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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. Serving Georgia's 88 Southern Counties Published By The Catholic Laymen's Ass'n of Georgia 10c Per Copy — $3 A Year 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