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DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH EDITION Serving Georgia's 88 Southern Counties OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH Published By The Catholic Laymen's Ass'n of Georgia Vol. 40, No. 14 MONROE, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1959 10c Per Copy — $3 a Year Ike Lauds "Wonderful Pope" Audience Lasts For 25 Minutes President Very Moved By Welcome He 8 m I fe: To Our Venerable Brother GERALD PATRICK O'HARA Archbishop-Bishop of Savannah Apostolic Delegate in England Venerable Brother, health and the Apostolic Blessing. You have informed me in a letter of particular candour that you are finding difficulty in governing the Diocese -Savannah-,■ which- has now been entrusted to you for twenty-four years, but which you have ruled in absence ever since you were named a Legate of the Apostolic See by Pius XII, my Predecessor of reverend memory. In this letter you also showed that, despite a natural regret, you are ready to resign the rule of this diocese _ particularly since the important duties which you perform as Apostolic Delegate to the illustrious English nation are increasingly preventing 1 you from ad ministering diocesan affairs. I can easily appreciate the feelings you have expressed to Me; indeed I endorse them with great pleasure. For many years I discharged similar legations in foreign countries, and later was Pastor of the See of Venice, it is therefoie quite clear to me that ever-growing cares are daily engendered by these duties, cares which human strength could hardly sustain, were it not for the powerful assistance of grace from on high. Therefore, in this personal letter, I wish to let you know that your suggestion has given Me great satisfaction, since I can see that in this matter you have been prompted by such feeling for the needs of the Church, and by such burning zeal to devote yourself to her. I therefore accept and grant your request that you be permitted to resign the task of governing the Diocese of Savannah. While congratulating you warmly on the pastoral diligence you have exercised for the benefit of the flock there, I must inform you that shortly, as is only right, you will be named to a titular archi- episcopal See. I beg Almighty God to assist you with His goodness and to reward your labours with abundant fruit, in the admirable performance among the noble English nation of the usual duties assigned to you by the Apostolic See. In token of these gifts, and as a sign of My good will towards you, Venerable Brother, I bestow on you with fatherly heart the Apostolic Blessing. Given at Rome, at St. Peter’s, on the 19th day of October, 1959, the first year of Our Pontificate. i JOHN XXIII POPE By Patrick Riley VATICAN CITY, (Radio, NC) —“I was very moved by the welcome shown me by the won derful Pope,” Eisenhower said here after his meeting with Pope John. At Rome’s Ciampino Airport, just before the President left for Turkey, he stated: "I have just come from a visit with His Holiness the Pope, and I have been inspired by his approval of the effort that the free na tions together are making to bring some progress toward peace and friendship in free dom.” During the meeting with Mr. Eisenhower, Pope John said he rejoiced to see the American nation “striving so actively, under the guidance and im pulse of its worthy president, toward lofty ideals of a loyal and effective concord between nations.” He also said there is no doubt that Mr. Eisenhower will con tinue to receive f r o m U. S. Catholics- “an exemplary contri bution of action, loyalty and discipline.” , When the Preside it arrived for the meeting with the Pope crowds assembled around bar riers in St. Peter’s Square to greet him and waved banners of welcome. In the presidential party were: recently retired Deputy Undersecretary of State Robert D. Murphy; Maj. and Mrs. John Eisenhower; James C. Hagerty, Presidential Press Secretary; Lt. Col. Vernon Walters, in terpreter and staff aide to the President; and James J. Row- ley, head of the White House Secret Service Detail. The President was greeted by Msgr. Beniamino Nardone, Sec retary of Sacred Congregation of Ceremonial, and by Msgr. Pius A. Benincasa, priest of the Buffalo Diocese attached to the Vatican Secretary of State. He was then presented to Msgr ( Federico Callori Di Vignale, a member of the Pope’s house hold. Msgr. Mario Nasalli Rocca Di Corneliano, the Master of Chambers, and other officials of the Papal household received the President and his party at the threshhold of the Clemen tine Hall. They moved through colorful halls to a small throne room, where Cardinal Tardini, Sec retary of State, met Mr. Eisen hower. in the small throne room were two armchairs for the Pope and the President. Flank ing these were three other chairs: for Cardinal Tardini, Col. Walters, and Archbishop Antonio Samore, Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for Extraordinary Ecclesiastical Af fairs. This group of five was in au dience alone about 25 minutes. Then the rest of the President’s part was brought in, and Pope John read a formal speech in English, expressing his great satisfaction at “the visit which you are kindly making to us, Mr. President.” The Pontiff said he rejoiced to see the American nation “striving so actively, under the guidance and impulse of its worthy president, toward lofty ideals of a loyal and effective concord between nations.” He extended to the American people “our gratitude for gene rosity with which they are pro moting the welfare and progress of more needy peoples by so lib erally placing at their disposal material gifts received from Di vine Providence.” Invoking God’s blessing and protection on the United States, the Pope continued: “We have no doubt that your excellency will continue to receive also from the Catholics of the Unit ed States an exemplary contri bution of action, loyalty and discipline.” The Pope noted with pleasure the presence of the President’s son, Maj. John Eisenhower, “Because of happy and encou raging coincidence of the name ‘John’ that he bears in common *■ witli us.” The president congratulated the Pope on his English pro nunciation. The Pope responded he had mastered his speech only by dogged repetition. He added he is learning his English from Msgr. Thomas Ryan, whom he described as a good teacher with a poor pupil who has little time to study. ’RESIDENT FIRMLY OPPOSES iCHEMES FOR TAX PAID IIRTH CONTROL PROMOTION NCWC—ON 40th ANNIVERSARY (N.C.W.C. News Service) WASHINGTON — President Sisenhower has firmly commit- ;ed his administration to oppose, schemes for tax-paid promotion )f birth control in under- ieveloped lands. The Chief Executive told a lews conference (Dec. 2) that le cannot imagine a subject nore emphatically not a proper lolitical activity or govern- nental responsibility than birth :ontrol. He made these other points: 1. Promoting birth control in ither nations would be inter ference in internal affairs. 2. If countries want to get help to deal with increasing oirth rates they can get it from professional agencies. 3. The birth control subject has a religious meaning to great denominations and he has no quarrel with opponents, princi pally the Catholic. Church which he admires and respects. The President was asked about the report of one of his advisory committees on over seas aid which last July sug gested foreign aid funds be used to help countries formulate plans to deal with their increas ing populations. Asked for his reaction, the President responded: “I cannot imagine anything more emphatically a subject that is not a proper political, or governmental activity or func tion or responsibility. “This thing has, for very great denominations, a religious meaning, a definite religious tenet in their own doctrine. “I have no quarrel with them, as a matter of fact this being largely the Catholic Church, they are one of the groups that I admire and respect, but this has nothing' to do with gov ernmental contact with other governments. “We do not intend to interfere with any other, the internal af fairs of any other government, and if they want to do some thing which admittedly — to do something about what is ad mittedly a very difficulty ques tion, an almost explosive ques tion, that is their business.” The East Addition to the headquarters building of the Na tional Catholic Welfare Conference (NCWC), in Washing ton, D. C., pushes rapidly forward as the agency of the U. S. Catholic Bishops marks its 40th anniversaryDecem ber 10. This voluntary organization of the U. S. Bishops is an outgrowth of its parent-predecessor, the National Catholic War Council, founded in 1917 to co-ordinate the efforts of Catholics in World War I. (NC Photos) Christmas Fast, Abstinence Moved To December 23 . VATICAN CITY (Radio. NC) The Christmas vigil of fast and abstinence has ; If been transferred from Thurs day, December 24, lo Wed- \ nesday, December 23. This announcement was i made here in a decree of ihe 1 Sacred Congregation of the If Council which was orderedfl by His Holinss Pope Pohn XXIII. The change of fast and ab-j| ; slinenee to December 23 is; ; permanent. The decree states: "Acquiescing to the ex-|;; pressed desire of many bish ops in different nations, the' Supreme Pontiff, John; XXIII, has deigned to grant to all the faithful of the Catholic world permission to anticipate the obligation of fast and abstinence, transfer ring it from December 24, the vigil of the feast of the Na if tivity of Our Lord Jesus ff Christ, io December 23." APOSTOLIC DELEGATION London, England November 16, 1959 Right Reverend and Reverend Clergy; To the devoted Members of Religious Communities and laity of the Diocese of Savannah. Dearly beloved in Christ: Last Wednesday, November 11th, the “Osservatore Romano” published my resignation as Bishop of Savannah. For some time 1 knew in advance that it would be published and again and again I began a letter to you that could be read on or about the date of my resignation but each time I had to abandon the attempt. I realized more than ever the meaning of the ancient saying: “To bid farewell is, in a way, to die.” One does not sever without heartache the happy associations of almost a quarter of a century. Even now it is not easy to write to you, but perhaps I owe you an explanation of the step that, after long thought over several years, I finally decided to take. On the 7th of last October I asked permission of His Holiness, Pope John XXIII, to relinquish my office as Bishop of Savannah. His Holiness, in a letter of October 19th signed in his own hand, deigned to grant the permission that I had humbly requested. In my letter to the Holy Father I said that I had come to the conclusion that it was only fair to the Diocese that I should step aside as Bishop. I told His Holiness that in justice to my Auxiliary Bishop and to the priests, religious and the faithful of the Diocese, the Bishop should be one living in their midst and not almost permanently absent. If I hesitated so long to terminate a rather unusual state of things it was because I felt that my work for the Holy See in Europe, by its very nature, might come to an end at any time. In such an event I wanted to come home to Savannah, the Diocese that I know and love and where I knew I would feel at home. When shortly after the war the late Holy Father, Pope Pius XII of blessed memory, asked me to undertake a special work for the Holy See in Albania, an appointment which was later changed to Roumania, I felt sure that given the confused state of affairs in Europe at that time, mine was an interim appointment that would be of brief duration. But two other appointments followed and as the years passed it became more and more clear that what I had at first considered a “temporary” assignment had, so to speak, become something of a “permanency.” The time had come — in fact was long overdue — when I felt I should no longer stand in the way of the return to normal diocesan administration. I told His Holiness, in fact, that perhaps I should have resigned when I was appointed Nuncio to Ireland. But even then I hesitated. His Excellency, The Most Reverend J. Aloysius J. Muench, Apostolic Nuncio in Western Germany, was also Bishop of Fargo, North Dakota. I was anxious not to make any move that might embarrass him and accordingly last summer I wrote to Archbishop Muench telling him what I was planning but assuring him that I would not pursue the idea if in any way my action would trouble him. In a very kind and fraternal letter the good Arch bishop assured me that he had no objection whatsoever and that I should feel entirely free to present my resignation to the Holy Father if that was what I thought best. This I did, as I said above, on the 7th of last month at a time when I was in sight of the Silver Jubilee of my appointment as Bishop of Savannah. In bidding farewell to you it is with deep emotion that I pay tribute to you, my dear priests, religious and laity, for that incomparable cooperation which for almost twenty-five years you never failed to give me in all that concerned the welfare of the Diocese and the good of souls in Georgia. There are no words of mine that could adequately express to you the affection that I have always had for you and the joy that was mine in being your Bishop. Of course there are regrets — regrets, that is to say, for all that I should have done for you but which, through human frailty, I failed to do. Looking back, I am sorry that I was not of far greater help to you and to the Church than I was. I salute you as a body of priests, religious and laity, second to none in all the world. I have always been in full admiration of the depth and tenderness of your Catholic Faith and of the generosity, promoted by that faith, which made you always so willing to make sacrifices for the good of the Church and souls. I know that you will be constant in giving to your new Bishop the self-same devoted cooperation that you always gave to me. I do not have to tell you that nothing could ever cause me to forget the years that I spent as your Bishop. I will be unfailing in my prayers to God that He be ever generous in the blessings and special lasting graces that He will confer upon you to make your lives holy in His sight. I commend you too to the maternal care of the Mother of God that she may always plead for you with her Divine Son and obtain for you the answer to your every prayer. Of you, beloved priests, I take a particularly fond farewell. In you I have admired the exemplification of every priestly virtue. I have been the witness of your zeal and love for souls both in the urban sections of the Diocese and in the vast rural regions where your work was, I know, particularly difficult. In days gone by, whilst I was living in the Diocese, nothing ever gave me so much pleasure as to visit my priests, especially those who were laboring in the rural areas of Georgia, often alone, and almost always many miles away from the nearest priest. May God richly bless you, my dear Fathers, who were always such a consolation and a source of edification to me. I also take this occasion to offer a well deserved tribute of sincere praise to the religious, both men and women, for their remarkable work in schools, hospitals, orphanages and in the Home for the Aged in the Diocese. I commend all of you to God’s loving care. I conclude this letter with deepest gratitude to those who took my place in the actual government of the Diocese during the past more than thirteen years. I refer particularly to The Right Reverend Monsignor Joseph E. Moylan, who had charge of the Diocese prior to the appointment of an Auxiliary Bishop; to His Excellency, The Most Reverend Francis E. Hyland, who was my first Auxiliary, and finally to His Excellency, The Most Reverend Thomas J. McDonough. All three of them are deserving of the highest praise and certainly of my deepest gratitude for the remarkable progress made in the Diocese under their respective administra tions. May the Good Lord amply compensate them for so much zealous and apostolic labor and for the blessings that their prayers and their good works have brought upon the Diocese. With affectionate best wishes and a blessing and assuring you that I count upon the prayers that you will, as I hope, never fail to say for your former Bishop, I remain, my dearly beloved in Christ, Most devotedly yours in Our Lord, Apostolic Delegate