Newspaper Page Text
Serving
Georgia's 88
Southern Counties
Vol. 40, No. 14
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH EDITION
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH
MONROE, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1959
Published By The
Catholic Laymen's
Ass'n of Georgia
10c Per Copy — $3 a Year
GOOD TIDINGS OF GREAT JOY''
THIS DAY IS BORN TO YOU A SAVIOUR
ff
TO THE PRIESTS, RELIGIOUS
AND LAITY OF THE
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH:
MAY THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM BRING YOU
EVERY PEACE AND JOY ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
AND MAY MARY. IIIS IMMACULATE MOTHER
AND SAINT JOSEPH GUIDE YOU TO HIS HOLY
MANGER.
DURING THIS HOLY SEASON YOU AND
YOUR LOVED ONES IVILL HAVE A SPECIAL RE
MEMBRANCE IN MY MASSES AND PRAYERS.
IMPARTING TO YOU MY BLESSING, I AM
DEVOTEDLY YOURS IN CHRIST
ADMINISTRATOR
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH
CHRISTMAS
MASS SCHEDULE
There is no other evening just like this one; for even
I now, almost two thousand years after it first thrilled to the j|
angelic voices announcing the birth of the Saviour, the whole |g
II world waits in hushed expectation. The noises of the day g;
1 begin to die away and a quiet peace seems to envelope all. |
I Then, as the day draws close to its final seconds, the minds |
II of men begin once again to drift back to a Judean hillside
to be lost in wonder at the Infinite Love of God, who gave ||
His only begotten Son to man. And all hearts cry out with ||
If the angel voices which somehow seem to linger still, “Glory
to God in the Highest and on earth Peace to men of good
II will!” |
I As the clock strikes midnight, signalling the beginning
of Christ’s birthday, men, women and children throughout
|| the Diocese will fill our Churches to attend the Midnight ||
|| Mass and to receive into their hearts the Redeemer, whose §1
| birth they celebrate—to bring Him their homage of praise ||
p and adoration and to take with them the Peace of Christ ||
|| which surpasseth all understanding. f§
Listed here is a schedule of Christmas Masses for the
' churches of the Vicar Foranes of the three Deaneries in the
|| Diocese of Savannah:
CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, SAVANNAH ■
Christmas Eve, Midnight Mass, Solemn Pontifical Mass ||
|| at the Faldstool: Celebrant and Preacher, His Excellency,
|| Bishop McDonough; Assistant. Priest, Msgr. McNamara; Dea-
|| con, The Reverend Mr. John Fitzpatrick; Subdeacon, The Rev-
11 erend Mr. Lawrence Lucree; Master of Ceremonies, Msgr.
|| McDonald; Assistant Master of Ceremonies, Rev. Herbert J. ||
!! Wellmeier. Music by the Cathedral James B. Copps Memorial
If Choir. Carols will be sung in advance of the Mass from 11:30
I to 11:55.
Christmas Day Masses: 6:15, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:15 and §§
12:15. The 10:00 o’clock Mass will be a High Mass. Celebrant §§
|| will be Msgr. T. James McNamara. Music will be by the Ca
ll thedral Day School Choir. At the 12:15 o’clock Mass there
will be Christmas carols. J
ST. MARY'S, AUGUSTA
Christmas Eve, Midnight Solemn High Mass: Celebrant,
I The Rt. Rev. Msgr. Daniel J. Bourke; Deacon, The Reverend
|| Ralph Seikel; Subdeacon, The Rev. Kevin Boland. The Pietro ||
|| Yon’s Christmas Mass will be sung by the choir under the
direction of Mr. Harry Jacobs. Organist will be Mrs. Harry
|| Jacobs. Preacher at the Mass will be Msgr. Bourke.
Christmas Day Masses: 6:30, 3:00, 9:30, 11:00 and 12:15.
|| The 9:30 Mass will be a High Mass sung by the Choir of Mt.
|l St. Joseph’s Academy. ||
HOLY FAMILY, COLUMBUS
Christmas Eve, Midnight Mass: Celebrant and preacher
|| will be the Rt. Rev. Herman J. Deimel. Midnight Mass will ||
|| also be offered at the School with the Rev. F. X. Fallon, |
celebrant. . |§
Christmas Day Masses: 7:00, 8:30, 10:00, 11:30 and 12:30.
II At the School, Masses will be offered at 9:00 and 11:00.
Supreme Court
Strikes Down
Smut Ordinance
(N.C.W.C. News Service)
WASHINGTON — The
In 1957, they defined obscenity
down a Los Angeles anti
obscenity ordinance on the
ground that it can restrict dis
tribution of unobjectionable as
well as objectionable literature.
The high court’s decision
(Dec. 14), written by Associate
Justice William J. Brennan, Jr.,
ruled unconstitutional a city
law providing criminal penal
ties for possession of an ob
scene book in a place of busi
ness where books are sold.
Seven other justices, three of
whom wrote separate opinions,
agreed with Justice Brennan.
Justice John M. Harlan voted
with the others on one point
and disagreed on another.
The decision has been awaited
as further clarification of the
nine men’s thought on how the
state may protect citizens from
material judged obscene.
In 1957, they defined obsceni
ty and said it does not enjoy the
constitutional guarantees of
freedom of speech and press.
The court gave this test for
determining obscenity: “Wheth
er to the average person, apply
ing contemporary community
standards, the dominant theme
of the material taken as a whole
appeals to prurient interest.”
In late June of this year,
however, the court struck down
a New York state ban on the
film, “Lady Chatterly’s Lover,”
saying that the U. S. Constitu
tion’s First Amendment guaran
tees freedom to advocate ideas
—even the film’s idea that
adultry may be proper be
havior.
The Los Angeles case involv
ed an appeal by Eleazar Smith,
a bookstore proprietor who was
sentenced to jail in 1957 for 30
days because he had in his store
an allegedly obscene book,
“Sweeter Than Life.”
Justice Brennan wrote that it
was evident to the majority that
(Continued on Page • 8)
>\ inflow m teact'eU Wean tuurcu, n.ugusta..
“And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find
the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a
manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a mul
titude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying;
Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of
good will.
And it came to pass, after the angels departed from
them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another; Let
us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this word that is
come to pass, which the Lord hath showed to us.
And they came with haste: and they found Mary and
Joseph, and the Infant lying in the manger. St. Luke,
Chapter 2, Verses 12 to 16.
Says Lack Of Faith In God
Weakening Western World
ANTIGONISH, N. S. (NC) _
The western world’s effort to
withstand communism is grow
ing weaker because of lack of
faith in God and His law, a
Catholic university president
warned.
Msgr. H. J. Somers, president
of St. Francis Xavier Univer
sity here, said on a Canada
wide broadcast that “our west
ern way of life is not man
made” and without the “saving
teachings of Christ in regard to
man’s dignity and worth” it
never would have “come to'
pass.”
“Democracy is not a collec
tion of man-made platitudes,
but a system of government
based on fundamental Princi
ples which lose their meaning
when divorced from the Cre
ator,” Msgr. Somers said- “Man
has no dignity apart from God.
Our vaunted rights and privi
leges as free citizens become
mere conventions or rules of
etiquette if man is nothing more
than the product of chance.”
Materialism and skepticism
“have dimmed the vision of our
wester world,” the priest said.
He referred to communism as'“a
new religion” and said that if
the western world continues to
lose faith in God and His law
it will be unable to withstand
communism’s attacks.
Christmas Collection
For Saint Mary's Home
Need Dedication
And Education
To Save Freedom
LOS ANGELES (NC) — Gen.
Alfred Gruenther has urged a
spirit of dedication and edu
cation in efforts to preserve
freedom.
The American Red Cross
president spoke at a dinner
commemorating the 10th anni
versary of Our Lady Chapel,
situated in the heart of this
city’s business district. His Emi
nence James Francis Cardinal
McIntyre, Arc-bishop of Los
Angeles, the chapel’s founder,
was the guest of honor.
"I do not believe there will
be World War III," the for
mer NATO commander said.
"But I do believe the com
munist threat is greater than
ever before. The communists,
specifically Nikita Khrush
chev, are playing their hand
better than ever — the soft
sell."
This, he said, makes it more
difficult for the U. S. to pre
sent its proper image to the
world. To American incentives
of free enterprise and freedom
must be added greater know
ledge of other people and great
er unity in our concept of hu
man dignity, he added.
The General called for more
(Continued on Page 8)
BISHOP'S
CONFRATERNITY
NOVENA
A Novena of Masses will
be offered this month for all
contributors to the Bish
op's Confraternity of the
Laity.
SAVANNAH—In an “atmos
phere of gratitude we appeal to
you to bear in mind the needs
of St. Mary’s Home for children
in Savannah” said Bishop Tho
mas J. McDonough, Administra
tor of the Diocese of Savannah,
in a letter read in all Churches
in the Diocese, Sunday, Decem
ber 20th.
Declaring that the “care and
love” provided at St. Mary’s
Home is “directly attributable
to you, the good people of this
Diocese,” His Excellency asked
for “generosity, if possible, in
even greater degree this year,
because of the increased cost
of living has affected all of us.”
Special envelopes were dis
tributed in all churches, to be
used on Christmas Day. The
full text of Bishop McDonough’s
letter follows:
Dearly Beloved in Christ:
The holy season of Christmas
inevitably brings all of us closer
to the true meaning of the birth
of the Christ Child. Literally it
signifies the generous outpour
ing of Christ’s love for every
creature born into the world.
The very essence of this love is
contained in the words of Sa
cred Scripture, “God so loved
the world that He gave His only
begotten Son for qur salvation.”
Or, to put it more suscinctly, we
know that “God is love.”
We, as Catholics, become
more aware daily of our bound
less debt of gratitude to God.
We witness God’s love in our
own lives in being privileged to
live close to Him and to receive
Him as Our Eucharistic King.
We behold God’s limitless mercy
for His children. We stand in
awe of His universal chanty
towards all. Christmas, then, is
for you and for me a time to
count manifold blessings which
God has given to us.
In such an atmosphere of
gratitude we appeal to you to
bear in mind the needs of St.
Mary’s Home for children in
Savannah. The cherished Home,
over the years, has provided
care and love to many children.
Such care and devotion have
been directly attributable to
you, the good people of this Dio
cese, who respond so generously
each year to our appeal for St.
Mary’s. We anticipate your gen
erosity, if possible, in even a
greater degree this year, be
cause of the increased cost of
living which has effected ail of
us.
Please use the envelopes
which have been provided for
this collection. A significant gift
in behalf of the Orphans on
Christmas Day will enable you
to express more fully the qual
ity of mercy—the charity of the
Church,
Thanking you again for the
spontaneous assistance you have
given me in all of the projects
of this Diuce.c and as,m —
you and your loved ones of a
remembrance in my Christmas
Masses, I am,
Devotedly yours in Christ,
thomas j. McDonough
Administrator
‘sede vacante’.
Diocese of Savannah.
ST. MARY'S HOME, SAVANNAH