — $3 a Year
a
Pilgrims Visit Lourdes
“AWE, AVE, HE MARIA
MARY, MOTHER OF RATIONS
IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY
(By Ri. Rev. Msgr.
T. James McNamara, V.F.)
With our Catholic pride en
riched by the memory of Fans’
glorious Cathedral of Notre
Name; our estimate of Fans
heightened by its architectural
gems in honor of tne fciacred
Heart of Jesus and the penitent,
Mary Magdaien; our anticipa
tion of .Lourdes vitalized by ra-
ris' own Catnenne Laooure, we
arrived at raroes, see city of
Lourues. Greeting us as we ar
rived at tne airport was His
Excellency, Arcnuisnop u'riara.
With tne Arcnoisnop as patron
and sponsor, we found our Pil
grimage r-arty enjoying a dis
tinction that was' enviaoie. We
were not too long motoring
through tne lovely countryside
oi bouinern fiance when we ue-
gan to sense an atmosphere lhat
was other than munuane and to
experience a feeling- or fulfill
ment. mere at.last was Lourues,
tne inspiration of our Pilgrim
age; tne local point-of an our
planning. Here, we came fo rea
lize tne better tne meaning of
that tirst Christmas, when in an
ooscure village in distant Pales
tine, under even more ooscurmg
circumstances, God, tnrough tne
portals of motnernood, found
His way into His visinie cre
ation. as at Bethlehem, so at
Lourdes God finds His way into
the hearts of men through Mary,
His Mother. How thrilling and
how conclusive this historical
fact is demonstrated at Lourdes.
One hundred years ago
Lourdes was but an unimport
ant village in Southern France,
nestled in the shadows of the
Pyrenees, not too far from the
Spanish border. Its only claim
to fame was an ancient fortress,
dating back to the Roman occu
pation, when the Caesars found
their pseudo-divinity disinte
grating before the authentic di
vinity of Mary’s Son. One hun
dred years ago, the fortress
dominating the village by rea
son of its elevation, was a sort
of mausoleum piece, burying a
dead past. Today even the forU
ress is vitalized and has taken
on a continuity.
The members of our Pilgrim
age Party found Lourdes all that
they had anticipated and more.
For each of us it was an inde
scribable experience; a sort of
foretaste of Heaven; a nearness
to God. It is a beautiful city-
nature having lavished it gen
erously; — it is an unique city
for its very atmosphere breathes
a love of Jesus and His Mother,
Mary; it is a prayerful city for
prayer is its very lifeblood; it is
a city that radiates piety, but
there is nothing sticky or slop
py or sentimental about its pie
ty. Its piety is vital and vigor
ous, so much so that over the
past hundred years countless
cures have taken place there
which baffle medicine and defy
the known laws of nature.
We were not too long in
Lourdes when we made our way
to the Domaine, the Estate of
Our Lady of Lourdes. It was in
the middle of the afternoon and
the sick — countless numbers of
them — were being assembled
on the esplande fronting the
beautiful Basilica fo the Holy
Rosary. Around from the es
plande and near the grotto of
Massabielle, where Our Lady
appeared to little Bernadette,
with the tumbling waters of the
Rive Gave on our left, we form
ed with thousands of others
from all corners of the Globe
in procession. As the thousands
upon thousands in procession
made their way, circling the
enclosure of Our Lady’s Lourdes
Estate, the air vibrated with
song and prayer to her and rad
iated a feeling of closeness to
Jesus, Whose presence in the
Eucharist was with us and for
Whose blessing the sick were in
attendance. Moving on to the
esplande on whose borders the
sick had assembled, the Blessed
Sacrament was carried to each
for an individual blessing and
then placed on a portable altar
before the Basilica, Of the many
Bishops present, the honor of in
censing the Blessed Sacrament
fell to our own Archbishop O’
Hara, and again as in London
and eventually in Rome, we had
the feeling that distance had
been blotted out and Savannah
was not too far away.
The next morning, through
the exquisite generosity of the
Archbishop, we had the rare
privilege of saying Mass at the
Grotto where one hundred years
ago Our Lady appeared to Ber
nadette Soubirous. As we
awaited our turn at the altar of
the Grotto, we witnessed in a
tangible way the historic fact
that Christ finds His way into
the hearts of people through His
Mother. Some nine priests in re
lays of three were distributing
Holy Communion and this had
been going on long before we
said Mass and long afterwards.
Indeed, when we went to the al
tar, there were four ciboria
(Continued on Page Eight)
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary spread rapidly
throughout the world following the apparitions of Our Lady at
Fatima, in 1917. In 1942 Pope Pius XII consecrated the world to
her Immaculate Heart and three years later extended the Feast
of the Immaculate Heart oi Mary to the Universal Church.—
,(NC Photos).
Conduct Camp
At Statesboro
STATESBORO — Four Glen-
mary Sisters are in Statesboro
to operate a camp for religious
instruction of children, The
children are gathered from 8
counties which make up 2
parishes, St. Matthew’s and Our
Lady of the Assumption.
The camp is divided into two
sessions of 3 weeks each, older
children first, then the little ones.
Brother Ed West, a Glenmary
Brother, is director of recreation,
which includes swimming, hik
ing, handicrafts, square and folk
dances, and many other care
fully planned activities. James
Nolan, a Glenmary Seminarian,
works with the priests and the
brother to plan and carry out
the camp program.
One Sister with the help of
three councillors, is the camp
cook. The councillors, Dorothy
Hoeing, Betty Nally and Wanda
Clark, besides helping in the
kitchen, teach Bible History,
assist at recreation and in the
dormitory.
To Be Divided Into Two Sections
Council Of Catholic Youth
Plans September Meeting
~~ Msgr. Schieder
Will Conduct
SIXTEEN GRADUATE AT
ST. JOSEPH’S, SAVANNAH
CHARGES AGAINST CHURCH
BY POLISH OFFICIAL HIT
BY VATICAN CITY PAPER
Spend $14-Million
On Poor In 1957
ROME, (NC) — The Italian
St. Vincent de Paul Society
spent $14 million helping the
poor of Italy in 1957, the organi
zation reported.
SAVANNAH — Commence
ment exercises of St. Joseph’s
Hospital School of Nursing were
held August 3rd in the Ca
thedral of St. John the Baptist.
The Right Rev. Monsignor T.
James McNamara, V.F., rector
of the Cathedral, presided and
confered the diplomas on the
sixteen young graduates.
The Rev. Anthony Damian
Lee, O.P., a member of the fac
ulty at Mount Carmel School of
Nursing, Columbus, Ohio, deliv
ered the baccalaureate address.
The following graduates re
ceived their diplomas:
Miss Dorothy Adele Albecker,
Hampton, S. C.; Miss Rose Marie
Blase, Savannah; Miss Jenny
Clair Connelly, Hampton, S. C.;
Miss Mildred Ann Fletcher, Lu-
dowice; Miss Janice Jean Floyd;
Savannah; Miss Gail Janice
Jones, Savannah; Miss Audrey
Kay Mock, Brunswick; Miss
June Marsha Overseret, Savan
nah; Miss Jane Elizabeth Par
rish, Savannah; Miss Patricia
Carolyn Pinckney, Bluffton, S.
C.; Miss Sarah Adelaide Prick-
ett, Nashville; Miss Barbara
Ann Royal, Wilmington, Savan
nah; Miss Jo Ann Seckinger,
Springfield; Miss Roberta Nao
mi Smith, Hardeeville, S. C.;
Miss Betty Jo Wrenn, Savannah,
and Miss Annie Louise Zagar,
Davisboro.
First honors for obtaining the
highest scholastic average for
the three years in the school
of nursing was awarded to Miss
Rose Marie Blase of Savannah.
Miss June Overstreet, also of
Savannah, won second honors.
Both Sessions
SAVANNAH — A workshop
sponsored by the Diocesan
Council of Catholic Youth will
be held in Savannah during the
latter part of September, it was
recently announced by Rev.
Bishop Coleman Carroll Named
Ordinary Of New Miami Diocese
VATICAN CITY, (Radio, NC)
—The Vatican City daily has
challenged the charge of a Pol
ish cabinet minister that priests
at the Polish national shrine at
Czestochowa were engaged in
illegal activities.
L’Osservatore Romano’s new
editorial on the Polish police
raid on the Jasna Cora mona
stery at Czestochowa was
prompted by reports on a press
conference held in Warsaw by
Jerzy Sztachelski, Polish minis
ter for religious affairs. At the
time, Mr. Sztachelski offered al
leged proof of illegal activities
in the form of several publica
tions s^id to have been confis
cated during the celebrated raid
on July 21.
L’Osservatore said that one
proof offered was a booklet en
titled “Miracles of Grace grant
ed through the Intercession of
Our Lady of Czestochowa” and
another a mimeographed circu
lar on “Catholicism and Social
ism.”
Polish authorities objected to
the account in the booklet of the
failure of the Bolshevik army to
occupy Warsaw during the Rus-
so-Polish war in 1920. The Vat
ican City paper commented that
although the booklet was “dis
covered” during the police raid,
it had been printed in 1938.
L’Osservatore also said that
the mimeographed circular was
of a strictly doctrinal nature
and was addressed exclusively
to priests. It said that therefore
it is an internal matter and thus
outside the competence of the
minister for religious affairs. In
this connection, the paper allud
ed to a recent defense voiced by
the Polish Communist party in
which the party insisted that in
ternal questions of the party are
not a matter of national concern.
L’Osservatore then ridiculed the
communists as having a “bour
geois mentality which judges
‘internal questions’ according to
its interests.”
In the course of his press con
ference, the Vatican City daily
(Continued on Page Eight)
WASHINGTON (NC) — His
Holiness Pope Pius XII has di
vided the Diocese of St. Augus
tine, Florida, creating the new
Diocese of Miami.
The Most Rev. Coleman F.
Carroll, Titular Bishop of Pit-
anae and Auxiliary Bishop of
Pittsburgh, has been named the
first Bishop of Miami.
St. Mary’s Church in Miami
has been elevated to the posi
tion of cathedral for the new
diocese.
The announcements were
made here by his Excel
lency Archbishop Amleto Gio
vanni Cicognani, Apostolic Del
egate to the United States.
The new Diocese of Miami
comprises 16 countries in the
southern part of the State of
Florida; namely, Broward,
Charlotte, Collier, Dade, DeSoto,
Glades, Hardee, Hendry, High
lands, Indian River, Lee, Mar
tin, Monroe, Okeechobee, Palm
Beach, and St. Lucie.
Pleretofore, the Diocese of St.
Augustine has included all of
the State of Florida east of the
Apalachicola River, which is in
the northwest section of the
state. The Florida counties of
Calhoun, Jackson, Gulf, Holmes,
History Of The Franciscans In Georgia
#
The history of the Franciscans
in Georgia is a story that ante
dates the history of Georgia it
self. More than a century and a
half before the name Georgia
was applied to this land by
English conquerers, Spanish
Friars were offering the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass in the
territory then called Guale.
The first Mass offered in the
territory of the 13 original colo
nies was celebrated in 1540 by
one of the chaplains of De Soto’s
expedition during its historic
exploration of what is now the
Southeastern United States. De-
Soto’s company included several
missionaries, both secular and
regular, including sons of St.
Francis in the familiar brown
robes. This expedition also re
corded the first Christian bap
tism in the limits of the pre
sent United States, two Indian
neophytes being received into
the Church
A half century was to elapse
before Franciscan missionaries
returned to Georgian territory
after the DeSoto expedition, but
within a few years a “rosary”
of mission stations were founded
along the Georgia-Florida coast
similar to the famous California
missions later founded by Fr.
Junipero Serra, O. F. M.
Within two years after the
foundation of the first mission,
five Franciscans were martyred
in Indian uprisings. Neverthe
less new recuits were added to
the mission staffs and by 1606
when Franciscan Bishop Juan
de las Cabezas Altamirano of
Cuba conducted a visitation of
the Georgia missions, his friar
confreres presented 2074 Indians
and 370 whites as candidates for
the Sacrament of Confirmation.
In 1606 eleven Franciscan
monasteries were banded to
gether to form a custody of the
Order. P’our of these eleven
houses were in Guale, modern
Georgia. In 1612 this custody
was raised to the rank of a
Province under the patronage of
Saint Elena. This first Francis
can province in the United
States held its initial provincial
chapter in the monastery of
Saint Bonaventure, located on
St. Simon’s Island, Georgia.
By 1675 the Friars in the
Georgia-Florida missions had
gathered a flock of 26,000 bap
tized Indians being cared for by
thirty-five mission centers.
The English conquest of Geor
gia destroyed the Franciscan
missions. At least three Francis
cans were executed and the In
dian converts who were cap
tured were either slain or sold
into slavery. The ill-fated at
tempt by Spain to recapture
Georgia in 1742 marked her last
effort to restore the Catholic
influence of former years. The
chapter of the English colony
permited religious freedom for
everyone, “except papists.”
Nearly two and a half centu
ries passed before another Fran
ciscan house was established on
Georgia’s soil. The only Francis
can note in this long period
was the Episcopate of the fourth
Bishop of the Diocese of Savan
nah, the Most Reverend Ignatius
Persico, a member of the Capu
chin branch of the Friars Minor.
Bishop Persico headed the See
of Sa /annah only two years, ill-
healt i forcing his resignation in
1872. Better health in later years
enab ed Bishop Persico to
accept several posts in the serv
ice of the Holy See, being named
Apostolic Delegate of Canada
and Ireland and finally being
raised to the dignity of a Car
dinal before his death in 1895.
The modern chapter of the
Franciscans in Georgia began in
December, 1942, when the Fran
ciscan Province of the Most
Holy Name, with headquarters
in New York, accepted the care
of St. Mary’s parish in Americus.
Americus had been a mission
of Albany, the present parish
church having been erected in
1892. Included in the territory
given to the care of the Friars
was St. Theresa’s Church in
Cordele, built in 1930.
In December, 1952, a second
Franciscan Friary was estab
lished in Thomas ville where
Holy Name Province was given
charge of St. Augustine’s parish
with mission churches at Moul
trie and Bainbridge.
February of 1953 saw the
dedication on successive days
of the Church of Our Divine
Savior, in Tifton, and the
Church of St. Clare, in Albany.
The former church is served
by the Friars from Thomasville.
St. Clare’s Church provides for
Colored Catholics of Albany, an
extension of the work among
the colored which was inaugu
rated in 1946 with the building
of the Chapel of Americus.
The Catholics of Macon Coun
ty, some twenty miles north of
Americus, provided a chapel for
themselves in December, 1952,
by making over a lumber-yard
watchman’s shack into an
attractive little house of wor
ship. Last year this chapel was
,replaced by St. Michael’s Church
in Montezuma, a change made
necessary by the growing num
ber of parishioners in the area.
A new phase of Franciscan
activity in Georgia began last
September when the New York
province accepted the Newman
club chaplaincy at the Univer
sity of Georgia, Athens. The
Newman club at Georgia Tech,
Atlanta, will also be served by a
Friar beginning this Fall.
On July 15th of this year,
His Excellency, Bishop Hyland,
placed the Church of the Im
maculate Conception, Atlanta,
in the charge of the Franciscan
Fathers of Holy Name Province.
This brings us to the current
page of the history of the Fran
ciscans in Georgia. Soon to be
recorded, Lord willing, are the
dedication of the new St. Jos
eph’s Church in Bainbridge and
the beginning of an extensive
building program in Americus.
This recital tells us mostly
of the material milestones in
Franciscan-Georgia history. The
spiritual story is the more im
portant, of course, but only
angelic recorders possess accu
rate statistics.
HEADS NEW SEE — Most
Rev. Coleman F. Carroll,
(above) Auxiliary Bishop of
Pittsburgh since 1953, has
been named first Bishop of
Miami, a newly created dio
cese, comprising 16 counties
in the southern part of the
State of Florida. Born in
Pittsburgh in 1905, he was or
dained in 1930. One brother.
Most Rev. Howard J. Carroll
is Bishop of Alioona-Johns-
fown. Pa. Another, Msgr.
Walter S. Carroll who served
in the Vatican Secretariate of
State died in 1950. — (NC
Photos)
Washington, Bay, Walton, Oka
loosa, Santa Rosa and Escambia,
which are west of the Apalachi
cola River, are in the Diocese
of Mobile-Birmingham.
Counties in the Diocese of St.
Augustine include Gadsden,
Liberty, Franklin, Leon, Kakul-
la, Jefferson, Madison, Taylor,
Hamilton, Baker, Suwanee, La
fayette, Dixie, Columbia, Union,
Nassau, Duval, St. Johns, Clay,
Bradford, Gilchrist, Alachua,
Putnam, Flagler, Levy, Marion,
Volusia, Citrus, Sumter, Lake.
Orange, Hernando, Pasco, Pinel
las, Hillsborough, Manatee, Sa
rasota, Osceola, Brenard and
Polk.
Archbishop Joseph P. Hurley
is Bishop of St. Augustine.
Bishop Coleman Carroll is one
of three brothers, all of whom
became priests. The Most Rev.
Howard .J. Carroll is Bishop of
Altoona - Johnstown, Pennsyl
vania. The third brother, Msgr.
Walter S. Carroll, who was in
the Vatican Secretariate of State
in Vatican City, died in 1950.
The Bishop-Designate of Mi
ami was born in Pittsburgh in
1905, and was ordained in 1930,
following studies at Duquesne
University, Pittsburgh, and St.
Vincent Seminary, Letrobe. Pa.
After 11 years of parish work he
took three years of postgraduate
studies at the Catholic Universi
ty of America in this city, tak
ing the degree Doctor of Canon
Law in 1944. In 1949 he organiz
ed St. Maurice’s parish in For
est Hills, Pa., and in 1951 was
named pastor of Sacred Heart
church, Pittsburgh, which now
has one of the most complete
parish plants in the country. He
was named a Domestic Prelate
in 1952 and was elevated to the
hierarchy in 1953.
Archbishop Cicognani offici
ated at the consecration of Bish
op Carroll on November 10, 1953,
when he became the first Aux
iliary Bishop in the then 110-
year history of the Diocese of
Pittsburgh. More than 40 arch
bishops and bishops, Governor
John S. Fine of Pennsylvania,
Mayor David Lawrence of Pitts
burgh, and a large number of
state and municipal leaders
were among those attending the
ceremony.
FATHER WELLMEIER
Herbert J. Wellmeier, Director
of Catholic Youth for the Dio
cese of Savannah.
While an official agenda has
not yet been worked out, Fa
ther Wellmeier announced that
the workshop will be divided
into two sections. The first will
deal with “The Parish Youth
Council” with emphasis on trie
place and the importance of the
parish in Diocesan Youth Pro
graming. The second section of
the workshop will concern it
self with “Catholic Youth
Week.” Both sections will be
conducted by the Right Rev.
Msgr. Joseph E. Schieder, Ph. D.,
National Catholic Youth Direc
tor.
It is expected that official
delegates from every Parish in
the Diocese will attend the
sessions. His Excellency, Bishop
Thomas J. McDonough, under
whose patronage the workshop
will be held will address both
the opening and closing sessions.
Said Father Wellmeier, “We
are certain that the workshop
will be well attended and that it
will be a success. But, what is
more important, we are confi
dent that the Youth Council
approach which recognizes the
importance of separate Parish
Councils with local officers and
members making and carrying
out their own decisions and pro
grams, will prove an invaluable
training ground for service to
God, family and community.”
Father Wellmeir said that the
date of the workshop had not
yet been decided but would be
announced in ample time to
allow for election of delegates.
NEW U. S. DIOCESE — His
Holiness Pope Pius XII has
divided ihe Diocese of St.
Augustine, Florida, (erected in
1870) creating the new Dio
cese of Miami, comprising 16
counties in the southern part
of the state. Heretofore the
Diocese of St. Augustine, of
which Archbishop Joseph P.
Hurley is Bishop, included all
of the State of Florida east of
the Apalachicola River, in the
northwestern section of the
state. Ten counties west of
that river are in the Diocese
of Mobile-Birmingham, Ala.
Most Rev. Coleman F. Carroll
has been named first Bishop
of Miami. — (NC Photos)
Peace Prize For
French President’
WASHINGTON, N. J. (NC —
President Rene Coty of France
has been selected to receive the
1958 International Peace Prize
of the Blue Army of Our Lady
of Fatima, it was announced at
the organization's U. S. Nation
al headquarters here.
President Coty was chosen
during the Blue Army’s recent
international congress at the
Brussels world fair, the an
nouncement said. The congress
was attended by more than 1.300
delegates from 20 countries.
Remember Your
Pledge To The
Bishop's Campaign
Chancellor Honored
By Holy Father
Rt. Rev. Msgr. Joseph F. Mar-
bach, Chancellor of the Military
Ordinariate has been elevated
by His Holiness, Pope Pius XII
to the rank of Domestic Prelate
with the title of Rt. Rev. Mon
signor.
