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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. 42, No. 18
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1962
10c Per Copy — $3 A Year
Cathedral P.T.A.
Hears Father Bede
SAVANNAH — Rev. Bede
Lightner, O.S.B., Prior of the
local Benedictine Community,
was the guest speaker at the
monthly meeting of the Ca
thedral Home and School As
sociation. Father Bede gave a
most interesting talk on the
history of the Benedictine Or
der and what they have tried
to accomplish in the past 59
years in the way of contribut
ing towards the culture and
education of the young men
of Savannah. Father Bede
spoke of future plans for
the new school and the mon
astery for the training of
young men for the priesthood.
The fifth grade students
presented the evening’s enter
tainment with a play, the
theme of which was “Happy
Holidays,” under the direction
of Mrs. Melroy and Mrs. Jos
eph Schreck. Mrs. Melroy’s
class also won the monthly at
tendance prize.
Sister Martina Joseph, Prin
cipal, reported that the results
of the mid-year examinations
. would be made known within
the next two weeks. Sister re
quested the parents’ coopera
tion in seeing that the children
attend the special Mass on the
first Sunday of each month.
A pre-school vision test will
be given on February 13th and
14th and parents interested
were asked to contact Mrs.
Mary Shearouse, Health Chair
man.
Mr. Tom Walsh, Athletic As
sociation President, announced
that the Father-Son night was
a complete success and that a
Mother-Daughter night would
be held during February.
Vatican City Daily
Hits Castro's Claim
(Radio, NCWC News Service)
VATICAN CITY — Vatican
City’s daily newspaper has
contested the claim of Cuba’s
self-confessed Marxist premier
that full religious freedom pre
vails in Cuba.
L’Osservatore Romano quot
ed Premier Fidel Castro in an
interview he gave journalists
on January 17, as saying: “Re
ligious functions are celebrat
ed with the greatest freedom.
Citizens attend them without
fearing anything and priests
perform their pastoral min
istry freely and in peace.”
The Vatican City daily
pointed out in reply that all
Catholic schools in Cuba have
been expropriated, that Aux
iliary Bishop Eduardo Boza
Masvidal of Havana and 130
priests have been expelled,
that no Catholic press func
tions and that an antireligious
and anti-Catholic campaign is
in full progress in the press
and over radio and television.
The newspaper emphasized
that religious freedom does not
consist solely in freedom to at
tend or celebrate Mass.
“For Christians there is also
the duty of living in harmony
with their Faith, of educating
their children in the religion
of their fathers, in a word, of
giving testimony of their pro
found convictions in everyday
life, both individual and so
cial;” it stated.
As for freedom to attend
religious functions, the news
paper noted that before Castro
there were 700 priests in Cuba.
Today there are 135. Consider
ing that Cuba was short of
priests before Castro, the
newspaper asks, how can the
few remaining ones minister to
the entire Catholic population?
L’Osservatore Romano re
called that His Holiness Pope
John XXIII recently sent com
memorative medals to Cuban
President Osvaldo Dorticos in
recognition to Cuba’s partici
pation in the Pope’s 80th birth
day celebrations.
The newspaper commented:
“We would like to express the
ardent wish that responsible
leaders of this noble country
may . . . grant, out of respect
for the most sacred rights of
the nation and for its moral
and civic progress, real and
true freedom of profession and
expression.”
Diocesan Council
Board Meets Feb. 7
SAVANNAH — The Savan
nah Diocesan Council Board of
Directors will hold their semi
annual luncheon meeting on
Wednesday, February 7th, at
12:30 p. m. at the Moose Club,
Macon.
Board members are request
ed to make their reservations
not later than February 1st
with Mrs. E. H. Buck, 452 Rog
ers Ave, Macon. L
1962 VOCATIONS PROGRAM OPENS
★ ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
CATHOLIC LIFE REFORM - KEY TO CHRISTIAN UNITY
Catholics, Protestants
Share Blame For Split
(NCWC News Service)
WASHINGTON — The spi
ritual reform of Catholic life
on all levels is the key neces
sary to open the door to Chris
tian unity, a priest said at a
Unity Octave observance here.
The face of the Catholic
Church as presented to the
world is not what it could be,
said Father George Tavard,
A.A., in a sermon (Jan. 21) at
the National Shrine of the Im
maculate Conception.
The Assumptionist priest, a
consultor to the Vatican Sec
retariat for Promoting Chris
tian Unity, spoke on the fourth
day of the Chair of Unity Oc
tave observance, an annual
worldwide prayer movement
for religious unity.
He asserted that both Cath
olics and Protestants are to
blame for Christian disunity.
“Luther would never have
been led to oppose Biblical
faith and personal merit,” he
stated, “if the Catholic theolo
gy of his time had not been
steeped in nominalism, and
the piety of his period in semi-
Pelagianism.” (Pelegianism is
a doctrine which denies the
concept of original sin.)
Father Tavard, a native of
Nancy, France, now in resi
dence at St. Mary’s College,
Pittsburgh, explained that
“there is a sense in which we
ourselves, living today, share
the. responsibility of the
churchmen of the 16th centu
ry.”
“We share their blindness to
the spiritual world, which is
our blindness when we let our
selves be lured by the shining
lights, the attractions, the fa
cilities of modern times . . .
We are, in some sense, partak
ers in the responsibilities for
the schisms and heresies of the
past, because we still fall,
though perhaps to a lesser ex
tent, into the shortcomings,
the frailties, the mistakes of
our forefathers.”
“We share the reluctance of
our forefathers,” said Father
Tavard, “to reform the Church
in its head and members when
we ourselves are so slow to
listen to the appeals of His
Holiness Pope John XXIII to
reform the Church by reform
ing our lives and thus to re
store her to her pristine beau
ty.”
The question of reconcilia
tion of Lutherans and Calvin
ists with the Catholic Church
is certainly a dogmatic one, he
asserted, “but doctrinal agree
ment cannot even be envision
ed as long as a previous spirit
ual problem has not been solv
ed.”
“The spiritual reform of
Catholic life is prerequisite,”
he stressed.
Father Tavard then pointed
out that the Catholic Church
appears as follows to those
who are not members of it:
—“The face of the Catholic
Church ... is not the face of
oneness shown in the collegi-
ality of her government.
—“It is not the face of holi
ness presented by her saints.
—“It is not the face of cath
olicity manifested in her mis
sionary zeal to convert all na
tions . . .
—“It is not the face of apos-
tolicity, which shines in her
origin and in the See of Rome,
from which the Apostle Peter
still governs the Church in the
person of his successors.”
“The face of the Catholic
Church as seen by those about
it is simply a reflection of
ourselves, individually and col
lectively,” Father Tavard con
tinued. “The level at which the
Church .’]/• judged to be one or
divided, uoly or unholy, Cath
olic or provincial, apostolic or
sectarian, is the level of each
parish, each school, each fam
ily, each individual.
“On the eve of the Second
Vatican Council which ... is
destined to initiate a reform of
Catholic life, let us examine
our conscience as to what ex
tent each one of us has con
tributed to the need for re
form. And let us resolve to
fulfill our task and function in
the reform which . His Holi
ness John XXIII has invited
us to undertake.”
And such a function does
not involve the use of the
sword but of the Cross, he
stated.
“We are providentially call
ed, as members of the Church,”
said Father Tavard, “to reject
the use of the sword to which
our forefathers had recourse
to solve the Protestant prob
lem, and to die by the Cross.
This is, ultimately, the condi
tion that will make the recon
ciliation of Protestants and
Catholics conceivable.”
MR. DAVID SHEPHERD, driver for Savannah’s Little
Sisters of the Poor for twenty-five years is shown above
with Home’s Superior and Sister Mary Michael.
DAVID SHEPHERD, DRIVER
FOR SISTERS, HONORED
SAVANNAH — Mr. David
Shepherd has been driver for
the Little Sisters of the Poor
in Savannah for the Poor in
Savannah for 25 years. In all
that time he has never had an
accident.
In recognition of a quarter
of a century’s employment,
during which he has been not
only the Sisters’ driver, but
also the chief maintenance
man of the Little Sisters
Home, Mr. Shepherd was hon
ored at a special Mass, cele
brated by the Rev. Brendan
Dooly, O.S.B., on January 11th.
The Mass was celebrated in
the Home’s chapel and John
Shepherd, David’s youngest
son, served as acolyte.
Shortly after Mr. Shepherd’s
long record of service and
driving safely was recognized
by the Sisters, he was chosen
as Savannah’s ‘Safe Driver of
the Week’ by Lieutenant Rob
ert Funk of the Savannah Pol
ice Department.
ST. JOHN VIANNEY MINOR SEMINARY
(w
In
’fU
/NIHIL SINK DEO\J \
(07 ^ qJO)
BISHOP'S OFFICE
225 Abercorn Street
Savannah, Georgia
January 28, 1962
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 conse
crate the Lord of Majestry. 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 and more easily penetrate into the mysteries
of the human heart. The closer a priest is to his people, the better he can serve
them. Nothing can take the place of priests sprung from among the families they
serve.
We continue to be faced with a critical need in this Diocese. We must produce
more vocations to the Priesthood or the Faith of our people will grow old. 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.
We must continue our 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 discover 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.
I am going to ask each of you to say the prayer for vocations each day, if
possible, in a family group as you say your night prayers—Father, Mother and
children all kneeling together in prayer before Almighty God, the Father of us all.
May I also ask you to receive Communion each Sunday from now until Easter.
With these two great acts of prayer on our part who can doubt that God will
continue to bless our efforts?
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,
7*
Bishop of Savannah.
Camp Villa
Readies For
SAVANNAH—The summer
schedule for Camp Villa Marie
recently made public will in
clude eleven weeks of activity
for the youth of the Savannah
and surrounding dioceses.
The summer will open with
a two-week program for chil
dren in the Savannah area
who are not in Catholic
schools. This is a day-camp
program which includes relig
ious instruction for a greater
part of the day. All children
not in Catholic schools are in
vited to attend. Applications
are made through local par
ishes.
The second encampment,
this time a boarding camp, is
Mari©
Summer
held for the children in areas
other than the Savannah one
for children not in Catholic
schools. This was the original
purpose of the camp and still
serves as one of its main ac
tivities. Children from the
whole of South Georgia spend
three weeks learning and
playing under the oaks at Vil
la Marie.
Three weeks of recreation
camp will follow. The dates
for these sessions are:
July 22-July 28.
July 29-August 4.
August 4-August 11.
These sessions of camp are
all recreation sessions. Boys
(Continued on Page 6)
Knights Demand
United Nations
Block Red Try
WASHINGTON, (NC) — A
Knights of Columbus assem
bly’s resolution calling on the
U. S. government to oppose
admission of Red China to the
United Nations was placed in
the Congressional Record.
Rep. Seymour Halpern of
New York placed the resolu
tion of the Long Island gen
eral assembly, fourth degree
knights, in the Record. He
commended the K. of C.’s “tra
dition of fervent patriotism.”
SAVANNAH—The 1962 Campaign for Vocations to
the Priesthood in the Diocese of Savannah opened with
letter from His Excellency, The Most Reverend
Thomas J. McDonough, Bishop of Savannah. The letter
was read at all Masses in every Parish and Mission
Church of the Diocese on Sunday, January 28th.
Special cards were distribut
ed at all the Masses, containing
the official prayer of the Dio
cese, for vocations to the
Priesthood.
According to an announce
ment from the Savannah
Chancery, a program of inter
views will be conducted in all
the Parochial and Catholic
high schools of the Diocese.
Boys in the sixth, seventh and
eighth grades of grammar
school and* seniors in high
school will hear vocation talks
and will receive private inter
views by priests representing
Bishop McDonough.
During the vocations cam
paign, which comes to a close
in March, two Sunday sermons
will deal with the Priesthood
one concerning the nature
and dignity of the Priesthood,
and the other concerning the
signs of a vocation.
In his letter, Bishop Mc
Donough urged a continued
program of “Prayer and sac
rifice” which, he said, would
undoubtedly win not only the
Grace of many more vocations
to the Priesthood in the Dio
cese, but would also bring to
those boys and young men
who think they might have a
vocation, the courage to enter
the Seminary, where they may
find out whether or not “God
is calling them to Himself.”
Bishop McDonough asked
that the Prayer for Vocations
be said every day, if possible,
in family groups — “Father,
Mother, and children, to
gether.”
He also urged that everyone
receive Holy Communion ev
ery Sunday, “Between now
and Easter.”
Since the beginning of the
annual Vocations Campaign,
four years ago, the number of
boys applying for the Prepara
tory Seminary has sharply in-
bishop McDonough
\ •
creased, and a new and mod
ern Seminary has been con
structed at Grimball Point in
Savannah, at the site of the
former St. Thomas Vocational
School.
Annual Installation Banquet
For St. Paul’s Altar Society
DOUGLAS — Saint Paul’s
Altar Society held its annual
installation banquet at the “I
Like It” restaurant.
Mrs. James Nahara installed
these new officers in an im
pressive ceremony: Miss Lou
ise Hanna, president; Mrs. M.
J. Lott, vice president; Mrs.
Edward Smith, secretary; Mrs.
Alfred Lott, treasurer.
Following her installation,
Miss Hanna expressed appre
ciation in being elected to
head the organization for 1962
and pledged her best to fulfill
the executive and spiritual du
ties.
She also expressed appreci
ation for all the members to
the outgoing president, Mrs.
George Jordan, with a gift
from the Altar Society.
Father Moran, pastor of St.
Paul’s, extended sincere
thanks to all outgoing officers
of the Altar Society and to
the members for the outstand
ing work and program the
Society accomplished in 1961.
Father Flater, assistant pastor,
also spoke to the group re
viewing the need for coopera
tion on the part of all officers
and members of any organiza
tion to achieve its goals.
He stressed particularly the
spiritual duties of members
and officers.
Special guests at the meet
ing were James Cofu, outgo
ing president of Saint Paul’s
Holy Name Society, and Bob
Mauphin, newly installed pres
ident of the Holy Name Socie
ty who was introduced by Mr.
Cofu.
Present at the installation
dinner were, Father Moran,
Father Flater, Miss Louise
Hanna, Mr. and Mrs. M. J.
Book Reviews 5
Question Box 4
Obituaries -— 3
Marriages 3
Underdeveloped Nations 2
Doris Answers Youth 4
Youth Club
Helps Mother
Lott, Mr. and Mrs. Edward
Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Alfred
Lott, Mrs. James Nahara, Mr.
and Mrs. George Jordan, Mr.
and Mrs. James Cofu, Mr. and
Mrs. Bob Mauphin, Mr. and
Mrs. Oswald Lott, Mrs. John
Nahara, Mr. and Mrs. Frank
Hanna, Mr. and Mrs. George
Hanna, Mr. and Mrs. Ellis
Hanna and Mrs. Marie Rags
dale.
St. Joseph’s
Graduates Win
High Ratings
1 SAVANNAH — A Savannah
girl ranked among the highest
scoring candidates in Georgia
in the examination given for
the licensing of professional
registered nurses last fall, it
was announced recently.
Miss Margaret Kay Stegin,
who graduated from the St.
Joseph’s Hospital School of
Nursing in August, received
the highest scores of all 300
state candidates in the fields
of surgical and obstetrical
nursing.
Another St. Joseph’s alum
na, Miss Mary Helen Johnson,
scored second highest in the
state in medical nursing.
The scores were forwarded
by the State Board of Examin
ers of Nurses in Atlanta to
Sister Mary Bonaventure, di
rector of the St. Joseph’s
School of Nursing.
Miss Stegin, the daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Frank Stegin of
1319 E. 55th St., is currently
on duty at St. Joseph’s Hos
pital. She was voted “Out
standing Student” of the 1961
class and was editor of the
school’s annual.
Miss Johnson, the daughter
of Mr. arid Mrs. James Joseph
Johnson of 408 E. 29th St., is
presently undergoing addition
al training in Atlanta for the
puropse of returning to Chat
ham County as a Public
Health nurse.
Both girls are graduates of
St. Vincent’s Academy.