Newspaper Page Text
Serving
Georgia's 88
Southern Counties
J
Vol. 42, No. 26
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, MAY 26, 1962
Published By The
Catholic Laymen's
Ass'n of Georgia
10c Per Copy — $3 A Year
THIS VIEW shows part of the throng which gathered to welcome the Archbishop of
Atlanta.
ARCHBISHOP HALLINAN
MAKES FORMAL VISIT
ARCHBISHOP PAUL J. HALLINAN is welcomed by
Bishop McDonough. (Carroll Burke Photo)
U. S. Speeding Up
Program For Resettlement
Of Cuban Refugees
MIAMI, Fla., (NC) - Health,
Education and Welfare Secre
tary Abraham Ribicoff said here
the Government is speeding up
its Cuban refugees resettlement
program and called upon the
mayors of the country to get
more of these “heroic, proud,
bewildered, wonderful people’’
to settle somewhere other than
Miami.
Addressing the annual Con
ference of Mayors at a lunch
eon session in the Hotel Fon-
tainbleau here, Ribicoff said
there are now approximately
70,000 Cuban refugees in the
Miami area while 26,000 have
been resettled in other parts of
the nation.
Ribicoff outlined a 10-point
accelerated U.S. program for
resettlement of the refugees,
which provides the Federal
Government will pay the cost
of transportation from Miami
to the place of resettlement,
also will pay the cost back to
Miami if it becomes possible
for refugees to return to Cuba.
He said the program assures
communities if resettlement is
unsuccessful the refugees will
not become public charges. He
also said the U. S. Employment
Service will provide special
employment service at refugee
centers across the nation and
that many kinds of training and
counseling services will be pro
vided for the refugees.
Ribicoff said every effort will
be made to make public housing
available as needed for the re
settlement of refugees. He said
the refugees center here will
be given larger quarters and
taff additions will put greater
emphasis on resettlement.
“I have today approved a
transition assistance allowance
of one month’s additional pay
ment of up to $100 a family for
those receiving public as
sistance in Miami who are will
ing to go to other cities,’’ the
Secretary said.
Ribicoff saluted Catholic Re
lief Services—National Catho
lic Welfare Conference for its
work among the Cuban refugees.
He said: “At the front line of
resettlement are four voluntary
agencies, each of which has had
many years of worldwide ex
perience with refugees. Three
of these are religious organiza-
tions--Catholic Relief Ser
vices, the Church World Ser
vice, which is Protestant, and
the United HIAS Services. The
fourth is the nonsectarian In
ternational R e s c u e Com
mittee.’’
PRAY FOR OUR
PRIESTLY DEAD
REV. PATRICK CAFFERTY
May 22, 1888
REV. HENRY SCHONHARDT
May 24, 1954
REV. BRENDAN D.
O’SULLIVAN
May 26, 1913
REV. WM. QUINLAN
June 3, 1933
Oh God, Who didst give to
thy servants by their scaredotal
office, a share in the priesthood
of the Apostles, grant, ice im
plore, that they may also be one
of their company forever in
heaven. Through Christ Our
Cord. Amen
SAVANNAH - The plaza in
front of Savannah’s Cathedral of
St. John the Baptist was the
scene of colorful ceremonies
last week, as the Most Reverend
Paul J. Hallinan, Archbishop of
Atlanta and spiritual head of the
Atlanta Province made his first
formal visit to Savannah, one
of the Province’s suffragan
Sees.
The Archbishop arrived early
Friday afternoon, and was met
by the Most Reverend Thomas
J. McDonough, Bishop of Sa
vannah, and about forty priests
of the Diocese and several re
ligious orders.
A public reception for the At
lanta prelate was held at the
Cathedral plaza, where Arch
bishop Hallinan was presented
with a Spiritual Bouquet from
the Catholic school children of
the city.
Gray-and-white clad cadets
from Benedictine Military
school added both color and a
festive note to the ceremonies
by providing a program of band
music. Filling the plaza were
several thousand children from
the nine parochial schools, clad
in their school colors, and two
Catholic high schools of the
area, students from St. John
Vianney Minor Seminary,
Fourth Degree Knights of Co
lumbus, Papal Knights and Hon -
orees.
Priests from Chatham and
nearby counties, and some
priests and prelates from as
far away as Augusta, Macon and
Brunswick preceded Bishop
McDonough and Archbishop
Hallinan in a procession from
the Cathedral sanctuary to the
main entrance where the At
lanta Archbishop was presented
with the spiritual bouquet.
Monsignor T. James McNa
mara, rector of the Cathedral
welcomed both Archbishop
Hallinan and Bishop McDonough
and expressed regret that the
large throng could not all be
accomodated inside for the
ceremony's closing, Benedic
tion of the Most Blessed Sacra
ment.
After presentation of the
spiritual bouquet Bishop Mc
Donough officially welcomed the
Atlanta Province head to Sa
vannah, extended “our deepest'
expressions of loyalty and de
votion in the duties which you
have assumed as the new Metro
politan of the Province of At
lanta.’’
“You come here, not as a
stranger,’’ said Bishop Mc
Donough, “but in reality as one
who is well known for the many
acts of benefaction accomplish
ed for Mother Church.’’
Referring to Archbishop
Hallinan’s transfer from
Charleston, his former see, the
Savannah Bishop declared that
‘The people of that Diocese and
the good priests, even though
they rejoiced in your promotion
to the Metropolitan See of At
lanta, felt a great loss when you
left.”
“ . . . In the name of all our
priests, our religious and our
laity, and the students of this
city, I bid you a thousand wel
comes to Savannah . . . Once
more I assure you of our pray
ers and our cooperation in the
great work which you are des-
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Bishop Cites Danger Of
Discriminatory School Aid
ARCHBISHOP HALLINAN and Bishop McDonough look at Spiritual Bouquet presented
by school children. To Archbishop’s . left is Rt. Rev. Msgr, T. James McNamara.
(Carroll Burke Photo)
Information, Education
Program For Diocese
SAVANNAH - * Discriminatory legislation which would ex
tend financial aid to the public school segment of American
education while withholding it from the non-public school seg
ment is very likely to lead to inferior education in our Ca
tholic ’ schools,” charged Bishop Thomas J. McDonough, of Sa
vannah last week. He spoke at a Clergy Conference consider
ing a Diocesan program of information and education con
cerning Federal Aid to education, soon to be initiated in the
Diocese of Savannah.
“Not only the N.C.W.C. Ad
ministrative Board, but in
dividual Bishops have repeated
ly declared that the necessity
or non-necessity of Federal
aid must be determined by eco
nomic factors, and that the de
sirability of such aid must be
determined by the American
people within the context of the
historical relationships be
tween the Federal government
and the various State, Local,
and Private institutions which
have, in the past, been reci
pients of aid from the national
government,” he said.
Referring to the public hear
ings and Congressional debates
tined to accomplish for the
Church in the Southland. . . As
we say in the deep South - come
often and stay long.”
Archbishop Hallinan re
sponded by noting that “When
I became a Bishop, about four
years ago, Bishop McDonough
was the very first Bishop I
approached for advice.”
He said he appreciated ‘ ‘this
great turnout of priests, laity,
and students.” The crowd,
sweltering in ninety degree sun
shine laughed when he quipped,
’ ‘One thing I can say with cer
tainty - my reception has really
been a warm one.”
The affable and easy-man
nered prelate also commended
the Band of Benedictine Mili
tary School which provided a
musical program, and con
gratulated the members of St.
Vincent’s Academy Choral
Group, which sang “Ecce Sa-
cerdos Magnos”, traditional
anthem for Episcopal cere
monies.
He congratulated Bishop Mc
Donough on the establishment of
St. John Vianney Minor Semi
nary. Turning to the semi
narians present, he said, “I’m
sure the future of this diocese
will be in very good hands.”
The Cathedral, itself, one
of the largest and most im
pressive in the South was also
an object of Archbishop Halli-
nan’s praise.
The reception ceremonies
closed with Pontifical Bene
diction of the Most Blessed Sa
crament, with Archbishop
Hallinan as celebrant and Bish
op McDonough presiding in the
Sanctuary.
Officers for the reception and
Benediction were: Rt. Rev.
Msgr. Andrew J. McDonald,
Master of Ceremonies; Rev.
Raymond Bain S.M.A., and Rev.
Felix Donnelly, Chaplains to
Archbishop Hallinan; Rev. John
Cuddy and Rev. Joseph Stranc,
Chaplains to Bishop Mc
Donough.
The Rt. Rev. Msgr. John D.
Toomey and the Very Rev: Bede
Lightner O.S.B. served as Dea
con and Subdeacon at Bene
diction. The Rev. Kevin Boland
was Deacon of Exposition.
Also present in the Sanct
uary during the Pontifical Cere
monies were three Savannah
Papal Knights, Mr. Daniel Shee
han, Mr. John Brennan, and
Mr. Hugh Grady.
Among the Papal Honorees
was Mrs. Loretta Flanagan.
Archbishop Hallinan was
feted by Bishop McDonough and
the attending priests at a din
ner at Savannah’s famous John
nie Ganem Restaurant in the
afternoon.
He left later in the evening for
Charleston, accompanied by
Bishop McDonough, to ordain
several young men to the
Priesthood.
Savannah Catholic School Head Says:
Catholic Schools “Unknown
Quantity” To General Public
SAVANNAH - Addressing a
Clergy Conference of the Sa
vannah Diocese, the Rev. John
J. Cuddy, Diocesan superinten
dent of schools and vice-Rector
of St. John Vianney Minor Semi
nary declared that the “obvious
answer” to the question “Why
are so many groups so
vehemently opposed to - and so
many more people! so in
different” to federal aid to
children in non-public schools,
is “that our schools must some
how still be to the general
public an unknown quantity.”
He charged that “there exists
a shockingly large number of
men and women who question,
often quite vocally, the value of
a Catholic education.” \
There are families, he said,
‘ who at this moment refuse
outright to send their children
to Catholic schools or who have
seized the slightest excuse to
withdraw or threaten to with
draw their children from our
schools. ”
How many more Catholics
have we who continue to send
their boys and girls to our
schools only out of sheer obe
dience instead of out of a firm
conviction that their parish
school is the best school for
their children?
He warned against question
ing ‘ ‘the sincerity of all who
attack our school system” and
asked “if we have really done
all we could have done to ac
quaint them with our true nature
and goals.”
The Savannah educator called
for a widespread program to
acquaint the general public with
the value of Catholic education.
‘ We must somehow - and
quickly - make ourselves clear
ly known in our communities
if we are to be accepted fully
as an integral part of Ameri
can education, a part whose
well-being is essential to the
nation’s well-being. Until we
are so accepted, we connot ex
pect, much less demand, equal
treatment or equivalent treat
ment under the law.”
Declaring that the priests
of the Diocese must ‘ ‘instill
in our laity a deep conviction
that only Catholic schools can
educate their children ade
quately” Father Cuddy urg^d
the assembled priests to “do
all that is humanly possible
to make our schools scho
lastically the best in our com
munities” and to ‘ make our
people aware that the main
reason the schools exist is
Jesus Christ.”
“Our schools,” he said,
“provide those experiences
which, with the assistance of
divine grace, are best calcu
lated to develop in the young
the ideas, the attitudes, and the
habits that are demanded for
Christ-like living in our
American democratic society.”
He urges the clergy to utilize
their Home and School Associa
tions to disseminate ideas and
information concerning Ca
tholic schools, and called for
“good rapport with your local^
communications media” which,
he said, would be “truly effec
tive instruments in acquainting
the • general public with our
schools.”
He pointed out that the Ameri
can Catholic school system em
braces nearly 6,000,000 stu
dents on all levels in abqut
14,000 schools and that * ‘this
year in our Diocese alone pub
lic schools would have had to
raise about $2,250,000.00 in
extra taxes” for the education
alone of their 9,500 students.
This figure does not include
the funds which communities
would have had to raise to
Regarding Aid To Schools
Greater Knowledge Of
Legal Decisions Needed
provide the additional class
rooms and busses.
He said Catholics must help
non-Catholics to “see what goes
on in our classrooms, that our
students are learning all that
they would learn in public
schools plus what only Christian
schools can teach them.
“We must help them to see
that our personal commitment
to Christ demands that we edu
cate our children in a truly
Christian atmosphere, and that
any financial pressure placed
on us to make this demand of
conscience impossible to an
swer is a violation of our free
dom of religion.
...“But most of all, we must
help them realize...that the well
being of our nation depends
on the well-being of all our
school children, not just the
ones who attend religiously-
neutral schools!”
Calling “the awakened mem
bers of our parishes” the most
influential salesmen for Catho
lic education, they can by their
daily contacts--at work, in their
clubs, in their neighborhoods--
create an exact and attractive
public image of our schools.
SAVANNAH - At a conference
held last week in Savannah,
priests of the Diocese heardthe
Rt. Rev. Msgr. John D. Toomey,
Diocesan Moderator of Lay Or
ganizations urge a greater
knowledge of legal decisions re
garding government aid to
schools.
* We are still faced with an
appaling ignorance of legal de
cisions relating to this subject
and with illogical reasoning on
the part of man Catholics and
non-Catholics alike on the con
stitutionality of government as
sistance in the field of non-pub
lic education.
Stating the “The Catholic
Bishops of the United States
have taken no stand on federal
aid as such’ he said the Ameri
can Hierarchy is “insisting only
if federal aid is voted, it should
be administered on a PRINCI
PLE OF JUSTICE - the same
aid to be given pupils in non
public schools as to the public
school pupils.”
“Should such equal as
sistance be denied,” he said,
‘then the children in non-pub
lic schools would be the vic
tims of discriminatory legis
lation.”
He said all educators are en
gaged in “making better men for
better times” and denied that
non-public school pupils should
be refused assistance in secu
lar subjects if public school
pupils receive such assistance.
Monsignor Toomey framed
the constitutional question of
federal aid to church related
schools this way: “May the
Federal government, as part
of the comprehensive program
to promote educational ex
cellence in the nation, provide
secular educational benefits to
the public in private non-profit
schools, church related as well
as undenominational?”
The term “the public” in the
text of the question refers to
school children and their pa
rents considered as members of
the general public and not as
(Continued on Page 8)
on the Kennedy Adminis
tration’s education aid pro
gram, and the controversy over
the exclusion of church-related
schools from its provisions,
Bishop McDonough declared,
‘ “Neither the Catholic Church
nor its Hierarchy favors or op
poses the concept of Federal
aid. But I am certain that clergy
and laity alike are opposed to
; any program which discrimi
nates against Catholic children
simply because their parents
choose to exercise a consti
tutionally guaranteed right to
educate their children in non
public schools.
Opposition to the inclusion
of religiously oriented schools
stems mainly from three
sources, according to Bishop
McDonough - ‘ Sincere men who
genuinely fear that such inclu
sion would be a violation of the
Frist Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution; sincere, but unin
formed people who do not un
derstand either the nature of our
schools or the reason for their
existence; and finally, a com
paratively small but vocal group
of individuals and organizations
who simply distrust the Catho
lic Church and all its institu
tions.”
‘ Of course, we can’t do much
with those who just refuse to
hear us,” he said, “and only
the Supreme Court can decide
on the constitutionality of any
law. But an informed and de
dicated laity can do a great
deal to allay false suspicions and
to correct misunderstandings
about the nature and aims of
Catholic education. And they can
do much to correct erroneous
information concerning the
rights of parents and the rights
of government in education.”
He called for “a spirit of
rededication to the cause of
religious education on the part
of our people. It is they who
must tell the nation the in
spiring story of Catholic edu
cation in the United States.
‘ ‘If they are not deeply con
vinced of the invaluable contri
bution which Catholic education
has made to our Nation- by
giving to it citizens not only
skilled in human knowledge, but
dedicated to the love and service
of God and fellow man, then
they will never convince any
one else that our schools are
important, even vital to the
Nation.
“If they are not convinced
that education in the things
of God - what man must be
lieve and how he must live- in
order to save his immortal
soul - is as much a ‘full time
job’ as education in English,
History, or Geometry, then-they
will never convince anyone else
that Catholic schools exist be
cause of deep religious convic
tion.”
Outlining a Diocesan plan to
give Catholics and the general
public a better knowledge of
Catholic schools, Bishop Mc
Donough said, “All the
resources of the Diocese must
be geared to this task.”
During the summer months
a series of four sermons con
cerning Catholic Schools and
American education will be
given in al Churches of the
Diocese. Leaflets outlining the
history of * Religion, Education
and the Constitution” will be
distributed.
Parishes were urged to adopt
the subject as study club
material, and to plan “Open
House” in all Catholic Schools.