Funding for the digitization of this title was provided by Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah.
About Bulletin (Monroe, Ga.) 1958-1962 | View Entire Issue (May 2, 1959)
PAGE 4-t-THE BULLETIN, May 2, 1959 JOSEPH BREIG TIBET’S JOLT TO INDIA The most perplexing puzzle of this century has been the unwillingness of human beings to,realize the open, unashamed and even blatantly boastful vi ciousness of tne anti-God and anti - human move ments of our time. Millions of people clung to imbellic de lusions about nazism until nazi bayonets were at their throats; and to um uay mere are similar millions who refuse to Understand that communism is unalterably sworn to their destruction. Incredibly, this obtuseness has persisted despite the fact that Hitler told .us forcefully and precisely what he intended to do to us; and although Lenin Stalin and Khrushchev have been equally outspoken about their intentions. Now the news dispatches tell us that government leaders in India have had their eyes at least half-opened. by the Chi nese communist brutality in Ti bet. At last they have smelled the communist breath; and have found it bestial and foul. MEMBERS OF INDIA'S par liament shouted down, with cries of “shame, shame,” the communist members who tried to defend the Tibet slaughter by representing communist in vaders as liberators fighting against wicked Tibetan trouble makers. A motion was placed before parliament declaring that the Communist Party in India, by its attempts to justify the com munist killings in Tibet, had be trayed the truth about where its sympathies lay. At this point, any one who has made even a cursory study of communism feels like throw ing up his hands. How on earth could anybody have doubted for one moment that Indian communist sympathies would lie with the international com munist conspiracy? It ‘ is of the very essence of being a communist that one must give himself totally to the communist aim of overthrowing all non-communist governments and bringing all of mankind under a communist dictatorship. NO ONE can be a communist and be loyal to anything that stands in the way of complete communist conquest—not to his country, not to his wife and family, not to his religion, not to his friends, not to mercy or justice, not even to himself. The leader of India’s People’s Socialist Party, in a scathing at tack on Indian communism, said that if communist China were to invade any part of India’s terri tory, tnen India’s communists would "welcome the Chinese.” This statement was reported as if tne speaker had said some thing tnat was news. Yet those who have not closed their eyes and ears have known for 40 years that communists in any land would oi course welcome communist invaders. Never have communist lead ers deviated from the central communist thesis that every communist must follow every twist ot tne party line, and that tne party line aims always at total conquest oi humanity. LET ME TRY to state simply the situation we face in the world today—and have been facing tor many decades. Sup pose mat we look upon all tne earth as a neighborhood which is what it reany is; and let us then examine our neighbors. Most of the neighbors are de cent persons, subscribing to a code of decency. They have faults and weaknesses, which they admit; sometimes do wrong and do not deny it; they fail snort of their ideals and are ashamed. Gut one thing they are not— they are not desperadoes thirst ing for our blood. They are not plotting to talk us into letting down our guard so that they can smash their way into our homes and enslave us. Hut there is one neighbor who is different. He is the commun ist; and he tells us bluntly that he is out to break our backs. He intends to crush us, and he has told us so over and over in his official statements. WHEN WE ARE STRONGER than he is, he will cringe and truckle. He will smile upon us and assure us that he is the nicest fellow in the block. But he will not repudiate commu nism; he will not stop being a communist pledged to enslave us. Now we are utter fools if we say that the communist and the other neighbors are all the same, and that there is no reason to take sides in the matter merely because the other neighbors are not utterly perfect in every re spect. Nothing more than normal in telligence is needed to perceive that the other neighbors are men of good intentions, and that the communist is a man of the most evil intentions who has sold his soul to a conspiracy of cutthroats. Why anybody should have any difficulty in making this el ementary and obvious distinc tion, I am unable to fathom. Theology For The Layman ( By F. J. Sliced ) SANCTIFYING GRACE (1) When we come to die there is only one question that mat ters—have we sanctifying grace in our souls? If we have; then to heaven we shall go: there may be certain matters to be cleared, or cleansed, o n the way; but to heaven we shall go, for we have the power to live there. If we have not, then to heaven we cannot go; not because we lack the price of admission, but be cause quite simply our soul lacks the powers that living in heaven calls for. It is not a question of getting past the gate, but of living once we are there; there would be no advantage in finding a kind ly gate-keeper, willing to let us in anyhow. The powers of intel lect and will that go with our natural life are not sufficient: heaven calls for powers of knowing and loving higher than our nature of itself has, we need super-natural life: and we must get it here upon earth. To die lacking it means eternal failure. We must look at Grace more closely if we are to live our lives intelligently. Two things about it must be grasped. First: It is supernatural, it is wholly above our nature, there is not even the tiniest seed of it in our nature capable of grow ing, there is nothing we can do to give it to ourselves. We can have it only as God gives it, and He is entirely free in the giving. That, as we have seen, is ; why it is called grace; and because its object is to unite us with God, it is called sanctifying grace. Second: Even the word super natural does not convey how great a thing it is. It is not sim ply above our nature, or any created nature. It enables us to do—at our own finite level, but really—something which only God Himself can do by nature: it enables us to see God direct. That is why it is called “a created share in the life of God.” That is why those who have it are called “sons of God”: a son is like in nature to his father; by this gift we have a ( Continued on Page 5 ) Jottings... (By David Q. Liptak) Q, How can one possibly ex plain the allitude of Catholic women who have no qualms whatever about going into a church dressed in clolhes fit only for an amusement park, or even for a beach? Immodesty in clothes is bad enough, but there is something especially disgust ing about it in church. I know some non-Catholics whose re spect for the Church, and for Catholic women in general, has been considerably lowered by Ihe example of some of our women in this matter. A. How it is that some of our Catholic women and girls ap parently have no scruples about entering a church in attire suit able solely for recreation or the beach, is an enigma that can only be explained, it seems, by their failure to realize the scan dal they are occasioning and the irreverance implied in their ac tion. The only other possible ex planation is bad faith—a most serious allegation in view of. the nature of modesty and the tre- . mendous holiness of a Catholic church. It is enigmatic, too, that very few women or girls seem to be unaware of their obligation to dress properly for Sunday Mass or public services. For some strange reason abuses in femi nine style in church are most evident on Saturday afternoons and evenings, during confession time, as if a church were less sacred then than on Sunday morning, or as if the rules for propriety in dress were sudden ly dispensed with except for Sunday Mass and public cere monies. How Catholic women can continue to claim ignorance in this matter is difficult to see, ( Continued on Page 5 ) (By BARBARA C. JENCK3) • FIREFIGHTER JIMMY my’s life. A Dominican priest, CLARKE went to the Holy encountered on the subway, be- Name Breakfast of the New gan conversation with the fire- York Fire Department a few man. He was the apostolic Fa- Sundays ago. He had attended ther Francis Wendell, O.P., and the annual event in his blue he finally asked: “Jimmy, why uniform with silver buttons for aren’t you a priest?” Thus Pri- many years. This year it was vate Clarke began his ladder How Do You Rate on Facts of Faith? By Brian Cronin 1. Simon Bar-Jona was the name of one of the apostles be- lore GiiiTst renamed mm: (a; Lump? (l>) Gannoiomew? (e) JonnY (a) peter? 2. a iraine wan a biack cloth covering is used in services lor tne ueaa wnen tne corpse is not present, it is caned a: (at uacaialque? (bi Bier.' (c) Pali? (a) Collin? 3. vvnere aia Goa give to Moses tne two tablets containing tne Ten Gommanuments? (a) Mount Olive? (b) Mount Calvary? ml Noams Aik? (a,) Mount Sinai? 4. Saints cosmas and Damian are tne patron saints of: (a) Bankers? (D) Surgeons? (cl Undertakers? (d) Nurses? 5. in eaen diocese, tne administrative arm of the Church dealing witn ecclesiastical records is known as the: (a) Chancel? (.01 Divine UtliceY (c) Chancery? (dl Sacristy? 6. “L Osservatore Romano” is the title of tne (al Lnotficial Vatican Newspaper? (b) Vatican Observatory? (c) Rome Communist Newspaper? (d) Otticiai Vatican organ? 7. Wno was the first American-born saint of the New World? (a) Peter Claver? (b) Jacques Marquette? (c) Rose of Lima? (dl Mother Cabnm? 8. The Cenacle was the place of (a) The Last Supper? (b) The Resurrection? (c) Christ’s Baptism? (d) The Circumcision? Give yourself 10 marks for each correct answer below Rating: 80-Excellent; 70-Very Good; 60-Good; 50-Fair. ANSWERS: 1 (d); 2 (a); 3 (d); 4 (b); 5 (c); 6 (a); 7 (c); 8 (a) Red China And The U. N. THE BACKDROP Quernoy and SHARING OUR TREASURE How to Increase Catholic Marriages By REV. JOHN A. OBRIEN, Ph. D. (University el Noire Dame)- different. He was the speaker. Firefighter Jimmy Clarke is now Father Martin de Porres, O.F.M., Cap.. In 1945, he traded in his service uniform for the brown habit and sandals of a Capuchin. He decided to de climb which ended in his ordi nation and the new title of “Fa ther.” • JIMMY WAS 31 at the time he began his studies for the priesthood. It was not an easy undertaking but Private vote his life to the saving of Clarke had courage and he had souls from the eternal flames a vocation. His first solemn and for eternity’s reward. As High Mass was offered in 1954 the first New York City fireman a t Saint Patrick’s Cathedral to become a priest, Father Mar- where he had been a daily tin spoke to his former com- communicant for so many years, rpdes on the adventures of win- it was a three-alarm occasion ning souls to Christ in his mis- f or his firefighting comrades. In sion on the Ryukyu Islands, east their dress blues, white gloves, of Formosa. I heard of Father shining buttons, they marched Martin’s unusual vocation story down Fifth Avenue and swung while he was visiting a friend into the Cathedral’s main aisle at Saint Mary’s College, Notre where they were seated as Dame, enroute home to the guests of honor. Cardinal Spell- Fireman’s Breakfast, and his man himself presided, for Fa- first vacation in almost four ther Martin was the first fire- years. man-priest. His comrades * AS A NEW YORK fire- watched as one of their own fighter Jimmy Clarke took part offered the Body and Blood of with both of us receiving Holy in many rescues. But he attend- Christ, on the great gold ca- Communion. This is surely the ed Mass daily at Saint Patrick’s thedral altar. Before the new Cathedral, located near his fire- pripst left on his first mission, house. One morning while mak- his service buddies gave him a ing his thanksgiving, the young party at his old firehouse. They fireman was asked if he would presented him with a jeep with like to serve Monsignor Sheen’s an old fire bell attached and Mass. It was a big day. Fire- took him out on a hook and man Clarke served as altar boy ladder truck “for old times while the Louis Budenz family sake.” While he was away, the received its first Holy Coni- firemen supported his works munion. Today one of the Louis with bucket brigade collections. Budenz daughters is a nun and During his stop-off in Japan en- the altar boy who served at her route to his Myako Island mis- first Holy Communion is a sion, he took a fireman’s holiday Capuchin. Another day was and visited the Tokyo Fire De even more important in Jim- partment. Father Martin will be One out of every three mar riages at which a priest offi ciates in this country is a mixed marriage. This disturbingly high percentage could be greatly re duced, perhaps nearly to the vanishing point, i f the Catholic would bring his sweet heart to a priest for a complel e course of in struction be fore becoming engaged. This is illustrated by the experience of James Wolfe and Patricia Hausz of Creston, Iowa. “When Jim and I were going together,” said Patricia, “Jim told me how much his religion meant to him and what a great help it was. He brought me to Sunday Mass, explained its meaning and gave me a prayer- book. I was greatly impressed with the reverence and devotion of the worshippers and my curiosity was whetted to know more about it. “My maternal grandmother was a Catholic but her husband was a Protestant. There was no Catholic church in the town, and so when mother and her sister were old enough to at tend, they went to a Protestant church and were baptized. RELIGION A BOND “When Jim and I talk of mar riage, we both acknowledged that a mixed marriage was not the ideal. Religion should be a bond binding husband and wife more closely together and not of cleavage. There are enough ups and downs in marriage without adding friction from difference of religion. “So almost a year before our wedding Jim took me to the Immaculate Conception rectory in Creston, where Monsignor Vitus Stoll gave me a complete course of instruction. My mother also attended many of the in structions and this helped her a great deal too. “When I learned that the Catholic religion was founded directly by Christ fifteen cen turies before Protestantism saw the light of day. 1 knew then that it is the true religion and alone speakes with divine authority. I now wanted to become a Cath olic not only to have greater unity in our family life but also, and even primarily, because it is the Church established by Christ for the salvation of all mankind. “I was baptized in November 1948 and some months later we were married at a Nuptial Mass and were glad that I became a Catholic. In the summer of 1950 father was stricken with a heart attack and taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Omaha. He was greatly impressed with the kind ness of the Sisters. FOUR EMBRACE FAITH “This and the example of his Catholic friends, along with God’s grace, led him, mother, my aunt Mrs. Sara Knight and her granddaughter Donna Ber ger to take instructions from Monsignor Stroll. Upon their completion the four of them were received into the Church and are now devout Catholics. “God has blessed Jim and me with four lovely children. I thank God that I took the com plete course and not merely the few required for a mixed mar riage. Jim and I hope we may share the precious treasure of our holy faith with many others.” Like Jim Wolfe, many other Catholics can help lead their non-Catholic sweethearts into the fold by setting them a good example, bringing them to Sun day Mass and especially to a priest for a complete course of instruction. Mere “marriage in structions” are not enough to lead to conversion. Advocates of admission of Red China into the United Na tions and diplomatic recognition by the United States have been dealt a severe setback, ironical ly, by the Peiping regime itself. Scarcely a voice has been lifted in this country in behalf of d i p> 1 o m a tic r e c o g m tion since the Red Chinese start ed the bom bardment o f Matsu, accompanied by threats to the Nationalist Chinese on Formosa. And today, few statesmen ex cept tne heads of the govern ments of Soviet Russia and her communist satellites, would think of reviving the agitation for the admission of Red China to the United Nations. For the current attempt to crush Tibet has demonstrated to the world tnat Peiping's policy is as im perialist, as aggressive and as rutntess as that ot the Soviet Union. SOURCE OF SUPPORT Support tor the admission of the Red Cniriese to tne United Nations has come mainly from Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nenru, of India, the govern ments ot some ot the southeast Asian countries, spokesmen tor the British socialists, and, of course, Russia and her satellites. Critics of the American policy of non-recognition of the Chin ese communists, before the bom bardment of Quemoy and Matsu, included professed left wingers, liberal church groups, a few Congressional leaders and cer- By JOHN C. O’BRIEN tain publicists. as recently as June, 1957, Sen. J. William Fulioright, a member oi tne Foreign Rela tions Committee, suggested m a television interview that the question of recognition of tne Peiping regime was only a ques tion oi "wnen and how you do it.” And Nathaniel Peixer, in an article in tne Political Science Quarterly, argueu that tne policy ot non-recognition was seli-aeteatmg. Even by some of those who have never questioned tne ad- visaoiiny of witiihoicting recog nition irom tne cmnese Reus strong pressure has been brougnt to bear on tne State Department to relax the ban against traae with Red China. Democratic leaders as hostile to communism as Senate Major ity Leaaer Lyndon Jonnson and Sen. Warren G. Magnucon, of Washington, have called for a re-evaluation of the no-trade policy. iney have pointed out tnat tne rest ot tne pree World is carrying on a trade in non- strategic materiais witn Red China and that it is unrealistic to deny American businessmen an equal opportunity to do busi ness witn tne Peiping govern ment. DULLES ATTACKED Former secretary or State Joini roster uunes, who stermy resisted an attempts to bring Red Gnina into trie United Na tions or to accord Her diplomatic recognition, has borne tne brunt ot tne atlacit on the exclusion policy. Critics at home and abroad cited his stubborn oppo sition to enhancing the prestige of the Chinese communists as another instance of his “inflexi- Fnthor Whnrton’i View front the Kedory I’m not one to tell about my visions and revelations. One must retain one’s humility, you know. But when the Lord’s in terests demand it, I am willing to throw humility to the four winds and tell all. The other night I had a vision of a letter from the great apostle, St. Paul—the Epistle to the Geor gians. You may call it merely a dream, if you wish to quibble about it. I prefer to think there’s something to it. Here is the full text of the letter: “Dear Father: I wish to bring to your attention my first Epistle to the people of Corinth (Chapter 11) of 57 A. D. In this letter I stated the advisability of THE STORY LADY Maureen Wenk Hanigan ideal way, for then a young couple starts with God’s bless ing. By receiving Holy Com munion together the unity of their family life is deepened and strengthened. “Father and mother saw what a powerful influence the Cath olic religion became in my life at the Capuchin Friary, 210 West 31st Street, New York 1, until June for those who are interested in learning more of the needs of Ryukyu Island mis sions. TWO LITTLE SISTERS The story I am going to tell you today is a true story. It happened a long long time ago— over one hundred years. It is a story about a little girl named Phoebe Cary, and about her big sister Alice, who was four years older than Phoebe. They lived in the State of Ohio, in a small low house with a big red barn close behind it. Alice and Phoebe Cary had many other brothers and sisters, but they were the oldest and they loved to play together. One day, when the two little sisters were walking home from school and playing a little bit by the roadside, they found a tiny tree that someone had pulled up by roots and then thrown away. They felt very sorry for the little tree because it looked so wilted and thirsty. “Let’s plant it.” said Alice, “and see if it will grow for us if we take very good care of it.” So they carefully dug a little hole and put the tree in it. Then they covered the roots with soil and gave the thirsty little tree a drink of water. Every day they would bring more water in a little jar in their lunch box and every day the little tree grew straighter and bigger. Now it is a tall tall tree, over one hundred years old, and all the people in Ohio call it the Cary Tree. There were many other things that Alice and Phoebe did to gether. They learned to cook and knit and spin, but most of all they loved to read books and write poems. They had a secret box all their very own, which they hid under the stairs, and whenever they wrote a poem they especially liked they would keep it in their secret box. Once Phoebe wrote a poem that she liked so much she sent it to a newspaper in Boston. The people who printed the newspaper thought it was a lovely poem too, and so they put it in their paper. Soon Phoebe and Alice were having their poems printed in many papers. When the girls grew up they decided to go to New York to live and to spend every day writting poems that boys and girls would enjoy. Alice and Phoebe wrote many many poems, and some of them were so very pretty that the children wanted to sing them and so they were made into songs. Would you like to hear one of their poems? Alright then, 1 will tell you one of the poems I like best. It was written by Phoebe Cary. I can say it without even look ing at the paper. Perhaps if you read it over several times you will be able to say it without peeking at the words too. Some day I will tell you of the other poems that the two little sisters wrote. SUPPOSE Suppose, my little lady, Your doll should break her head, Could you make it whole by crying Till your eyes and nose are red? And wouldn’t it be pleasanter To treat it as a joke; And say you’re glad “Twas Dolly’s, And not your head that broke”? Suppose you’re dressed for ( Continued on Page 5 ) coverings for women’s heads in the House of God. I was quite gratified that this custom was adopted for almost 2,000 years. Now my former commander-in chief, St. Peter, informs me that recent arrivals at the Pearly Gates bring reports of the aban donment of this practice in some places. Or, what is perhaps worse, the covering consists only of a little piece of papyrus called, I think, Kleenex. ONLY A PEBBLE “I realize humbly that you are but a pebble on the seashore compared to me. But I will be grateful for any steps you might take to correct this abuse. Un fortunately, the distance makes it impossible for me to return to earth to handle it myself. With the sincere hope that you may be able to keep your head for a few more years, I am, in the Lord, St. Paul.” There are some, I’m afraid, whose answer to the whole problem would be: “What dif ference does it make?” Not that a good Catholjp would question the authority of the Church or of St. Paul, of course. But 1 think the modern American in difference to custom and sym bolism has a lot to do with the abandonment of some age-old practices. What prompted St. Paul’s dis cussion of head coverings in the first place? His own law, for one thing—and the custom of all the churches at that time. For a per son to go about with head un covered was a sign of authority ble” approach to all problems arising out ot tne contact be tween communism and the Free \vond. s When Dulles took the stand that Red China was not entitled to sit in the council of nations or to exchange diplomatic repre sentatives with the United States as long as she was hold ing guiltless Americans prison ers, critics complained that this was merely a “technical” justifi cation for an unrealistic policy. As time passed, so alone did the United states become in its position that it Decame increas ingly ditticult to aeieat motions in me United Nations for ad mission oi the Red Chinese. Moves to> seat the Peiping Re gime, usually spearneaued by Russia or her satellites, gained support from India, from other Par and Middle Eastern coun tries and from the new nations in Africa. But in recent weeks the Pei ping regime has opened the eyes of the rest of the world, giving ample support to Dulles’ contention that any enchance ment of Red China’s prestige would merely place her in a more advantageous position to pursue a policy oi aggression in Asia. The attack on Tibet shocked and disillusioned Nehru, China’s most influential advocate in Asia, and the leaders of other southeastern nations which lie in the path of the Peiping re gime’s aggressive designs. Not in the foreseeable future at least, are we likely to see a move to seat Red China in the United Nations supported by India or her immediate neigh bors. and independence. Covering the head, on the other hand, was a sign of mourning or subjection to authority. REASON FOR CUSTOM It is true that the Church ele vated the status of women to a dignity unknown before. How ever, from the time of the crea tion of Eve from Adam, women were made subject to their hus bands. And because of this order of nature and the law of God, women are hot given an active place in liturgical functions, ft is ■because of these profound con siderations that St. Paul lays down the law about women cov ering their heads in church. Presumably, nothing will change the present practice of plunking a fruit bowl or flash light or feather on the head and calling it a covering. Even milli ners, however, would have to ad mit that the Apostle’s reasons for covering heads are all but forgotten with these creations around. A woman in church with figures of the Battle of the Alamo on top of her head is not going to feel subject to anyone. MANTILLA RETURNS The return, or rather the in troduction to this country, of the mantilla is a good sign. With a church full of mantilla-veiled women, there might be a lot of praying done. But even if this idea doesn’t get too far (and I doubt that it will), no woman should go into church at any time without a suitable covering for the head. And handkerchiefs should be used for blowing noses and wiping ice cream from the children’s mouths, not as a sub stitute for hats. Of course, covering of the head is not the only covering that should be discussed. I would like to mention an old friend who passed from our ( Continued on Page 5 ) Sty* luilrti« 416 8TH ST., AUGUSTA, GA, Published fortnightly by the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia, Inc., with the Approbation of the Most Reverend Arch bishop Bishop of Savannah, The Most Reverend Bishop of Atlanta and the Right Reverend Abbot Ordinary of Belmont. Subscription price $3.00 per year. Second class mail privileges authorized at Monrqe, Georgia. Send notice of change of address to P. O. Box 320, Monroe, Georgia. REV. FRANCIS J. DONOHUE REV. R. DONALD KIERNAN Editor Savannah Edition Editor Atlanta Edition JOHN MARKWALTER Managing Editor — ■ ■ - - » Vol. 39 Saturday, May 2, 1959 No. 24 ASSOCIATION OFFICERS FOR 1958-1959 GEORGE GINGELL, Columbus President MRS. DAN HARRIS, Macon : Vice-President TOM GRIFFIN, Atlanta Vice-President NICK CAMERIO, Macon a Secretary JOHN T. BUCKLEY, Augusta Treasurer ALVIN M. McAULIFFE, Augusta Auditor JOHN MARKWALTER, Augusta Executive Secretary MISS CECILE FERRY. Augusta Financial Secretary
