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DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH EDITION
Serving
Georgia's 88
Southern Counties
Published By The
Catholic Laymen's
Ass'n Of Georgia
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH
Vol. 39, No. 19
MONROE, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1959
10c Per Copy — $3 a Year
THE CHANCERY
P. O. Box 1560
Savannah, Georgia
My dear People:
Of all the works of God, none is more wonderous than the Catholic Priest
hood. “The priest,” in the words of Saint John Eudes, “is given the power to
consecrate the Lord of Majesty. His lips bless Him. His hands hold Him. His tongue
proclaims Him.” He is indeed another Christ breathing new life into a tired world.
It is through the priest that we receive Christ in Holy Communion. His hand
is raised in absolution. His words comfort the dying. In a word he is Christ present
in our world. So important is the priest that without him the Church can hardly
continue. Without him there can be neither Mass, nor confession, nor words of
comfort to the dying. What an honor to be a priest of Jesus Christ!
Yet, in spite of his great dignity, the priest is, as Saint Paul tells us, taken
from among men.” It is mankind that supplies the material which God and His
Church mold into the priestly character. Being a man himself, the priest can more
readily understand the thoughts of men. He can more easily penetrate into the
mysteries of the human heart. The closer a priest is to his people, the better he
can serve them. There is, then, no substitute for a clergy drawn from the soil of
the Diocese. Nothing can take the place of priests sprung from among the families
he serves. ;
At this moment, my dear people, we are faced with a critical need in this
Diocese. We must produce more vocations to the Priesthood or the Faith of our
people will grow cold. We must find receptive young hearts and set them ablaze
with a fire of sacrificial love of God, making them willing to devote their entire
lives to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. No gift to the Church, however great, can
take the place of this gift, the priest.
~ What is lacking in our Diocese that it should produce so few priestly voca
tions? Why is it that at this moment there are only two boys native to the Diocese
in the last six years of the seminary? Is it that our boys lack heroism or holiness?
No, far from it. The history of the people of Georgia is one studded wtih heroic
generosity and eminent holiness.
Indeed, many young boys in grammar school manifest a desire for the
Priesthood. Yet living their adolescent years in an area largely non-Catholic they
lose this desire amid the cares and pleasures of the world. The seed has not fallen
upon fertile ground. It has died without producing vocations. Is it not our part to
render this sod more fertile by prayer arid sacrifice?
What is needed is an intensive program of prayer and sacrifice. We must
fall upon our knees and beseech from God not merely vocations but the grace of
courage to follow the call of Christ. We must strengthen young hearts with help
won by our sacrifices and our prayers. Our words of encouragement must go out
to young men who seek to become priests. Our counsel must be that of Holy
Mother Church, guiding young men who have the signs of a vocation toward the
seminary where they may find whether or not God has called them to Himself.
In a word each of us must become vitally interested in the subject of priestly
vocations. ,
As a beginning, we have set aside the time of Lent and Easter to be a special
time of prayer. After each Mass said in the Diocese the prayer for vocations will
be recited. Posters in our schools and churches will remind you of our great need.
Movies will be shown to the children of our schools. A priest will visit and speak
to them of the grandeur of the Priesthood.
Yet all this is nothing if it does not stimulate you, the people of the Diocese
of Savannah, to rally to the call of prayer for vocations. Without your constant
prayer no success can be hoped for, no increase of vocations will be seen. You aie
the key to the Heart of Christ. It is your prayers and interest that will unlock the
plentitude of His graces. It is you who hold the future of the Diocese in balance.
This is the first Sunday of the holy season of Lent. Here is a time especially devoted
to the exercises of prayer and penance. What moment could you better join with
us in prayer and sacrifice for vocations? What better time is there to understand
the Priesthood of Jesus Christ than the days devoted to His priestly passion and
death upon the cross?
Come rally around us in this noble work. God wills it. It must be a glorious
success. With our prayers it will be just that. Pray in your homes, your churches
and schools; pray everywhere. Sacrifice with zeal and love. God will reward us.
He will bless our effort.
I have dedicated our work to the saintly Cure of Ars, Saint John Vianney.
Pray to him often during these days. In your prayers, too, remember our priestly
dead and those priests who now toil for the salvation of your souls..
Assuring you and your families of my everlasting gratitude for your every
prayer and sacrifice, and imparting to you my blessing, I remain,
Devotedly yours in Christ,
+ thomas j. McDonough,
Auxiliary Bishop of Savannah.
For Vocations To Priesthood
Intensive Program Of Prayer
And Sacrifice Asked By Bishop
COLUMBUS
DEANERY TO
MEET MARCH 1
MACON — The spring
meeting of the Columbus
Deanery Council of Catholic
Women will be held on Sun
day, March 1, at 12:30 p. m.
at the Columbus Woman's
Club, in Columbus.
Reservations may be made
with Mrs. Warren Purks, 820
Peachtree Drive, Columbus.
Mrs. C. A. Davis, president,
writ preside.
Dual Recognition
¥or St. Vincent
Academy Senior
SAVANNAH—Receiving rec
ognition from both the General
Mills Company and the Nation
al Merit Scholarship Corpora
tion is Miss Linda Davis, a sen
ior at St. Vincent’s Academy.
As St. Vincent’s Homemaker
of Tomorrow, Miss Davis will
enter the state competition with
other winners. She will also re
ceive a pin which represents the
slogan, “Home is Where the
Heart Is.”
Miss Davis has been com
mended also as runner-up in the
1958-59 Merit Scholarship com
petition by the National Merit
Scholarship Corporation. This
means that she ranks in the top
two or three percentile in abil
ity among over 478,000 senior
students in the U. S. and its
possessions.
“Each (of these students )re-
ceiving this commendation has
(Continued on Page 6)
Prayers
Offered For
Persecuted
SAVANNAH — Prayers im
ploring relief and comfort for
the persecuted Catholics of Red
China were offered throughout
the Diocese of Savannah on
Sunday, Feb, 15th in accord
ance with the recommendation
of His Excellency, Bishop Tho
mas J. McDonough, Auxiliary
Bishop of Savannah.
Bishop McDonough also asked
that “the faithful offer their
Masses and Holy Communion
for the faithful in China.”
In every Diocese throughout
the Catholic world special de
votions and worship services
were also scheduled as Pope
John XXIII pleaded for “pray
ers. to beseech Almighty God
that in His mercy He may avert
such a calamity as is now threat
ening the Catholic Community
(Continued on Page 6)
‘The Lord is the portion
of my inheritance , .
A seminarian at prayer. “Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the
Harvest that He may send laborers into the vineyard ... for the
harvest is great, but the laborers few.”—(Photo courtesy “The
Voice”).
SAINT JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL
NAMES McAULIFFE, HASTINGS
AUGUSTA — Alvin M. Mc-
Auliffe has been appointed
chairman of a new lay advisory
board for St. Joseph’s Hospital.
Dr. E. V. Hastings has been
elected president of the St. Jos
eph medical staff. Both actions
came recently as the hospital re
organized for 1959.
Serving with Hastings are Dr.
Frank Jones as vice president
and Dr. C. A. White as secretary
and treasurer.
George A. Sancken Sr. serves
as vice chairman of the advisory
board.
Other members include Al
fred M. Battey, Lee Blum,
Glenn R. Boswell, T. H. Brit-
tingham, Charles DeBeaugrine,
Sherman Drawdy, C. Victor
Markwalter Sr., William S. Mor
ris, J. Pat Price, Roseoe O. Bob-
erts, Samuel Silverstein, and C.
J. Vaughan.
The appointments were an
nounced by Sister Mary Louise,
hospital administrator.
Guidance
Program
Schedule
For New St. Mary's School
To Launch $200,000 Fund
Raising Campaign At Augusta
AUGUSTA — A campaign to
raise $200,000.00 for a new
school has been planned for St.
Mary’s on the Hill Parish, it
was announced this week by the
Very Reverend Daniel J.
Bourke, V.F., Pastor.
Estimated cost of the twelve
classroom school and cafetori-
um, including the purchase price
of the land, is $300,000.00. The
fund drive has been established
to obtain the major portion of
this cost which cannot be ob
tained through normal parish
income.
His Excellency, Most Rev
erend Thomas J. McDonough,
D.D., J.C.D., Auxiliary-Bishop
of Savannah, has given his
whole hearted support to the
campaign. His Excellency stat
ed in part in a letter to Father
Bourke, “with devoted loyalty I
extend my most profound con
gratulations upon such an au
spicious undertaking. May Our
Divine Savior bless most fav
orably this highly desired and
much needed parochial school.”
The school will be erected on
the land presently occupied by
Mount St. Joseph Academy, and
it is expected that construction
will begin in September. The
firm of Woodhurst and O’Brien
has been appointed as archi
tects for the school.
“The inadequate facilities at
Mount St. Joseph and the poor
condition of the buildings,
makes a new, modern school an
absolute necessity,” explained
Father Bourke.
The drive will open officially
on Sunday, March 22. Father
Bourke revealed that Mr. Albert
Von Karnp Gary has accepted
the position of General Chair
man. Under the direction of Mr.
Gary a committee of 200 men
of the community will be or
ganized to carry the appeal to
the parish.
Every member of St. Mary’s
is to be solicited during the
fund drive. The Pastor noted
that this will be no casual ap
peal for funds.
“It will require sacrifice on
the part of every parishioner,
not just a few. Contributions
may be paid over a twenty-
month period, making it pos
sible for a gift to become part
of every family’s budget,” Fa
ther Bourke said.
Mr. Gary commented, “Our
campaign is the result of much
planning. St. Mary’s has long
been in need of a parochial
school. Great enthusiasm has
been shown in the campaign
project and the parishioners are
united in its objectives. We an
ticipate a very successful fund
drive.”
Receives Habit
Of Brothers Of
The Holy Cross
COLUMBUS — Donald E.
Cox was one of 19 candidates
who received the religious habit
of the Brothers of Holy Cross
recently at St. Joseph’s Noviti
ate, Rolling Prairie, Indiana.
Brother Donald Cox is the son
of Mrs. E. J. Kennedy of Colum
bus. He is a graduate of Harlem
High School, Harlem, Ga.
FOR MORE VOCATIONS
TO THE PRIESTHOOD
SAVANNAH — The Chan
cery has released the schedule
for the showing of the vocation
al film “Twenty-Four Hours”
and for visits by the Reverend
William V. Coleman, Vice-
Chancellor to all schools of the
Diocese.
The Film has already been
shown at all grade schools in
the Savannah area, with visits
by Father Coleman having
been made to Cathedral, Sacred
Heart, Saint Anthony’s, St.
Mary’s, and Saint Benedict’s
Schools. ■
The remainder of the sched
ule follows:
FILM “TWENTY-FOUR
HOURS.”
St. Francis Xavier, Bruns
wick, February 23; St. Joseph’s,
Waycross, February 25; St.
John’s, Valdosta, March 2; Queen
of Peace, Lakeland, March 4;
St. Teresa’s, Albany, March 6;
Ploly Family, Columbus, March
10; St. Joseph’s and St. Peter
Claver, Macon, March 12; Sac
red Heart, Warner Robins,
March 13; Sacred Heart, Augus
ta, March 17; Mount St. Joh-
' eph, Augusta, March 18; Im
maculate Conception, Augusta,
March 19; Aquinas High, Augus
ta, March 23; Immaculate Con
ception High, Augusta, March
24; Benedictine High, Savannah,
April 5; and St. Pius *X High,
Savannah, April 7.
VISITS BY FATHER COLE
MAN; Blessed Sacrament, Sav
annah, February 24; Saint
James, Savannah, February 25;
Nativity, Thunderbolt, Febru
ary 26; Saint Michael’s, Savan
nah Beach, February 27; St.
Francis Xavier, Brunswick,
March 9; St. Joseph’s, Waycross,
March 9; St. John’s, Valdosta,
March 10; St. Teresa’s, Albany,
March 11; Holy Family, Colum
bus, March 12; St. Joseph’s and
St. Peter Claver, Macon, March
16; Sacred Heart, Warner Rob
ins, March 17; Sacred Heart,
Augusta, March 18; Mount St.
Joseph, Augusta, March 19; Im
maculate Conception, Augusta,
March 18; Aquinas High, Au
gusta, April 7; Immaculate Con
ception High, Augusta, April 8;
Benedictine High, Savannah.
April 12; St. Pius X High, Sav
annah, April 13.
Urges Rally To
Call Of Prayer
For Vocations
SAVANNAH — In a letter ad
dressed to the people of the
Savannah Diocese, Bishop Tho
mas J. McDonough, auxiliary-
bishop, called for “an intensive
program of prayer and sacrifice”
for vocations to the priesthood
from among South Georgia’s
Catholic young men. He called
upon the “people of the Diocese
of Savannah, to rally to the call
of prayer for vocations. With
out your constant prayer no
success can be hoped for, no in
crease of vocations will be
seen.”
A separate letter to the Cler
gy of the Diocese outlined a
“very extensive vocation pro
ject for 1959.” The project called
for the reading of a Pastoral
Letter (published elsewhere on
this page) in all churches of the
Diocese on the First Sunday of
Lent and the reading of a spe
cial Prayer fqr Vocations at all
Masses during Lent and Easter
time.
Included in the vigorous Vo
cations program which will last
until Trinity Sunday are a ser
mon on Vocations to the Priest
hood on the first Sunday of
March in every church in the
Diocese, the distribution of leaf
lets and the display of the 1959
Vocation poster in all Churches,
schools and altar boys’ sacris
ties. There will also be frequent
programs of prayer in each
classroom of the Diocese for
Vocations.
The Rev. William V. Coleman,
vice-chancellor, has already be
gun an extensive tour which
will take him to all the schools
of the Diocese where he will
speak on Vocations and inter
view separately each boy in the
8th and 9th grades. A Vocation
al film. “Twenty Four Hours”
will also be shown in all the
schools. All boys showing a
genuine interest in a Priestly
Vocation will be referred by
Father Coleman to their re
spective Pastors. On the basis
of the Pastor’s interview and
personal knowledge, boys will
be accepted by the Bishop and
assigned to Seminary work.
Ever since his appointment as
Auxiliary Bishop of Saxannah,
Bishop McDonough has express
ed concern over the lack of
priestly vocations in the Diocese
and has frequently urged par
ents not only to “refrain from
placing obstacles in the way,
but also to generously and gen
uinely foster vocations to the
Sacred Priesthood in your own
homes.”
PRAYER
FOR VOCATIONS
O God, hear our prayer
and lei our cry come unio
Thee.
Bless our Diocese of Sav
annah wilh many priestly
vocations.
Give the young men You
call, the light to understand
Your gift and the love to
follow always in the foot
steps of Your Priestly Son.
—Indulgence of seven years
Mary, Queen of the Clergy,
pray for us.
St. John Vianney, pray for
us.
Imprimaiur:
-4-Thomas J. McDonough
