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Published By The Catholic Laymen's Ass'n Of Georgia DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH EDITION OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH Serving Georgia's 88 Southern Counties Vol. 39, No. 7 MONROE, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1958 10c Per Copy — $3 a Year ''The Most Memorable Event" Holy Father Greets Savannah Pilgrims GROUNDB,ri.t AKlNG — Rain failed to halt groundbreaking ceremonies for Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Columbus. Father William Dowling, pastor of the church, removes the first shovel full of dirt while Father Herman Deimel, pastor of the Church of the Holy Family, looks on from beneath an umbrella held by Sgt. L. J. Kliber, member of the new church. Father Deimel blessed the ground at the ceremonies, attended by a small group of church members and sisters from Holy Trinity School and Mother Mary Mission.—-Enquirer photo by Ben Walburn. Break Ground For Columbus Church Pius X Centenary Known as the “Pope of the Eucharist,” St. Pius X, was born Giuseppe Sarto in 1835 at Riese, in northern Italy. He was ordained just 100' years ago, September 18. The young priest rose through the ranks from country curate, to pastor, sem inary professor, bishop, card inal and the papacy. He advo cated early First Holy Commun ion and frequent reception of the Sacrament. He is also not ed for revitalizing the works Of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and brought about re forms in,Church music. St. Pius X died in 1914, was beatified in 1951 and canonized in 1954, His feast day was September 3. This statue is in the Pius X chapel of the crypt of Washington’s Na tional Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.—(NC Photos) Official The Reverend Francis J, Donohue, Paslor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Porf Weniworfh, effective August 281h. 5% Increase In Catholics Of Japan TOKYO (NC) — The number of Catholics in Japan increased by five per cent during the year ending June 20, 1958, and by more than 100 per cent during the past decade. According to official statistics released by the Apostolic In ternunciature, Japanese Catho lics now number 254,114, com pared with 241,808 in 1957. Ten years ago the total was 120,000. While the number of persons received into the Church last year was about 1,500 less than the previous year, the number of catechumens increased by some 500. There are now 17,675 catechumens throughout the country. The number of Japanese priests now stands at 359. There are 242 major seminarians and 234 minor seminarians studying for the priesthood. Foreign mis- sioners in the country number 1,208. Japan has 3,047 professed Sis ters, while there are 1,942 no vices, postulants and aspirants. Sisters from foreign countries working in Japan total 1,063. The population of Japan is more than 90 million. BISHOP TO BE CONSECRATED PHILADELPHIA, (NC) — Bishop-elect Francis J. McSor- ley, O.M.I. will be consecrated here in the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul on October 8. Recently named to head of the Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo in the Philippines, he will be con secrated by Archbishop John F. O’Hai'a, C.S.C., of Philadelphia. (By Rl. Rev. Msgr. T. James McNamara, V.F.) Yes, Barcelona was interest ing and its Exposition of Native Products intriguing but our thoughts were more on the Eter nal City, soon to be visited, than on this gracious city of roman tic Spain. Not too long in flight but through the darkening sha dows of night, we soon found ourselves on the perimeter of Rome. Alluring was this city of tlie Caesars and now of the Popes, as we looked down upon it from the cabin of our plane. We searched amid the myriad lights of its silhouetted facade for the Basilica of St. Peter. Soon out of the plane and through customs, we, as at Lon don and. later at Lourdes, felt again the nearness of Savannah in that Archbishop O’Hara was on hand to greet us. Again, too, our position became enviable by reason of the gracious solicitude of the Archbishop. Sunday morning, May 4, found our party at the entrance of St. Peter’s and there to give us assurance and to assist us in making our visit more memora ble was our Archbishop. Sur prisingly, the vastness of St. Peter’s and with its approaches was not overwhelming. It was not until a second and a third visit that we began to sense its tremendous size. Bramanti, and more his successor, the inimi table Michael Angelo, have cre ated a grand illusion in this, the greatest of all Christian church es. So symmetrical and so har monious are its astronomical di mensions that beauty rather than vastness is one’s first im pression. And this impression holds' not only as one stands looking down the main aisle of the Basilica, or looking at the exquisitely designed dome, or even as one stands on the steps of the four hundred foot depth portico, but takes on added beauty as one moves along the Via Conviliazione, the broad avenue leading to St. Peter’s Shrine. The whole vista from the Via Conciliazione, with the great dome of St. Peter’s, gold en in the May sunlight, was so arrestingiy beautiful that one comes almost suddenly on the Plaza or Square fronting St. Peter’s. Later Father Daly and I were to visit San Marco Square in Venice, a n d, having seen both, was to see the two most beautiful squares in the world. The semi-circular colonnade of the master craftsman, Bernini, surrounding St. Peter’s Square was like a pair, of welcoming arms, embracing all mankind alike. As we stood on that lovely square that Sunday morning in May we witnessed in the people MANILA, Philippines, — This nation’s Catholic school teachers have been warmly congratulat ed by President Carlos P. Gar cia of the Philippines who told them, “you hold the destiny of our country in your hands.” In an address to the opening session of the annual conven tion of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) the President told hun dreds of delegates from all parts of the country; “Catholic schools are making a distinct contribution to the building of our nation by their emphasis on moral training, on the formation of character and on the spiritual realities on which, after all, the whole struc ture of our civilization is found ed.” Meanwhile, in a speech at the Philippine Normal College here, Sen. Francisco Rodrigo proposed black, brown and yellow — a practical demonstration of the symbolism we read into Berni ni’s colonnade. And as we look ed to the top of this beautifully designed colonnade we saw in the 62 statues of saints and founders of Religious Orders, which crown it, a challenge to our own devotion to holy Mo ther Church. Colossal, indeed, is the colonnade and gigantic its 284 pillars, and yet so perfect ly are they harmonized with the over all picture of St. Peter’s that the square, which they de lineate, is blended into the Ba silica itself. Only a poet who has achieved perfection in his chos en field could possibly approxi mate a description of it all. Entering into the Basilica, with the Archbishop leading our way, as we approached the holy water basin, we felt we were greeted by old friends. Here, supporting the basin, were the Bernini angels or nymphs, pic tures of which we had seen of ten and the likeness of which was indelibly stamped on our memory by FORTUNE’S illu strated article on THE VATI CAN. There was something about these six foot, ten angels, that dwarfed time and gave one the feeling of the lightsomeness of eternity. After a comparative ly long walk, which lengthened out, too, by reason of the dis- tractingly captivating appurt- ances of St. Peter’s, we found our way down stairs to the Altar of the Tomb of the Chief of the Apostles. Here over a circutious route, studded by small Chapels an amendment to the Philippine Constitution to give religion a higher status in the curriculum of the public schools. At present the constitution provides for released time in public schools for religious in struction, but attendance is op tional and no grades are given. The Senator’s amendment would leave attendance optional but, once parents consent to their children’s attendance at religion classes, religion would become a required subject. Permission Granted For Use Of Languages AGRA, India, (NC) — The Holy See has granted permission for increased use of the vernacu lar language, in the public wor ship of the Church in the ec clesiastical province of Agra, in north central India. reminiscent of the catacombs of the early centuries of Christi anity, we soon found ourselves outside the Chapel of the Tomb. Beyond this Chapel was another Chapel, dedicated to Our Lady; its walk laden with mosaics of the second century, spelling out By Jim Kelly (N.C.W.C. News Service) SAN FRANCISCO, — Talking with strangers about a loved one is not easy. There is an inti macy of feeling, of emotion, that does not. always come through in words. Especially when they concern a mother. In the rectory of Holy Rosary Church, Decoto, Calif., the little Spanish priest was doing his best, with the odds against him. Stranded in midsentence, hunt ing for the proper English, he would turn finally to the in terpreter. This was more than his lov ing tribute to his mother. Prax- edes Fernandez, widow of a humble workingman, has been singled out for the possibility of honors that the Church reserves for the heroic among the serv ants of God. Father Enrique Fernandez, O.P,. hopes to see his mother beatified. the. devotions of the Christians of that early period to the Mo ther, of God. We were thrilled and felt expectancy realized when we were assigned the Chapel for our Mass. After our Mass we lingered longingly but only briefly, be- “She often told me when I was a small boy, ‘Always have your thoughts on God’,” said the Dominican priest, who travels throughout California giving missions for the Spanish-speak ing. “Her own life was the best ex ample of that advice. She didn’t live for herself. Only to serve others, and through them, God.” At the request of priests fa miliar with her sanctity, the canonical process for the beati fication of Praxedes Fernandez was opened in the Archdiocese of Oviedo, Spain, in November, 1957. Senora Fernandez, who died less than 22 years ago, spent her life in the province of Asturias in northern Spain, a coal mining region. Six years after her mar riage to Gabriel Fernandez, a day laborer, she became a wid ow when he died under the ■wheels of a train in 1919. She was left with four sons, the cause we were to return to the Bascilica in the afternoon for what turned out to be the most memorable event ever experi enced. But lingering, even though briefly, our eyes were fascinated and our memories en- youngest three days old. To house her brood she turn ed to the home of her parents in the village of Suero. The .bar gain she kept for the next 14 years: her own domestic serv ices in return for her family’s shelter and feeding. Suero was not known for its religious fervor. The hamlet had no church. By the late ’20s com munist agitators already were finding a ready audience among the miners. For the deeply religious wid ow Fernandez this was trying. Daily Mass meant a two-mile walk early morning to the next town. Communist hoodlums sometimes followed her, jeering. She was threatened with vio lence more than once. If the jeers drew tears, they also, earned something the tor mentors needed more — pray ers. Senora Fernandez had vow ed her widowhood would be (Continued on Page Eight) COLUMBUS — Ground was broken to mark the beginning of construction of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Columbus, Ga., on Aug. 24. The new parish is the second so named in the Dio cese of Savannah. The name was chosen for the Columbus Church because the year 1958 marks the 100th anniversary of the appari tions of Our Lady of Lourdes in Southern France. Officiating as the Bishop’s Representative was the Very Rev. Herman Deimel, pastor of Holy Family Parish, Columbus, and Vicar Forane of the Colum bus Deanery. The ground break- WASHINGTON, (NC) — Ap peals to exempt private, non profit schools and colleges from Federal excise taxes were made by three Senators in speeches on the Senate floor. Since public schools are freed from the taxes, imposing them on private schools is discrimi natory, claimed Sens. Edward J. Thye and Hubert H. Humphrey, both of Minnesota and Wayne Morse of Oregon. There was no opposition to their remarks. The three urged inclusion of an exemption provision in a House-passed bill regulating ad ministration of excise tax laws. The exemption was deleted from the bill by the Senate Fi nance Committee before that unit sent it to the Senate floor. After Sens. Thye and Humph rey made brief remarks associ ating themselves with Sen. Morse in his appeal for exemp tion, the Oregon legislator made a statement dealing with the right to aid all school children, not just those in public schools. Sen. Morse said that he in vited the attention of his col leagues to the “delicate prob lem” involved in legislation of this nature. “The Congress and the Ameri can people,” he said, “are go ing to have to face up to one problem. I am one Senator, Mr. President, who will not hesitate at any time to do what he thinks is needed for justice in the field of education for American boys and girls.” Mr. Morse then said he did not hesitate even in view “of some prejudical feeling or emo tional attitude or downright bias or bigotry which may exist upon the part of some groups which are perfectly willing, apparent ly, to let boys and girls suffer because of the fact that they may be born into families who desire to send them to private schools.” The Senator criticized a “pre judice which has prevailed in America for too long, not based upon a sound premise, but upon the argument that if we do something for a boy or girl at tending a private school, we are in some way violating the great ing ceremony for the new Church was performed by Rev. William Dowling, pastor. Lowering skies and a steady rain kept the attendance at the ceremonies to a minimum. Pres ent were Rev. Frank Wallace and Rev. Paul Lynch, chaplains from Fort Benning, and Father Alphonsus, S.D.S., of Mother Mary Mission. Also braving the inclement weather were Mr. Harold Buck, contractor for the new edifice, the Sisters of Mercy from Holy Trinity School, the Franciscan Sisters from St. Francis Hospital and four Brothers from Holy Trinity, Ala. historic doctrine of separation of church and state.” “The doctrine has nothing whatsoever to do with benefit to a boy or girl attending a pri vate school,” he said. “That has been pretty well sustained in the great leading educational cases, some of which have gone (Continued on Page Eight) Retreat For Priests Opens September 8th SAVANNAH—The Priests of the Savannah Diocese will begin their annual Retreat at the Trappist Monastery of Our La dy of the Holy Ghost, Conyers, on Monday evening, Sept. 8. All Diocesan Priests, except those ordained this year, will make the Retreat. It is expect ed that some Religious, who us ually make their annual Re treat at another time, will also be in attendance. The Retreat will be under the direction of His Excellency, Bishop Thomas J. McDonough, Auxiliary Bish op of Savannah, and will be preached by the Rev. Louis Wheeler, S.J. The exercises will come to a close on Friday morn ing, Sept. 12. During this week, most of the Parishes of the Dio ceses will be staffed by the Re ligious Order Priests of the Dio cese. The universal Canon Law of the Church requires all secular priests to make a spiritual re treat at least every three years and the Council of Baltimore, which enacted many laws for the Clergy and Faithful of the United States decreed that secu lar priests in the United States must make a Retreat at least every two years. The custom of an annual retreat is in accord ance with the Encyclical on the Priesthood, of Pope Pius XI, which urges periods of spiritual Retreat on all priests as neces sary means of sanctity, to be sought even beyond the strict requirements of law. HOUSE PASSES BILL WHICH EXEMPTS CLERGY FROM TESTIMONY ON SECRETS WASHINGTON, (NC) — The House has passed a bill specific ally exempting District of Co lumbia, clergymen from testify ing in court about information obtained in their professional capacity. Introduced last year by Rep. Hyde of Maryland, the measure prohibits examination in Dis trict courts “of any minister of religion in connection with com munications made by or to him in his professional capacity, without the consent of the par ties to such communications.” Rep. Myde has said that phy sicians are at present the only professional persons exempted from testimony on confidential matters in District courts. The present, bill, which now goes to the Senate, was promp ted by a recent case in which a minister testified in a divorce case whose principals had sought his counsel. At first the minister refused but, when told lie would be held in contempt of court, he testified. (Continued on Page Eight) HOLY FATHER RECEIVES ARCHBISHOP O'HARA AND SAVANNAH PILGRIMS PRESIDENT GARCIA OF PHILIPPINES LAUDS NATION'S CATHOLIC SCHOOL AT ANNUAL CONVENTION (N.C.W.C. News Service) ONE MAN S MOTHER Three Senators Hake Appeal For Exemption For Schools From Federal Excise Taxes