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PAGE 4—THE BULLETIN, September 15, 1962
ROAD WITH NO TURNING?
Backdrop
JOHN C. O'BRIEN
The
For a full interpretation of
the meaning of the doctrine
of complete separation of
church and state, the American
people must await rulings by
the United States Supreme Court
on three ca
ses that will
not be de
cided until
the next term
opening in
October.
The recent
controversial
decision rul
ing that the daily, voluntary
recitation by pupils in New
York’s public schools of a pray
er composed by the State Board
of Regents was a violation of
the First Amendment to the
Constitution left many questions
unanswered.
Did that decision, for
example, mean that the volun
tary recitation of the Lord’s
Prayer or readings from the
Bible were unconstitutional?
That uncertainty about the
meaning of the decision exists
is reflected in the actions of
school boards throughout the
country. In New York, for ex
ample, the decision has been
interpreted to mean that a re
ligious exercise of any kind in
a public school is barred; in
other states the decision has
been construed to oppose no
barriers to the usual practice
of reciting the Lord’s prayer.
Some defenders of the Court’s
decision in the New York prayer
case have maintained that it
was not the Court’s intention
to completely secularize the
schools. All the Court said, it
has been argued, was that a
public authority such as the
Board of Regents could not
impose a prayer form upon
the public schools. The de
cision, according to these apo
logists, did not ban God com
pletely from the public schools.
But it remains to be seen
how far the highest court in
tends to go in spelling out the
meaning of the First Amend
ment. The New York prayer
case was decided upon the nar
row issue of the right of a
public authority to prescribe
a prayer form for recitation
in the public schools.
Pending however, are three
other appeals in which the ques
tion at issue is not the consti
tutionality of a prayer composed
by a public authority but the
constitutionality of voluntary
recitation of the Lord’s Prayer,
readings from the Bible and use
of religious paintings and hymns
and celebration of Christian
festivals, such as Christmas
and Easter.
Two cases involving reading
of the Bible came up from the
courts of Pennsylvania and
Maryland. A third from the
Supreme Court of Florida in
volves not only recitation of
the Lord’s Prayer and Bible
readings but observance of re
ligious anniversaries such as
Christmas and Easter.
How the Court will decide
these questions is anybody’s
guess. But, as Sen. EugeneTal-
madge, of Georgia, pointed out
in a recent Senate debate, the
mere fact that the Court ac
cepted the appeals indicates that
it entertained some doubt about
the Constitutionality of such
practices. When the Court feels
that the decisions of the state
courts are right, Talmadge
noted, it does not accept ap
peals.
No recent decision of the
highest court has stirred up
such a violent protest as the
New York prayer case. The
Court in the past has not been
insensible to popular feeling.
But, having taken the position
it did in the New York case,
can the Court escape from the
full implications of that de
cision as adumbrated by As
sociate Justice William O.
Douglas in his separate con
curring opinion?
Douglas said that if the New
York decision were carried to
its logical conclusion, some
nineteen other well-established
religious practices within the
government would have to be
declared unconstitutional.
The bailiff of the Supreme
Court, for example, would have
to stop opening sessions by in
voking God’s blessing. The
President, the members of Con
gress, and other high govern
ment officials would have to
stop taking the oath of office
with one hand on a Bible and
swearing to the Supreme Being
that they would faithfully dis
charge the duties of their of
fices.
The Senate and the House
would have to dismiss the chap
lains who open their sessions
with prayer. The armed ser
vices would have to disband
the chaplains’ corps. The words
“In God We Trust” would have
to be erased from the curren
cy. Acknowledgment of depen
dence upon God would have to
be eliminated from the pledge
of allegiance to the flag.
In short, the Court has start
ed down a road that may have
no turning. Whether or not it
will be^ble to map a detour
will not be known until it
has decided the three cases now
on its docket.
CATHOLICS AND THE WORLD COUNCIL
Sum and Substance
At its Central Committee
meeting in Paris (August 7-16)
the World Council of Churches
showed itself to be keenly con
scious of the work of Roman
Catholic ecumenists and also
very much
aware of the
approach of
the Vatican
C o u n c i 1.
Time after
time speak
ers paid tri
bute to Ca
tholic ecum
enical theo
logians or asked for prayers
for the success of the Vatican
Council.
In his opening talk, the Gen
eral Secretary, Dr. W. A.
Visser’t Hooft, urged the mem
bers to become fully informed
about the work of the Vatican
Council for “we must feel in
a very real way, “nostra res
agitur.” (Which I freely trans
late, “This is our business.”)
He also asked them to do nothing
that might make the task of the
Fathers of the Vatican Council
more difficult, and to “do
everything that can encourage
them in the accomplishment of
the task of the renewal of their
church.”
He went on to speak of the
remarkable progress of ecu
menism among Roman Catho
lics but he pointed out that it
was almost exclusively a matter
of dialogue between individual
Catholic theologians and theo
logians of the other Christian
churches. He expressed the
hope that the coming Vatican
Council would lead to direct
official dialogue between the
Roman Catholic Churches and
REV. JOHN B. SHEERIN. C.S.P.
other churches. He fears that
the “new climate” will have no
permanent effect if it does not
lead to dialogue on the level
of the churches themselves.
One of the most interesting
tributes to Catholic ecumenists
was paid by Rev. P. C. Rodger,
executive secretary for Faith
and Order in the World Council.
“In a good many parts of the
world,” he said, “this new
dialogue between Catholics and
Protestants is only of a year or
two’s duration—it’s a tender
plant which could be killed by
too much water, as well as by
neglect. Yet at the same time,
I think it would be ungrateful
not to give public recognition
on the amount of initiative al
ready taken from the Roman
Catholic side.”
Then he cited the establish
ment of the Secretariat for Pro
moting Christian Unity by Pope
John and the work done by
Catholic scholars who have
shown a sympathetic appraisal
of the World Council’s work.
“When we consider how much
time and money, how much in
tellectual and linguistic re
source the Roman Church has
shown herself willing to devote
to this part of her ecumenical
task, I believe that our member
churches should sometimes
pause and consider how they
stand in this ‘Christian compe
tition’.”
Formerly Protestant theo
logians were accustomed to
protest against the exclusive
ness and isolation of the Roman
Catholic Church, said Rodger,
but now the danger is that
Protestants will “wake up to
find that it is we who main
tain the isolation through our
ignorance or our incapacity to
enter into conversation except
at a somewhat superficial
level.” ”
He asked the question, “What
place does the study of Roman
Catholic theology, including that
of Roman Catholic ecumenism,
play within our own churches
and theological faculties?” The
answer to this question, said
Dr. Rodger, is "the acid test
of our professions of good will
before the opening of the second
Vatican Council.”
In this study the Faith and
Order group in the World Coun
cil has Ynade a modest begin
ning. He announced that it has
secured the promised coopera
tion of a number of Roman Ca
tholic groups and individuals
in studying and criticizing theo
logical reports to be presented
at the world conference on Faith
and Order to be held by the
World Council at Montreal next
July.
During the Central Com
mittee meeting at Paris in Au
gust, some World Council of
ficials held a dinner in honor
of the Catholics present at the
sessions. It was my good for
tune to have as a table, com
panion the noted Father Danie-
lou. The World Council officials
paid tribute through the lips
of Dr. Eugene Carson Blake
to the ecumenical activities of
Roman Catholics.
Philippe Maury lauded the
Catholic daily La Croix, as
serting that it had given better
coverage of this World Council
meeting than had every before
been given to any World Coun
cil meeting by any paper any
where. In brief, the World Coun
cil is profoundly grateful to
Catholic ecumenists.
MIXED COURTSHIP ENDS IN CATHOLIC MARRIAGE
Sharing Our Treasure
In the United States where
Catholics and non-Catholics
live as neighbors, and where
they have so many social con
tacts, it is inevitable that mix
ed courtships will occur. Early
in the court
ship it is im
portant for
the Catholic
to explain the
teaching of
the Church on
this subject.
A mixed
marriage is
never the ideal; it not infre
quently leads to religious in
difference and loss of faith,
and is much less stable than
REV. JOHN A. O'BRIEN
a Catholic marriage.
Hence before becoming en
gaged, a Catholic should in
vite his friend to investigate
his religion and examine the
credentials which the Church
offers of her divine origin and
teaching authority. The easy
and effective way to do this
is to take a thorough course
of instruction. The Catholic too
should attend the instructions
and supplement them with his
prayers, good example and Ca
tholic literature.
It is helpful to bring the
non-Catholic to Sunday Mass,
briefing her on it beforehand and
providing her with a missal.
Where this is done, a mixed
courtship will generally termi
nate in a Nuptial Mass with
both parties receiving Holy
Communion. This is illustrated
in the conversion of Julia Balog,
now Mrs. Steve Vrabely of East
Chicago, Indiana.
“I came to this country from
Hungary at the age of 16,”
related Mrs. Vrabely, “and set
tled in Whiting. There I met
Steve Vrabely, and we began
to date. Steve explained to me
that he was a Catholic and
that marriage in his Faith last
ed till death. He not only be
lieved in his religion but lived
it every day. As our friend
ship deepened, he invited me
(Continued on Page 6)
Fill Them With Prayer!
tEmue/Li
HOW TO HELP THE COUNCIL
It Seems to Me
JOSEPH BREIG
It has been little noticed that
Pope John has given extraor
dinary recognition to the fact
that every Christian, in his fin
ite way, is another Christ, and
that everything in his life which
is not sin is of
supernatural
value.
As every
beat of
Christ's heart
and every ges
ture of His
hand was suf
ficient, had He
s o willed, to
redeem the world. so
every thought and action of each
Christian in whom Christ lives
anew contributes its bit to that
redemption.
God in Christ could have done
it all, and in the sense that all
good originates in Him and is
offered for our embracing, He
does do it all. But in the mystery
of His mercy and His grace, He
shares his work with us so that
we are not left destitute of
merit.
THERE ARE a hundred thou
sand questions about this for
which we have no answers, or at
best limping answers. But the
fact remains, however mysteri
ous, that in St. Paul's words we
fill up in ourselves what is want
ing in the sufferings of Christ,
abandoned of men; but He is
not alone after all. Back to Adam
and on to the last human being,
the cross is thronged with
countless figures, some suf
fering greatly in union with
God, others suffering so little
that the word suffering seems an
exaggeration.
But we must not conclude that
the small things we bear are
without eternal value. One of
the great values of trivial suf
ferings is that there is almost
no danger of spiritual pride in
them.
IT IS PERFECTLY possible
that when a wife endures in
silence some lack of elegance in
her husband, she is doing a
greater thing in God’s eyes than
when she offers up a blinding
headache while conscious, in
spite of herself, that she is
doing something pretty admira
ble.
Humility, as one spiritual
observer has expressed it, pulls
God out of Heaven to earth; that
is, He cannot but come swiftly
to the soul that is free of pride.
And who can be proud of not
raising the roof over an insig
nificant annoyance or a passing
scratch or bump?
No; there is almost no likeli
hood of self-esteem in bearing
with the small thing - and that
is why such things are of value
in the consecration of the world
which Pius XII said is the
special business of the laity.
THIS, I THINK, is the light
in which we should see Pope
John's action in announcing as
tonishingly generous indul
gences for those who offer to
God the works and also the
sufferings of each day, and also
for each offering during the
day of the suffering or the
work that is of the moment.
For the former, there are
plenary indulgences; for the
latter partial indulgences. And
surely this increase in spir
itual treasures among the
people is part of the prepara
tion for the world council which
4s to-renew- the Church.
Pope John wants us to enrich
ourselves spiritually for the
council; to don whiter robes of
goodness. And in his work in
dulgences and his “Suffering-
indulgences,” he has given us
special new means for doing
this.
ONE OF THE subtlest temp
tations or errors, it seems to
me, is to suppose that unless
we can do something spirit
ually great, it is hardly worth
while to do anything at all.
But there are half a billion
Catholics, and there are hun
dreds of millions of other
Christians and other religious
THE AUTHOR AS LETTER-WRITER
Jottings
By BARBARA C. JENCKS
. . an impression
to our natural im-
A personal letter
an impression as
“Letters capture fleeting thoughts .
of the moment. All of us give vent
pressions when writing to a friend,
immortalizes a moment, a thought,
nothing else.”
To the not-yet-arrived writer or perhaps the never-
never-to-arrive writer who is commonly referred to as
“the lonely yearner,” there is usually a literary idol
lurking in the background with whom he can identify. There
is usually, too, a friend, a listening friend, to whom he
can pour out his thoughts about life and literature, his as
pirations and the torturous and tedious moods suffered.
James Agee’s letters to Father Flye published this month
are read with an uncanny recognition by this struggler.
It was discovering a kindred spirit. Ever since Agee’s
DEATH IN THE FAMILY was published post-humously,
I have been eager to know of the man behind it. His letters
give answer and there is immediate self-identification with
many of his sufferings. The book of letters has already
been given to one who, for me, is comparable to “the
Father Flye” in Agee’s life.
“The Father Flye” in my life when reading Agee’s
letters immediately commented on the similarity with
letters received from this hopeful. Agee’s life was one
of turbulence and suffering. He wrote: “I am in the most
possible kinds of pain, mental and spiritual, that is . . .
and the trouble revolves chiefly around the simple sounding
problem of how to become what I wish I could when I can't.”
Agee was plagued with melancholia; he defeats self pity
by candidly recognizing it. He is obsessed with death and
fights for spiritual integrity. These chartings of a writer
in the twentieth century and more important of a soul,
reverent and dedicated, amid the materialistic and super
ficial avenues of New York are worth the reading. To me,
it is more often like looking in the mirror. Agee’s letters
pour out in trusting love and confidence his problems and
his hopes to his priest-teacher-friend. How many of these
letters might haVe been mine. For example, as Agee writes
on his thirtieth birthday: “I have not learned at all how to
use time or myself.”
There have been three correspondent-friends in my life
such as Agee had. I doubt if any of my letters will remain
and it is good. One of my trio of comforters has gone to the
grave and my letters to the furnace. Agee's letters are
valuable, not only to show to the world what it is to attempt
to write and to create when all manner of things today would
prevent and hold one from a creative life. Yet more im-
(Continued on Page 5)
DORIS REVERE PETERS
Sbori*
n&werA
YOUTH
MANY NICE GIRLS
JOIN THE WACS
people and these are times
when we become more and more
aware of the power of
many working in unison. It is
true in industry and it is true
in the spiritual life.
There is not one of us who
cannot contribute significantly
to the answer Pope John awaits
when he pleads for prayers for
the success of the world coun
cil. We can do something as
undramatic as not shrieking at
the kids, or not hiding behind
the newspaper at the breakfast
table. Undramatic, yes. But
valueless, no. God alone knows
how valuable the humblest of
fering is.
In a matter of weeks now, the
council will be assembling. Let
us not let it assemble without
having done something to help
make it successful. Stop blowing
your horn at the other fellow
in traffic. Stop grumbling at
the boss in the washroom. Any
thing like that. Leave it to God
how valuable your gift is. Just
give it.
Dear Doris;
I’ve just read the letter from
Rose who wants to join the
WACS. If this is something she
really wants to do and is she
has something to offer her coun
try then I say let her join.
But if she looks on the Service
as something romantic she will
be making a big mistake.
The Service is most cer
tainly a place for nice girls.
You don’t know half the tests
she’ll have to pass before they’ll
even consider her. Then she will
have to pass a very thorough
physical. She can fail this if
she is just five pounds over
weight. The Service is very
particular about who they ac
cept. They don’t want just any
body.
Her mother has probably
heard a lot of rumors about
the WACS. Well, so have I.
But I have also talked to sev
eral friends of my mother’s
who were in the Service during
World War II. They said many
of the stories were exaggerated.
My parish priest has told me
the same thing. It's the same
old thing. You get as much out
of a thing as you put into it.
Her mother evidently doesn’t
have much faith in her daugh
ter. If Rose has been brought
up correctly and taught to love
and trust in God then her mother
should not have fears about
her chosen career.
I am 18. My own mother
listened to all the pros and
cons of the Service. She is
proud of my choice and glad
I want to serve my country.
I’m going in as soon as I can
pass my physical. I first have
to lose 15 pounds. I’ll consider
myself very lucky if I can get
in. I wish Rose good luck and
I hope that if she truly wants
to join, she’ll be able to.
Carole B. (Florida)
Thank you for your we 11-
written and inspiring letter.
I agree with you.
CAN’T TALK TO MOTHER
Dear Doris:
I have a problem which makes
me very depressed at times.
My mother and I get along as
well as anyone else, but I can’t
talk things over with her. She
is willing to listen and advise,
but I just can’t bring myself
to discuss a problem with her.
I often talk to one of the Sisters
at school.
One night I sat in the same
room with Mom for half an
hour trying to bring myself
to ask her if I could do some
thing. Her answer was no and
that discouraged me. What can
I do to make our relationship
closer?
Depressed.
Don’t get discouraged so
easily. Don’t give up so easily.
Any good relationship is a two
way street. And it is kept open
and alive by good communica
tion. Clamming up as you did
kills the channel of communi
cation. What can your mother
say if you don’t talk to her?
There is nothing to discuss.
What we sometimes forget
is that no one understands us
as well as our mothers. No one
wants to approve of us as much
as our mothers. Concentrate
on this the next time you have
something to discuss.
And don’t be put off by one
grain of disapproval. Do your
friends agree with everything
you say? Do you always agree
on the same movies—or popu
lar record? Of course not. Yet
you find no trouble in talking
to them. Use the same strategy
with your mother.
What do you want from your
mother? You probably want pa
tience, trust, love, encourage
ment and approval. And you
will get all of them in good
measure when you begin talk
ing and giving her a chance.
TELL HIM
Dear Doris:
What do you do with a boy
who follows you around even
though I have hinted that I do
not like his presence.
Ann (Nebraska)
Make it plainer than a hint.
Tell him outright.
GAME BOOK’S
For the reader who asked
about a good book on games
there is one called Games
Around The World, by Hunt and
Cain, A. S. Bruce and Company,
N. Y., 1941 ($4.00) which might
help her in planning a party,
meetings, etc.
The Complete Book of Games
by Darwin and Hindman, Pren
tice Hall, Englewood Cliffs,
N. J., 1956, ($5.95) is also good.
It contains mixers, skits, ora,l
word games, noncompetitive
games and puzzles. It’s very
complete and has games for
every occasion.
(Doris Revere Peters ans
wers letters through her col
umn, not by mail. Please do
not ask for a personal reply.
Young readers are invited to
write to her in care of THE
BULLETIN.
! QUESTION BOX
Q. Reading about a convention
of handwriting analysis which
took place in Chicago last
month, I was reminded of a
question I've been meaning to
ask; namely: Does the prac
tice of “reading” handwriting
have any moral implications:
Couldn’t it have superstitious
overtones?
A. Apparently the way one
writes can be recognized as a
form of self-expression. Hence
it should be possible, theareti-
cally at least, to detect some
personality traits from hand
writing. This is the assump
tion upon which the so-called
science of graphology or
grapho-analysis has been built.
Thus, according to one school,
grapho-analysis is described as
the interpretation of character
from the quality of handwriting.
In so far as grapho-analysis
only attempts to explore the
interesting area of writing as
a form of expression from a
purely scientific or empirical
viewpoint, it poses no theolo
gical question per se. In the
words of Dr. Albert Nieder-
meyer, in his Compendium of
Pastoral Medicine (Joseph F.
Wagner, I960): “There is a
scientific graphology which is
worthy of being seriously con
sidered.”
When handwriting analysis is
abused for superstitious pur
poses, theological questions are
raised, of course. A more subtle
danger possibly consequent
upon absolute credence in the
so-called science is total com
mitment to the false premise
that a person always and neces
sarily reacts in perfect accor
dance with a series of alleged
indicators of moral fibre dis
continued on Page 5)
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 Archbishop of
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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 Mark waiter, Managing Editor
Rev. Lawrence Lucree, Rev. John Fitzpatrick
Associate Editors, Savannah Edition
Vol. 43 Saturday, September 15, 1962 No. 8
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
GEORGE GINGELL, Columbus President
MRS. DAN HARRIS, Macon Vice-President
NICK CAMERIO, Macon Secretary
JOHN T. BUCKLEY, Augusta Treasurer]
ALVIN M. McAULIFFE, Augusta Auditoi/
JOHN MARKWALTER, Augusta Executive Secretary
MISS CECILE FERRY, Augusta Financial Secretary