Newspaper Page Text
THE BULLETIN, September 1, 1962—PAGE 5
£8
•8 1
at
y
U.S. Bishop’s Statement On Ecumenical Council
WASHINGTOND. C.
—Statement of the Catholic
Bishops of the United States
on the Second Vatican Coun
cil. The statement was sign
ed in their names by the Ad
ministrative Board of the
National Catholic Welfare
Conference.
Ever since the Holy Father
announced in 1959 his intention
to convoke a General Council,
a sense of religious expectancy
has grown ever more insistent
throughout Christ’s Church
Such an expectancy once filled
the minds and hearts of the
Apostles and the other disciples
as they awaited in the Holy
City the coming of the Divine
Spirit, Who would teach the
Apostles all things and bring
to their minds whatever Christ
had said to them.
As we stand on the thres
hold of another solemn meeting
of the successors of the Apos
tolic College, the Bishops of
the United States gladly join
their voices to that of the Sup
reme Bishop as he calls the
entire Christian world to reflect
upon the nature of the Council
and to continue to prepare for
it, as for another Pentecost,
by prayer, penance, and holi
ness of life.
An Ecumenical Council is an
extraordinary exercise of the
teaching, ruling and sanctifying
power with which Christ
endowed His Church, and which
unfailingly resides in her Bish
ops united with Our Holy Father,
the Vicar of Christ. History
demonstrates how these solemn
gatherings of the successors of
the Apostles have borne witness
to the unique character of the
Church; for they have reaffirm
ed that Christ’s Church is a
society both visible and
invisible.
The Church is a visible so
ciety which is more than the sum
of its visible members; it has
Christ as its invisible Head, and
the Holy Spirit as its principle
of supernatural life. It is a
society which acts upon and re
acts to its environment, yet
lives its independent divine life.
It has an inward and indestruct-
albe dynamism, ever growing in
accord with its own divine con
stitution. Each of the twenty
Ecumenical Councils has been
at once a response of the liv
ing Church to the changing needs
of the world and the times in
which it lives, but each has also
occasioned in some degree the
kind of growth which must
characterize the Church until
the end of time.
From the prototype of all
Councils, the “Council” of Jer
usalem (Acts 15, 1-29), through
the twenty Ecumenical Coun
cils, from that of Nicea in the
Year 325 to the First Vati
can Council in 1869, all were
at least in origin - responses
to pressing and immediate
crises. These crises have at
times been brought on by the
ravages of false doctrines: by
the early heresies concerning
the Trinity and the Incarnation;
by the fundamental miscon
ceptions concerning the na-
ATLANTA
IVnBRTS
\ noMp* NY
589 FORREST RD., N. E.
PHONE JA. 2-6500
ATLANTA 12, GA.
ST. JOSEPH’S INFIRMARY
SODA FOUNTAIN
COFFEE SHOP AND RESTAURANT
LOCATED NEXT TO GIFT SHOP ON MAIN FLOOR
IN NEW BUILDING
ATLANTA, GA.
SMITH’S SHOES
And
Brookhaven Shoe Store
1215 Sycamore Si., Decatur, Ga. — DR. 3-3227
2136 North Decatur Plaza — ME. 4-4511
2332 Main St., Tucker, Ga. — 938-2424
FOR THAT SPECIAL OCCASION ..
RENT FORMAL WEAR
from O'Kelley's, Inc.
Rent your entire Formal Wear wardrobe. O'Kelley'i
features a complete line of handsome Men's and
Boy’s Formal attire.
Also Bridal Gowns, Veils, Bridesmaids dresses and
Hoops. Cocktail dresses and Formals for oil other
ocasions.
OJQL»\3,
219 Mitchell St.,
ture of the Church, Divine
Grace, and the Sacraments,
prevalent in the sixteenth cen
tury; by the extreme ration
alism and the wide
spread rejection of the
supernatural, which was the in
tellectual climate of a great
part of the Western World in
the nineteenth century. Another
crisis was caused by the en
croachment of the secular pow
er upon the spiritual, which led
up to the First Lateran Coun
cil. Still others arose from the
tragedy of Christianity torn
apart by schism, which moti
vated the calling of the Council
of Constance, the second Coun
cil of Lyons, and that of Flor
ence. In meeting these crises,
the Councils gave valid and
authentic answers to specific
questions; they made clearer
and more explicit the nature
of the Church and the meaning
of its doctrine.
INTERNAL RENEWAL
While certain external con
ditions and pressures lend
special timeliness to the calling
of a Council now, yet Our Holy
Father has repeatedly insisted
that these are not the main
reasons for the approaching
one. Perhaps it is not too much
to say that the coming Council
is unique in this, that its di
rect and conscious purpose is
the internal renewal of the
Church. The long standing dis
unity among Christians, the
menace of atheistic commu
nism, the materialism which en
gulfs so much of the modern
world and infects so many of
its people — these would indeed
be valid reasons for a Council,
CHAMBLEE
NELSON-RIVES REALTY.
INC.
S665A Clairmont Road
CHAMBLEE, GEORGIA
Formerly Sml-Nel Realty Co., Inc.
Howard C. Nelson, President
Ernest M. Rives, Secretary-Treaa.
Prepare Yourself
at Greenleaf
FOR TOP PAY THE QUICK WAY
FOR TOP PAYING POSITIONS
IN BUSINESS FIELD
Let (lKeenleaf's 30 years experi
ence in the Atlanta area help you
into the job of your dreams.
Executive Secretarial
Medical Secretarial
Legal Secretarial
IBM Key Punch
IBM Automation and Data
Processing
Higher Accounting
Business Administration
PBX Receptionist
and will in all likelihood be
considered by the Bishops in
their deliberations. But the
principal reason has been stated
by Our Holy Father as a re
newal of the life of the Church-
a renewal which will restore
“to full splendor the simple
and pure lines that the face of
the Church of Jesus had at its
birth . . . presenting it as its
Divine Founder made it.”
In the attainment of this ob
jective, each part of the Church
has its own special gift to
bring. What, then, will be the
role of the Bishops of the
United States in the forthcoming
Council?
To conceive of them as mere
delegates of the Church in the
United States would be to mis
understand the constitution of
the Church, the function of a
Bishop , and the nature of an
Ecumenical Council. An Ecum
enical Council is not a sort of
congress or parliament made
up of delegates elected to rep
resent various churches or par
ties or interests. It is a solemn
meeting, whose members are
divinely constituted to bear wit
ness to the contents of Divine
Revelation, the Deposit of
Faith, and to enact disciplin
ary regulation for the Univ
ersal Church.
The attending Bishops will
represent precisely what they
are - successors of the Apos
tles gathered together in solemn
council. At the same time, they
are expected to bring to the
Council the benefit of their ex
perience and discernment as
religious leaders in their own
lands. Hence, the Bishops of the
United States may be expected
to bear witness in the Council
to the elements which, under
God, have led to the remark
able growth of the Church in
the United States and to its
generally flourishing condition,
and to make known their judg
ment on whatever further dev
elopment or reform appears to
them to be advantageous for the
Universal Church.
In making their contribution
to the Council, the Bishops of
the United States will be cons
cious of the limitations of the
Church in this country. We are
all aware that, relatively speak-
BROOKHAVEN
The Budget
Grocery
Choice Meats
Fresh Vegetables
Delicatessen
Rox Latham, Mgr.
3174 Peachtree Rd.
Atlanta
College Park
BLK AT LKADINQ GROCERS
ing, we are a new and re
cently cultivated part of
Christ’s vineyard. We cannot
boast the saints that have arisen
in the churches of Europe and
even in some in our own hemis
phere. We have not produced the
number of profound scholars
and brilliant writers who adorn
some of the older centers of
Christian culture.
BEAR MARKS OF PAST
Undoubtedly, we bear the im
print of our past - of a Church
which was born and has grown
to maturity in an atmosphere
not always friendly; which has
had to struggle almost every
step of the way to produce the
institutions necessary for its
preservation and development;
whose people are sprung from
ancestors, many of whom, a few
generations ago, came to this
country unlettered and in great
poverty. It has had to struggle
against an excessive preoccu
pation with material things, oc
casioned not only by its needs
but also in part by the very
wealth our country has
produced, and against a public
philosophy strongly affected by
a special kind of secularism.
The marks of our origin and his-
tory are certainly upon us.
But whatever the limitations
of the Church in this country,
we are humbly and gratefully
aware of the strengths which
have resulted from its ex
perience. We know, first of all,
the advantages which have come
to the Church from living and
growing in an atmosphere of
religious and political freedom.
The very struggle which the
Church here has had to face
has been responsible in large
measure for the vitality which
i t has developed as it grew
to maturity, unaided by political
preference but unimpeded by
political ties. Our lay people,
men as well as women, are to
an extraordianry degree active,
energetic members of Christ’s
Mystical Body. Devotion to the
Mass, love for the Eucharist,
recourse to the Sacrament of
Penance, active participation in
every kind of parochial, dio
cesan and national Catholic
life . . . these are the signs of
religious vitality which so often
impress visitors to our shores.
The vast educational system
which continually tries to im
prove itself bespeaks the deter
mination of our priests, reli
gious, and faithful to educate
Catholic youth in the light of
the true Faith. The growing en
thusiasm for the liturgy and for
spiritual retreats is indicative
of an intense desire for a rich
spiritual life. The flowering of
this spirituality is evident in
the remarkable growth of con
templative vocations, in the
successful efforts of the Church
in charitable works, in the con
stant concern for the spread
of the Gospel in other lands
through increasing missionary
activities, in the manifes
tation of love for our
brothers of all races and nations
which energizes our Catholic
Relief Services and similar or
ganizations.
Meanwhile, there have been
manifest in the lives of our
people a constant loyalty and
devotion to their spiritual shep
herds at every level, but pre
eminently to the Supreme Pon-
PRAYERFUL FACES REFLECT HOPES OF COUNCIL
Any Timie — Anywhere
Call a TAXI
RADIO CABS
DECATUR
CO-OP CABS
310 Howard Ave.
24-Hour Service
Passengers Insured
Trios Anywhere
DR. 7-3866 — DR. 7-1701
DECATUR. GA.
READ THESE PAMPHLETS ON PARTICIPATION
BY THE LAITY IN THE MASS
n i •
//
n
Light On The Liturgy" 40c
Community Mass Booklet" 20c
Our Parish Prays And Sings" 30c
Notre Dame Book Shop, Inc.
115 PEACHTREE ST., N. E. ATLANTA
MAIL AND PHONE ORDERS PROMPTLY FILLED
LISTED STOCKS
PRIMARY MARKETS IN APPROXIMATELY
100 UNLISTED STOCKS
CORPORATE BONDS — UNDERWRITINGS
TAX-FREE MUNICIPAL BONDS
PORTFOLIO ANALYSIS
J. C. Bradford 5. Co.
Members of the New York Stock Exchange fc
American Exchange
Thomas H. Stafford, Resident Manager
Joseph G. Smith, Account Executive
SUITE 736. BANK OF GEORGIA BUILDING
PHONE JAckson 2-6834 ATLANTA, GA.
Rosary in hand and face full of hope, the young and the old offer their prayers for peace
at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. The “Rosary of Hope,” prayed in many
languages, was the answer to the Holy Father’s appeal to the Catholics of the world
to recite the rosary for peace and for the success of the forthcoming ecumenical council.
(NC Photos)
tiff. From the background of
such a national Catholic life, the
Bishops of this country are con
fident that they will not go
to the Council empty-handed.
Out of the rich experience sup
plied in such large measure
by their own flock, they hope
that they will be able to make
some specific contributions to
the internal renewal of the
Church Universal.
PROSPECTS FAVORABLE
The general prospect for in
ternal renewal through the com
ing Council appears favorable
indeed. For the opening of no
other Council had such thorough
preparation been made. The
work has involved not only the
members of the Roman Curia,
but also Cardinals, Bishops,
Priests, and Laymen from all
parts of the world - wherever
special competence was to be
found. To this Council, each
Bi&fiop will bring the native
abilities with which he is en
dowed, and the wisdom he has
acquired from his studies, his
reflection and from the admin
istration of his own diocese. The
whole body of the Bishops will
have at their command the
learning of the Church's most
competent theologians, canon-
lists and historians. The Bishops
will come not to give hasty
answers and questions outlined
by the Preparatory Commission
or mere routine approval of
their recommendations but to
deliberate unhurriedly, to ex
press their mature judgment,
and in due time to cast their
conscientious vote. Further
more, the ultimate decisions
of the Council, thanks to the
modern advances in the field of
communications, as exemplified
most recently by Telstar, can
be iruitfully transmitted to the
ends of the earth with unpre-
cendented speed.
One of the most heartening
auguries of a successful Coun
cil is the widespread recogni
tion that whatever is done
toward the achievement of its
immediate objectives and in the
direction of that ultimate Chris
tian unity, for which there is a
sort of universal desire, must
be done in the spirit of charity,
deepening and broadening of the
virtue of charity can produce
the atmosphere which is an
absolute prerequisite for that
final Christian reunion toward
which we look.
Surely this view inspired
those words which Our Holy
Father addressed to the General
Preparatory Commission just
before it completed its work two
months ago. The Supreme Pon
tiff took as the theme of that
discourse the Gospel of St. John,
the Gospel of Love. He bade
not only the members of the
Commission, but through them
the whole Christian world, to
reflect especially on the sub
lime words with which the Evan
gelist opened his Gospel, on the
parable of the Good Shepherd,
which Pope John has in a par
ticular manner made his own,
on the discourse of Christ after
the Last Supper, and above all,
on the prayer for unity with
which that discourse ends.
Shun Over-Optimism
While there appears to be a
notable increase in the spirit
of charity, both on the part of
Catholics toward their separa
ted brethren and a correspond
ing growth of the same spirit
in them toward us, yet our peo
ple must be warned against any
extravagant hope of Christian
reunion as a direct and imme
diate result of the Council.
Christians in this country, of
several hundred denominations,
should be particularly con
scious of the wide, deep and
inveterate divisions, especially
in the field of Christian teach
ing, which separate the many
religious groups here and
throughout the world. There can
be no general reunion while
chasms of doctrinal division
exist.
Yet charity can help to pre
pare the way for the eventual
closing of these chasms. We
must therefore, rejoice in the
growth of the spirit of charity.
All Catholics have a special
duty to deepen that spirit and
to broaden and intensify its
practice as a main source of
Christian renewal and as a
preparation for the hoped for
ultimate reunion.
As we reflect on all these
circumstances so auspicious
for the coming Council, we hav6
a right to look forward to a
generous measure of success
in the achievement of its im
mediate objectives. When, how
ever, we consider the nature of
those objectives--the reno
vation of the internal life of
Christ’s Mystical Body the “re
newal of the spirit of Gospel”
the “restoring to full splendor
the simple and pure lines that
the Church of Jesus had at ips
birth”—we can only conclude
that the grace of God must be
counted on to play the most
important role in the Council’s
achievement.
The Fathers meeting in Coun
cil will certainly have the grace
of protection from error in
teaching matters of faith and
morals. Such a warranty is im
plicit in Christ’s promise to all
the Apostles of His abiding pre
sence and in His declaration to
Peter that the gates of hell
will not prevail against His
Church. But the Fathers of the
Council will need more than
this. They will need positive
divine guidance in the face of
the manifold problems which
the world of today presents.
They will need Christian
courage if they are to meet
adequately the needs of the con
temporary Church. They will
need, perhaps above all things
else, an intensification of
Christian love. They will suc
ceed in their task only if the
Holy Spirit broods over them,
breathing into their minds and
hearts His illuminating and en
ergizing grace.
The Gospels speak of certain
spiritual triumphs which depend
on prayer and fasting. Since
that day when Our Holy Father
first announced his intention of
calling an Ecumenical Council
the faithful of the whole Church
have poured forth their prayers,
begging God’s blessing on this
arduous and supremely impor
tant project. Now as these three
years of preparation draw to
a close- -years that remind us
of the time Christ gave to the
preparation of the Twelve for
their apostolic mission and for
the infusion of the Holy
Spirit- and as the successors
to the Apostles await in prayer
ful reflection the opeinig of
the Council, longing for a simi
lar infusion of Pentecostal
grace, we unite with the Suc
cessor of St. Peter in urging
upon all an intensification of
prayer and acts of penance in
a spirit of daily sacrifice. We
ask in particular that during
the days immediately pre -
ceeding the Council, all the
faithful join in a novena of
prayer of this country, that God
may pour forth His abounding
grace on Our Holy Father, on
all the Fathers of the Council,
and particularly on the Bishops
of this country, that none may
fail in the Council's great work
of full evengelical renewal with
in the Church.
In conclusion, we invite all
our non-Catholic brethren who
glory in the name of Christian
to join us in asking that the
Holy Spirit enlighten and guide
the Ecumenical Council so that
it may become an instrument
for the promotion of Christian
unity according to the mind of
Christ.
Signed by members of the
Administrative Board, Na
tional Catholic Welfare Con
ference, in the name of the
Bishops of the United States.
Francis Cardinal Spellman,
Archbishop of New York.
James Francis Cardinal Me
Intyre, Archbishop of Los An
geles.
Richard Cardinal Cushing,
Archbishop of Boston.
Albert Cardinal Meyer,
Archbishop of Chicago.
Joseph Cardinal Ritter,
Archbishop of St. Louis.
Patrick A. O’Boyle, Arch
bishop of Washington, Chair
man.
Lawrence J. Shehan, Arch—
bishop of Baltimore.
Thomas A. Connolly, Arch
bishop of Seattle.
John F. Dearden, Archbishop
of Detroit.
William E. Cousins, Arch
bishop of Milwaukee.
John J. Krol, Archbishop of
Philadelphia.
Joseph T. McGucken, Arch
bishop of San Francisco.
Emmet M. Walsh, Bishop of
Youngstown.
Allen J. Babcock, Bishop of
Grand Rapids.
Albert R. Zuroweste, Bishop
of Belleville.
Prepare Serve
WONDERFUL MEALS IN MINUTES. 1