Newspaper Page Text
Vol. 43, No. 11
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1962
Bishop McDonough Describes Ceremony:
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH EDITION
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH
AwesomenessOf Solemn Council
PRAY FOR OUR
PRIESTLY DEAD
REV. JOHN J. BESSMER
Oct. 29, 1926
REV. JOSEPH KADDAH
Nov. 2, 1928
REV. STEPHEN BEYTAGH
Nov. 5, 1876
REV. JEREMIAH F. O’NEAL
Nov. 1, 1868
VERY REV. HAROLD J. BARR
Nov. 7, 1952
CATHEDRAL WORK PROGRESSING - This annah, as restoration work progresses. Plans
photo shows scaffolding in the interior of call for completion in time to hold Christmas
the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Sav- Midnight Mass.
Oh God, Who didst give to
thy servants by their sacredotal
office, a share in the priest
hood of the Apostles, grant,
we implore, that they may
also be one of their company
forever in heaven. Through
Christ Our Lord, Amen.
VISITS SEMINARIANS - Monsignor Daniel J. Bourke,
V. F., pastor of St. Mary’s on the-Hill Church, Augusta
is pictured with seminarians studying for the Diocese
of Savannah. The picture, taken during Monsignor’s recent
trip to Ireland, shows him with seminarians from Cork
City. The priest standing next to Monsignor Bourke is
Rev. Christopher Walsh. Father Walsh’s efforts have
greatly aided the Diocese’s efforts to obtain seminarians
in Ireland. Father Walsh will come to Augusta this Spring
to conduct a mid-Lenten mission at St. Mary’s.
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Opening Was ’Overwhelming’
BISHOP IN ROME - Bishop Thomas J. McDonough is pictured talking to His Eminence
Richard Cardinal Cushing of Boston (left) and Bishop John F. Whealon, Auxiliary bishop
of Cleveland (center) at a gathering of American prelates at the Pontifical North Ameri
can College in Rome. (Associated Press Photo-courtesy Savannah Morning News)
PROBLEM OF RESTORING
MEANINGFUL WORSHIP
By Mary Perkins Ryan
(N. C. W. C. NEWS SERVICE)
The council members in con
sidering the liturgy of the
Roman Rite are facing problems
which have been growing for
centuries.
Catholics today generally
take it for granted that the
ceremonies or “rites" (which
means the customary way of
doing things) of the Mass and
the other sacraments are in a
language other than their own
and are unintelligible without
a great deal of explanation.
But in the first centuries
this was not true: The rites
could be seen and heard, and
were designed precisel^to open
out their inner meaning to the
participants. People did not
need missals or guides to tell
them what was being said and
done. The sacramental rites
not only “effected what they
signified;’’ they also signified to
the participants what they ef
fected. So it was easy for the
people to participate together
intelligently and whole hearted-
iy-
But as the centuries went
by, many things happened
to make the rites increasingly
unintelligible. For one thing,
the people no longer spoke Latin
as their native language. For
another, through the centuries
the basic structure of the rites
and their essentially Biblical
meaning became obscured and
overgrown with the addition of
prayers from one or another age
or type of culture.
This went on until the 16th
century. Then Pope St. Pius V
“frbze" the Latin liturgy, did
away with local variations, and
(The author of the following article has served on the board
of directors of the Liturgical Conference and has written ex
tensively on the liturgy and Christian family living. She outlines
some challenging questions facing members of the Second
Vatican Council as they take up their first general subject: the
liturgy.) FIRST OF TWO ARTICLES
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
established standard books and
practices for the whole Roman
Rite Church.
In the meantime, modern
languages had developed and
new cultures had been born.
Since the 16th century espec
ially, the world has changed
beyond recognition. The Roman
Rite has spread to peoples then
unheart of, and to countries then
unborn. But the liturgy has re
mained unchanged, accretions
and all.
Until the renewal of the Holy
Week rites in 1956, the only
change in the Missal since 1570
had been the addition of new
feasts to the calendar of the
Saints. Early in this century,
St. Pius X provided for some
reform of the Breviary, the book
containing the prayers, hymns
and lessons of the Divine Of
fice, which all priests must
recite daily. St. Pius X also
began a reform of the Church
calendar to bring out the basic
structure of the liturgical year.
His successors have authori
zed some changes, yuch as those
in the Holy Week services and
the 1960 “simplification of the
rubrics." This further restores
the paramount place of Sunday
as a weekly commemoration of
the Resurrection, and thus
having priority over feasts of
the saints.
The 1960 simplification also
eliminated the second confiteor
in the Mass. This had come into
the Mass from the rite of Com
munion for the sick, and was
simply a repetition of the gen
eral confession recited in the
opening prayers at the foot of
the altar.
But the major work of reform
and renewal remains to be done.
Pope Pius XII once remarked
that a great work had been done
in trying to bring the people to
Mass, and that now it was time
to bring the Mass to the people.
This work of “bringing the
Mass - and the other sacra
mental rites--to the people" is
what is facing the council in
regard to the liturgy.
The council Fathers do not
have to start from scratch,
however. Scholars have been
finding out a great deal about
the original structure of the
rites and the ways in which our
present forms developed. And
for years, scholars and pastors
have been discussing and study
ing the main lines of possible
reform. Many of these were
detailed by Pittsburgh’s Father
H. A. Reinhold two years ago
in his book called “Bringing
the Mass to the People."
The council itself is not ex
pected to do more than lay down
general principles concerning
the liturgy and to set up com
missions to work out details.
(Continued Next Issue)
"Will Never Forget Lines
Of White-Robed Bishops”
BY JAMES M. JOHNSON
ROME - Now that the Second Vatican council has passed
throughout its initial phases and the pomp and glitter, for the
most part, is over, the most Rev. Thomas J. McDonough,
bishop of Savannah, has had time to reflect upon the momen
tous events in which he has had a part.
As might be expected, the the fathers of the council,
opening ceremony still was
quite fresh in Bishop McDon
ough’s mind. As he observed:
“When I arrived at St. Peter’s
basilica that morning, I was
literally overwhelmed when I
saw almost 3,000 bishops
assembled there to participate
in the solemn opening of the
council.
“Practically every bishop
throughout the world was in at
tendance. Truly, the awesome
ness of the occasion was over
whelming.
“I will never forget, as we
were marching into the basil
ica of St. Peter’s, under which
rests the mortal remains of
SS. Peter and Paul, the long
lines of white robed bishops
stretched out in front of and in
back of me.
“The bishops marched six
abreast and were followed by
the Cardinals of Holy Mother
Church and, at the very end
of the procession, our supreme
pontiff, Pope John XXIII, who
appeared most solemn.
“Fortunately I was among
the first 500 bishops to enter
St. Peter’s and, as a result,
I was able to observe almost
all of the procession as it
marched up the nave of the
largest church in Christen
dom.
“Each bishop was attired in
choir robes over which was
worn the cope and, of course,
the white miter was worn on
the head. As the Holy Father
entered St. Peter’s, all of the
bishops rose, removed their
miters and received the bless
ing of the Vicar of Christ on
earth.
"I must admit that many
thoughts cascaded through my
mind as I attended the opening
ceremony. Here, I thought; is
an assemblage composed of the
Vicar of Christ, the successor
of St. Peter, surrounded by the
bishops, the successors of the
Apostles.
“These thoughts at this mo
ment took me back to the be
ginning of Holy Mother Church
and reminded me of the holy
martyrs who died to spread our
faith, fulfilling the command of
our Divine Master, ‘Go teach
Ye all the nations. ’ ’’
The rest of the 5-hour cere
mony was occupied in the cel
ebration of the Solemn Ponti
fical Mass, which was, of
course, attended by His Holi
ness.
“After the Mass, Pope John
pronounced the solemn profes
sion of faith and then all of the
bishops repeated the same ut
terance of truth.
* ‘Then after an allocution to
by
His Holiness, the solemn open
ing of the council was brought
to a close.
“Perhaps the vastness of the
occasion more than anything
else is the most impressive
aspect of the council.
“It would be hard to vis
ualize our own Cathedral of
St. John the Baptist in Savannah
welcoming almost 3,000 bish
ops. As we all know, the square
in front of our cathedral could
not contain them. Neither could
our beloved and beautiful cath
edral, which we all love and
cherish so much.
“But there is one way in which
the people of Savannah are
similar to . those who partici
pated in or observed the sol
emn opening of the council here
in Rome. We, in Savannah, to -
gether with the Pope and all the
bishops throughout the world
profess the same love for the
one, true Church, founded by
our Divine Savior through his
death on the Cross.
“If the opening day of the
council is an augury of the
spirit of the council, then much
will be accomplished for the
spiritual good of the world and
for the reestablishment of peace
to the souls of men.
“The longer I remain in this
Holy City, the more I think
about Savannah and in these
thoughts, I offer my prayers
for those among whom I live
and work, and assure them all
of a daily remembrance in the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass."
At the solemn opening of the
council, Bishop Me Donough
found himself seated next to
Bishop Joseph Brunini, aux
iliary of Natchez, Miss., and
Bishop Markovsky of Amarillo,
Tex.
Since that time, he has had
Bishop Hogan, auxiliary of
Trenton, N. J., Bishop Hyle of
(Continued on Page 8)
THE LONG WHITE LINE - Hundreds of white-robed
prelates entered St. Peter’s Square in procession on their
way to the Vatican Basilica for the opening ceremonies
of the 21st Ecumenical Council convened there. More
than 2,500 Cardinals, Patriarchs, Bishops and Abbots
filled Christendom’s largest church for the historic event.
-(NC Photos)
National P.T.A. Accused
Of “Misrepresentation”
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.,
(NC) - The Parent-Teacher As
sociation of St. Francis School
here has accused the national
PTA of ‘‘misrepresentation ’’
by urging the U.S. Congress to
exclude private school children
from any Federal educational
aid program.
The St. Francis PTA chapter,
which has 500 members, ad
opted a resolution stating “that
the national office of the PTA
flagrantly and in violation of the
authority given to it in the na
tional constitution and bylaws
deliberately misrepresented to
Congress the position of mil
lions of American parents and
thereby denied us our rights to
speak on this action which so
affects the futures of our chil
dren."
“We are entitled to, and here
by demand," the resolution
stated, "a detailed explanation
of this act of misrepresentation
by an organization in which we
have served, paid dues and
placed our trust for many
years.”
List Additional
Observers At
Vatican Council
VATICAN CITY, (NC) - The
Secretariat for Promoting
Christian Unity revealed the
names of additional non-Catho
lic observer-delegates and
guests to the ecumenical coun
cil after the council had open
ed.
It said that among the guests
present for the opening was Dr.
Joseph H. Jackson of Chicago,
president of the five-million
member National Baptist Con
vention, U.S.A., Inc.
Also present were the Rev..
George H. Williams, an ordain
ed minister of the Unitarian and
Congregational Churches who is
a professor of ecclesiastical
history at the Harvard Divinity
School, and Dr. Franz Hilde-
brant, professor of theology
at Drew University, Methodist
institution at Madison, N. J.
Dr. Williams is author of the
1951 book, “Public Aid to Pa
rochial Education."
The unity secretariat an
nounced that a bishop and a
priest are at the council as
representatives of the Russian
Orthodox Church Outside Rus
sia. They are Bishop Antony
of Geneva, and Archpriest Igor
Troyanoff, rector of the Rus
sian Orthodox church of Lau
sanne and Vevey, Switzerland.
The International Association
for Liberal Christianity, whose
headquarters is at The Hague,
also is represented at the coun
cil. The secretariat for unity
said its observer-delegate is
Dr. Dana McLean Greeley of
Boston, president of the Unita-
rian-Universalist Association.
But it said that for the time
being he has a substitute—
Dr. James L. Adams, Unitarian
minister who is a professor
of Christian Ethics at the Har
vard Divinity School.
INDEX
MARRIAGES 5
COUNCIL COVERAGE ... .2
EDITORIALS. . . 4
DORIS ANSWERS YOUTH.. . . 4
OBITUARIES 5
Studying For Diocese Of Savannah