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PAGE 4—THE BULLETIN, October 14, 1961 RED DESTRUCTION OF INTEGRITY The Backdrop ‘Socialist Progress' * One of the most dismal fruits of communism is the complete destruction of the intellectual integrity of the people who live under it. A more glaring example of the moral corruption engen dered by the system is the complete turnabout of Soviet scien tists on t h e question of the harmful ness of nu clear fallout. When Ni kita - Khrushchev was calling— insincerely as it has turned out—for a ban on nuclear test ing, Soviet scientists publicly and in conversation with American and European scien tists subscribed wholehearted ly to the generally accepted verdict that a continuation of nuclear tests producing radio active fallout would be dis astrous for this and future generations. CHANGE TUNE But when Khrushchev de cided to resume testing, the Soviet scientists abruptly changed their tune and put their stamp of approval on the decision. To do this the Soviet scien tists had to stultify themselves completely, for they are as knowledgeable about the true effects of radioactive fallout as any in the West. They had to go back on everything they had been saying at the Geneva negotiations about the neces sity for banning nuclear test- JOHN C. O'BRIEN ing in support of what then was supposed to be the official position of the Soviet govern ment. A typical statement of the views of Soviet scientists about the harmful effects of radioactive fallout is that of Prof. A. M. Kuzin, published in mid-1958. If nuclear testing were to be continued, he wrote, “then the price paid by future gen erations would be roughly at the rate of 7,000,000 lives per generation due to various dis eases caused by the appear ance in the atmosphere of ra dioactive products of nuclear explosions.” Another Soviet scientist, Academician A. P. Vinogradoy, three years ago described ra dioactive contamination of the atmosphere as “criminal/’ “If the means of bacteriolo gical and chemical warfare were tested now,” he wrote, “the organizers of such tests would inevitably be brought to justice. Why should radioac tive contamination be regard ed as less criminal?” No stronger contamination of nuclear testing has been ut tered by a scientist of the West. Yet Vinogradov’s views were shared by most of the Soviet scientists until their political master decided to step up his campaign of terror against the free world by ex ploding another nuclear de vice somewhere in Siberia. THREE YEARS AGO As late as October, 1958, the Soviet magazine Mezhdunar- odnaya Zhizn, declared: “The radioactive products formed after each nuclear ex plosion contaminate the atmo sphere, soil and water. The latter is happening now, in peace time, after each test. Ra dioactive fallout is a grave hazard to the health of the people living today and threat ens the normal development of future generations.” But all these statements, of course, were made at a time when Khrushchev was urging cessation of nuclear testing and was encountering reluc tance on the part of the Eisen hower Administration. At the bidding of the Soviet leader, the Soviet scientists and scien tific journals, in fact, conduct ed a veritable campaign to raise an alarm about the dis astrous consequence of nuclear testing. Similar warnings, however, have been conspicuously ab sent in Russia since Khru shchev decided to resume test ing. Not a single Soviet scien tist has protested. In fact, Sov iet biologists have supported the government’s action. Stultification is a price the Soviet scientists seem to be willing to pay for their favor able economic and social pos ition in the workers’ paradise. Now and then, a Soviet scientist, like Dr. Mikhail A. Klochko, defects “to save what is left of my human respect,” as he explained to news re porters in Ottawa, Can., where he sought asylum. “I could not carry out pure research where the scientist is constantly hampered by political consid erations.” SHALL WE DROP ARMS? THE ANGLO-CATHOLIC LITURGICAL REVIVAL Sum and Substance It Seems to Me REV. JOHN B. SHEERIN. C.S.P. Most of us have read the news items about the triennial meeting of the bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Detroit in September. We re- ! member with a tinge . of sadness that they voted to back birth control. Our curi- o s i t y was piqued by the fact that ? they voted against dropping the word “Protestant” from their Church’s official title. More important than either of these items, however, was the pas toral letter issued at the end of the 12-day meeting. It dealt with Christian unity. Written by Bishop Angus Dun of Washington, long act ive in ecumenical work, the letter expressed the readiness of Anglicans for reunion talks with other Christian bodies. It expressed regret that the Catholic Church does not be long to the World Council of Churches but rejoiced in the fact that the Vatican is now sending officially approved “observers” to Council meet ings. COMMON INHERITANCE Bishop Dun called attention to the common inheritance the Anglican Church shares with other Christian churches; the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Com mandments, the beatitudes and the parables and the psalms, the belief in the Trinity. Above all, the Anglicans con fess Christ as Lord and Savior and in the measure in which they come to know other Christians, “we find that in these households of faith and prayer the holy love of God in Christ is breaking through to men arid calling out to peni tent faith.” These latter words remind us of a movement that is sweeping through Christian churches today, notably in Catholicism and in Anglican ism. J. V. Langmead Casserly, in an article in the Proestant Religion in Life (Spring, 1960) said: “The liturgical movement is, of course, primarily a great surge of reform and renewal in the Roman communion but it has had at the same time considerable influence on non- Catholic bodies; perhaps more particularly on the Anglican communion, to which the pres ent Writer belongs, but also on many Lutherans and members of Reformed churches.” The goal of the liturgical movement is not to strike out on new frontiers but to redis cover the true meaning and purpose of the liturgy. Wrong notions and attitudes have ov ergrown Catholic Mass prac tices, for instance, during re cent centuries. Some Catholics attend Mass as mere passive bystanders, saying the rosary or mechanically reading a prayerbook or perhaps medi tating on the idea of God. They pursue their private de votions while the priest reads his missal in a foreign lang uage at a distant altar. But Our Lord is not an idea to be meditated upon. He is alive and present at Mass among His disciples in the breaking of the bread. At Mass we should encounter the living Christ, enter into the acts of Christ, participate in His life, death and resurrection — through Him and with Him and in Him. ECUMENICAL BRIDGE The Anglo-Catholic liturgi cal revival, of which Dom Gergory Dix was an inspiring spirit, seeks likewise to rein terpret Anglican sacramental life and to restore a more per sonal participation in worship ers. I believe the Anglican move ment meets with different ob stacles from those encountered in Catholic circles. These range all - the way from churchmen who, as the Anglican Bishop says, “choose Morning Prayer on the general basis that what was good enough for George Washington is good enough for them” —- to the fanatic who believes liturgy is an archolo- gical pursuit of ancient cere monies and antique vestments. The liturgical movement is an ecumenical bridge. It brings us closer to Protestants who place strong emphasis on re ligion as a personal encounter with Christ. At the same time it shows that one can encoun ter Christ and His love in depth only in and with His brethren in the Body of Christ. The Anglican liturgical reviv al is showing the Catholic doc trine of the Church in a new light to ecumenically-minded Protestants. It is the light of the Holy Spirit of God. Mass Attendance Kindles Visitor's Interest Sharing Our Treasure How often have you brought a non-Catholic friend to Mass? If it’s been seldom or not at all, you’re failing to use one of the most effective means of kindling a person’s interest in fft h e faith. < **P!Nr' | ' The deep ’reverence and faith of ;the worship- tiers, their ab- t sorption i n It h e Holy IS a c r i f i ce, and the sing- • ing of the choir or — better still — of the whole congregation rarely fail to make a deep impression on the visitor. Moreover our Eucharistic Lord always bless es those who come with rev erence into His presence. This is illustrated in the conversion of Judy Whiteman of South Bend. “I was reared a Protestant,” related Judy, REV. JOHN A. O'BRIEN “and attended the Auten Com munity Church which later became the United Missionary Protestant Church. This is the denomination which conducts Bethel College on the outskirts of Mishawaka. ATTENDS FIRST MASS “A couple of my high school chums, Joyce Manula and Martie Zsledy, invited me to attend Mass one Sunday at Our Lady of Hungary Church. It was my first visit to a Cath olic church and I was deeply impressed with the reverence of the worshipers. There was none of the talking or visiting found in most Protestant churches. “Intent upon the ceremonies at the altar, the worshipers, including even the grade school children, acted as if they were in the presence of God. The singing of the choir stirred me and the pastor, Monsignor John Sabo, gave an instructive sermon which couldn’t help but deepen one’s love of God. Though I could n’t understand the Latin of the Mass, Joyce and Martie gave me a general idea of what was transpiring at the altar. The whole experience stirred me so much that later on I went occasionally by myself. “Then I started dating Rich ard Janicki, a Notre Dame stu dent, who explained the Mass and many other Catholic teachings. We went to Mass together, and I got more and more out of it. As I was now eager to know all about the Catholic religion, Richard took me to an Inquiry Class con ducted by Father Joseph Mur phy, C.S.C., at Holy Cross Church. I was glad Richard came with me, for I had never met a priest and was still a bit scared. (Continued on Page 5) “While it is true that the principles of a just war have been clear for centuries, we are faced with the fact that war as we know it from the [past has dis appeared. “A nuclear |war has no counter-part in his t o r y, and I think Ptfe Chris tian position must be en tire 1 y r e- thought, on the basis that war cannot be fought because it will — so it appears — involve the destruction of humanity. “We need the best minds in the Church — and in the U. S. and throughout the responsi ble world — devoted to think ing out the way to oppose communism and all evil by the method of non-violent re sistance; urging as a start the Gospel idea of loving our en emies doing good for them, praying for them. “I would rather be ‘dead than Red,’ but not as a victim participant in nuclear war. I would prefer to die — if it must be this way — trying somehow to love my enemy, trying to resist his evil with my attempts at, for instance, the works of mercy. “You might call this a third choice, which is not usually brought forth when discussing the Red/dead alternatives — something calling for all the dynamism Christianity has in it, as well as all its spiritual and intellectual force.” THUS WROTE Robert Guin- ther of East Cleveland, O., to me in response to my column on the principles of a just war. Mr. Guinther perhaps did not notice that the column closed with this sentence, “But if we will follow the program given to us by Our Lady of Fatima, war need not come.” Millions have been engaged in the Fatima program for years. They have been making the “third choice.” If they hadn’t done so, I think that nuclear war would long since have come upon us. Because they are making that choice, I don’t think it will come at all. The peace program given by the Virgin Mary to the shep herd children at Fatima has not been universally observed. But if God was willing to spare a city if one just man could be found, may we not feel confident that he will spare the world in response to the prayers and sacrifices of vast numbers? EVERY DAY countless rosa ries are prayed for peace and the conversion of Russia. Mul titudes have been consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Hidden sacrifices have been piled almost to the stars by devoted souls. Numberless times the prayer has been ut tered, “Savior of the world save Russia.” Millions are old hands at “non - violent resistance,” if that’s what it can be called, and at “the Gospel idea of lov- JOSEPH BREIG ing our enemies, doing good for them, praying for them.” For more than 40 years, mil lions of us have prayed for the communists. We have knelt through countless Masses for those who were slandering and vilifying us and tormenting our fellow Christians. We have waited patiently, knowing that God will move in His own time to lift the curse of armed atheism. BUT WE HAVE NOT fallen for the starry-eyed suggestion that we disarm unilaterally, hand our children to the athe ists, and then try to pray the atheists into behaving. I am not saying that Mr. Guinther advocates anything of the kind, but some people have done so. As St. Thomas Aquinas said, we must always be disposed, in soul, to turn the other cheek; but evil men must be restrained, not only for socie ty’s protection, but for their own good. WE MUST REMAIN strong as long as the foe is madly bent upon enslaving the world. We do love our enemies; we have proved it by our generos ity to fallen Germany and Ja pan and Italy. The moment communist despotism is over thrown, we will rush to help the people who hove suffer ed under it for so long. But for their sake as well as ours, we must not hand hu manity over to the torturers and despoilers. We must be strong as well as prayerful. If the peoples held captive by communism could cast a free ballot on the question, they would vote overwhelmingly that we not only pray for our enemies, but that we keep our powder mighty dry. If we didn’t, we would condemn mankind to a thousand years of vicious godless tyranny. IRISH PILGRIMAGE By BARBARA C. JENCKS “Oh, Ireland, isn't it grand you look Like a bride in her rich adoring A nd u’ith all the pent up love in my heart, I bid you the top of the morningA * * * * DEAR READERS: It is a cold September morning as I write this column, the last which will be written in the only place I have ever known as home. The moving van will soon be here and I will leave the scene of my childhood with its memories, happy and sad, forever. In a few days, I will leave the land of my birth for a little while to keep a date with destiny on the other side of the ocean. In a sweet and a fair land where the state of the soul is more important than the state of the bank account, I will reside for a little while. I will be boarding a giant jet which in the unbelievable span of five hours will transport me as on angel wings to a land known for its green hills, saints and scholars. The jet will be named for one of the country’s many saints for Aer Lingus, modern and slick and shiny, still names its fleet after the saints of Ireland. In Dublin, I will keep a rendezvous with the past. This is the fifteenth centennial of Saint Patrick’s death. To me, it will be a kind of pilgrimage. I will partake in some of the celebrations of the centennial. The bond between Saint Pat rick and this columnist has been deep and wide and my debt to him is great. Through him, I hold the only possession worth having and the only mark that is mine for here and hereafter. I know Patrick better than most people I speak to every day. He was my benefactor long before my birth and was the channel of my greatest blessing and I pray to Him who did bring the faith to Ireland where it never has been renounced to remember not only the land which was so dear to him in his lifetime but also this land of ours. Bishop Sheen once said that Ireland held the blueprint to a better world, that “the rest of the world is tearing up the photographs of a Christian and morale civilization but Ireland is keeping the blueprints.” Since then, a delegate from Ire land presides over the United Nations, Irish troops are fight ing for the peace of the world in Africa and a Jew has been re-elected mayor of the capitol city of a predominantly Cath olic nation to show tolerance and a spirit of ecumenicalism in the world. Soon, I will also enter again the halls of “the ideal uni versity” as planned by an English Cardinal named John Henry Newman in 1854. On October If, I begin classes for awhile at the University College, Dublin, which has known a century of distinguished scholarship. I go to Ireland hopefully seeking the peace of her green hills and holy shrines, the depth of hep wisdom or scholarly traditions and I go, too, to seek the joy that is known only by those who love God in simplicity and sweetness and honesty. Pray for this pilgrim. A diamond-bedecked movie star, last to leave the theatre after a gala film premiere, was heading up the asile when she noticed one of the cleaning wo- [men staring [after her. | Suddenly, a | cry of “Mo- jther” filled || the empty \ theatre and ithe two wo men rushed I together in I an embrace. When, minutes later, the star, dabbing her eyes, finally tore loose and disappeared into her waiting Rolls-Royce, the cleaning woman proudly turn ed to her fellow workers. “You got to admit it,” she smiled, “Ma sure is a good-lookin’ wo man.” This joke doesn’t quite fit into the picture, since our sub ject is the duty of children toward their aging parents and this is exactly the opposite. But if we made the cleaning woman the mother, there would be no joke and the Bulletin would be flooded with calls from irate readers. At least I like to think it would be a flood. A small stream anyway. One reader already wrote in (the other one can’t write) to ask for a few words about what a child owes his parents. This dear lady has six grown up kids, all with their own families, who seem to be too busy to pay any attention to her. “They can’t even find time for a phone call (some once a month, others never),” she writes. “We live in the same area but unless we go visit them, or have them for a party or a meal, we never see them.” I don’t know what Confu cius would say about this sit uation, but I do know that we Americans certainly don’t have the respect for either age or parents that the Chinese have. Everyone knows that the Fourth Commandment forbids kids to sass their parents, dis obey them or lay violent hands on them. Adults being so much larger than little kids, howev er, the small fry have' very few chances to violate the commandment seriously with out ending up with large lumps on their little noggins. The great problem arises when children grow up, move away, marry, have their own children — and forget the sac rifices their parents made for them. It’s common knowledge that the Fourth Commandment obliges us to render love and reverence and obedience to our parents. The form of obedience changes rather drastically when a child becomes of age, of course, but the reverence and love should remain con stant throughout life. There are four ways of treat ing parents after we move on to bigger things. We can visit and phone them frequently, help them financially if they need such aid, and in general make some return for their gift of life to us. This first way of treating aging parents is, of course, the Christian way and the only way any child should act. Another thing a grown-up child can do is take his father or mother, or both, into his own home as part of his new family. Presuming that the parent wants to join the child’s family circle, this is an admir able custom which is becoming too rare in our two-bedroom- home age. Or, as a third way, the child may arrange for old Dad or Mom to enter an old folks’ home. This is fine, even neces- M IS FOR MOTHER Hi* Rectory N* Whttrtm sary, under certain circum stances — and there are some wonderful homes for the aging in our country. But too often this is the easy way out for young people who don’t want to be bothered with the previ ous generation. The last, and definitely the least, manner of treating par ents is to ignore them. Or to make a token phone call every few months just to keep in touch. Those who act this way very seldom take their parents out, or invite them over, or send them gifts. Except for the attention the old folks get when their services are need ed as babysitters. It probably goes with a neg lectful attitude that there is a decided interest in the rela tionship once the parent dies. There is usually some inherit ance, even if it’s only a piece of furniture, and it seems that the most indifferent offspring are the first ones to appear at the death scene with tears in their eyes. At such a time, the long-suffering children who really cared for their parents are just part of the crowd. Aging parents always look back on their task of rearing the kids with fond memories. No matter how much ingrati tude they are meeting, they know they would do it all again because true love doesn’t count the cost. But it’s a shame, and it’s a sin, to see selfishness and ingratitude in action. The Fourth Commandment obliges us to love and respect our parents, and the precept of fraternal charity directs us to pay special attention to those closest to us. Even aside from command ments and precepts, however, you’d think common decency make us honor the ones who once centered their life around us. By David Q, Lipfak Q. Isn't it an oddity that there are practically no Rus sian saints, except the few who lived during or before the tenth and eleventh century— saints such as St. Olga and St. Vladimir? A. Up to recently there has been considerable confusion about the list of Russian saints. But the confusion was largely cleared by the Holy See in 1940 when it authorized a new liturgical calendar for the few Russian Catholics who existed at that time. This new list in cluded thirty saints, the ma jority of whom (twenty-two) were almost universally ignor ed heretofore by Western hagi- ographers. Hence the assump tion that the entire Russian menology contains but a hand ful of early personages is quite understandable. HOW DID the confusion arise? Two major factors were involved. One was the Russian Schism of 1054 — the date which marks the excommuni cation of the Patriarch of Con- staninople, Michael Cerularius. After centuries of intensive re search, Church scholars are now convinced (cultural com munication between the West ern and Russian worlds has al ways been a difficult problem) that after Constantinople’s formal break, and that during the interim not a few Chris tians remained loyal to the See (Continued on Page 5) v©> ©4* lullrtin 416 8TH ST., AUGUSTA, GA. Published fortnightly by the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia, Inc., with the Approbation of the Most Reverend Bishop of Savannah; and the Most Reverend Bishop of Atlanta. Subscription price $3.00 per year. Subscription included in membership in Catholic Laymen’s Association. Second class mail privileges authorized at Monroe, Ga. Send notice of change of address to P. O. Box 320, Monroe, Ga. REV. FRANCIS J. DONOHUE REV. R. DONALD KIERNAN Editor Savannah Edition Editor Atlanta Edition JOHN MARKWALTER Managing Editor REV. LAWRENCE LUCREE, REV. JOHN FITZPATRICK, Associate Editors, Savannah Edition. Vol. 42 Saturday, October 14, 1961 No. 10 ASSOCIATION OFFICERS GEORGE GINGELL, Columbus President MRS. DAN HARRIS, Macon Vice-President TOM GRIFFIN, Atlanta Vice-President NICK CAMERIO, Macon Secretary JOHN T. BUCKLEY, Augusta Treasurer ALVIN M. McAULIFFE, Augusta Auditor JOHN MARK WALTER, Augusta Executive Secretary MISS CECILE FERRY, Augusta — Financial Secretary
