Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4—THE BULLETIN, November 10, 1962
Property Owners Balk At Tax Rise
The Backdrop
JOHN C. O'BRIEN
American property owners
who send their children to pub
lic schools, no less than Cath
olics who enthrust the educa
tion of their offspring to par
ochial schools, are beginning
to show grave
concern over
the galloping
cost of ele
mentary and
secondary ed
ucation.
Across the
country there
are rumblings
of a taxpayers’ revolt against
the steady rise in property
taxes, attributable in large
measure to the cost of building
and maintaining public schools
for the expanding school pop
ulation.
Among Catholics, who carry
the double burden of paying tax
es for support of the public
schools and at the same time
maintaining the parochial
school system, the question has
been raised how long this drain
upon the income of property
owners can be borne.
In some parishes there is
talk of discontinuing parish
schools for the elementary
grades and concentrating on
parochial high schools. If such
a solution should be widely ad
opted, of course, the taxes on
property for support of edu
cation would be further in -
creased substantially almost
over night.
NON-PARTISAN GROUPS
In 1962 the median real es
tate tax bill rose for the 17th
consecutive year. The tax load
now averages $305 a family,
compared with a median of
$110 a family in 1945. In some
fast growing counties, prop
erty owners have seen their
taxes jump more than 300 per
cent in 20 years, a principal
cause of the increase being
an ever-expanding school sys
tem.
As a result of the steady
increase in property taxes,
county and municipal author
ities are faced with a nation
wide taxpayers’ rebellion. Tax
payers are voting down bond
issues for school construction
and other purposes. In many
communities they are banding
together in non-partisan groups
in an attempt to arrest mount
ing expenditures for schools,
recreation centers and other
welfare projects.
Typical of what is going on
is a revolt of property owners
in one of the national capital’s
adjoining counties. Residents
have seen the county budget
increase more than sixfold in
a decade in which the popula
tion only doubled. In the past
year tax bills mailed out to
some property owners were 40
to 50 per cent higher than they
were the year before. A major
share of these tax dollars go
for support of the public
schools.
In the hope of checking this
steady rise in county expendi
tures property owners have
formed a non-partisan taxpay
ers’ league to combat what
they consider “frills” in the
school program such as a mo
saic fating for a high school
that cost twice what a plain
brick b facing would have cost.
What; the taxpayers are ask
ing, <5de§ the mosaic facing con
tribute to the quality of edu
cation dfferod within the school
walls?
RESIST BOND ISSUES
In 1950, the nation’s voters
approved referendums in sup
port of bond issues for schools
and ! 6ther purposes with regu
larity. Now they are exercis
ing greater discretion. School
bond issues in particular, have
been meeting with resistance.
In 1961, only 67 per cent of
the bonds submitted to voters
were approved and so far in
1962 only 56 per cent of the
proposals have been authorized.
In some instances, voters
have approved bond issues for
school construction and then
refused to approve the tax in
crease required to staff the
facilities.
For fear of a further tax
increase home owners fight
zoning changes to permit mul
ti-family properties to be built
in their localities. They know
that such properties bring a
sharp increase in the school
population and generate dem
ands for additional school
buildings. Rezoning of land for
commercial use often is op
posed becuase new industries
attract new families with chil
dren for whom classrooms must
be provided.
Home owners are com
plaining that they are paying a
disproportionate share of the
cost of public education. While
tenants in multi-family prop
erties pay real estate taxes
indirectly, the amount they pay
toward the landlord’s tax bill
is much less than that paid
by the home owner for a com
parable cubic footage of liv
ing space.
If property owners continue
in their balky mood, the pub
lic authorities will have to de
vise a new tax formula to trans
fer a greater share of the tax
load for schools from home-
owners to other groups of tax
payers. A greater share of the
cost of education may have to
be assumed by the state and
Federal Governments.
Lest We Forget
MONTH OF
THE
HOLY SOULS
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WILL THE COUNCIL ACT?
It Seems to Me
JOSEPH BHEIG
THE PURPLE WAVE
Sum
REV. JOHN B. SHEERIN. C.S.P.
One reporter here in Rome
described the 2500 bishops
leaving St. Peter’s after a Coun
cil session as “a purple wave”
flowing down the steps of the
great basilica. This colorful
figure does
help to sug
gest something
of the marvel
ous unity that
is to be found
among these
bishops from
all over the
world.
As the days progress, it is
obvious that their unity grows
greater. They came to the Coun
cil knowing, in most cases, only
the bishops from their own res
pective countries. The Ameri
can bishops, for instance, had
different problems to face than
the bishops of Africa and their
general approach to problems of
the apostolate and of the litur
gy was understandably different
from that of the African bish
ops.
How then could we expect the
American bishops to understand
the African problems and for
that matter, the problems and
the way of thinking of Asians
and Arabs and South Ameri
cans and Ethiopians? Yet there
is a growing harmony of views
among the bishops that is truly
remarkable.
They are getting to know each
other, to appreciate each
other’s trails and troubles and
to see that underneath all the
national, ideological and tem-
permental diversities there is
a wonderful spiritual unity of
purpose. Representatives of one
national group meet with
bishops from another national
group and they come progress
ively closer to each other not
only in fraternal amity but in
theological and pastoral view
points as well.
Thedeilocal newspapers in
Rome flaunted scare headlines
about tne formation of “blocks”
among the bishops at the begin
ning of the Council. They claim
ed that the French and Ger
man §|shops formed a solid
“progressive” phalanx against
the' 1 ! 3?tconservative' ’ Italian-
Spaiiish ‘ ‘ bloc.' ’ This made good
headlines but very incorrect
reposing.
Ie-'4« true that there are
tho'9#%ishops who like change
ancf’TKbse who don’t but at no
time~was there any evidence
of intransigent and mutually
hostile factions.
The French bishops protes
ted against these false rum
ors and rightly so—for it would
defeat their own purposes to
become known as members of a
“bloc.” They wanted to win
other bishops over to support
proposals the French consid
ered salutary for the Church and
they could never succeed in
doing so if they were regard
ed as an armed camp. In short,
as the various bishops meet
each other and exchange views,
the lines of distinction are dis
appearing.
I don’t mean that “the apos
tolic college” is becoming a
monolith. Far from it! The
bishops daily become more
aware of the universality of
the Church, its rich diversity
in matters that are not essen
tial. They meet with men like
Bishop van Bekkum in St. Pet
er’s Square or on Via Concil-
iazione and they hear him teli
of Catholic liturgical celebra
tions in Indonesia that consists
not only of hymns and prayers
but of feasts and dances.
The official Council press
release tells how the bishops
frequently see examples of lit
urgical ceremonies other than
those of the Latin rite at the
beginning of the Council ses
sions. On October 24th, for
instance, the session opened
with Mass celebrated in the
Greek-Melkite rite by Arch
bishop Nabaa of Beirut. The
language used was Greek and
Arabic and the liturgy was that
of St. John Chrysostom.
There is then among the
Council Fathers an increasing
readiness to appreciate the rich
diversity of the Church but also
a greater awareness of the unity
underlying the diversity. When
the “purple wave” flows down
the steps of St. Peter’s after
a session, the marvel is that
all these men from such a
dazzling variety of national
backgrounds, customs and cul
tural traditions are being mys
teriously welded into one by an
unseen presence.
That presence is the Holy
Spirit. And the fullness of His
presence is due in large meas
ure to the prayers of the faith
ful all over the world, for
never before has the universal
Church prayed so ardently for
the success of any Council as it
has prayed for this Council con
vened by Pope John.
Chance Meeting Leads Family Into Church
Sharing Our Treasure
“I would like to share my
Faith, but I don't know how to
go about it.” Haven’t you said
that to yourself many times?
If so, it’s surely time for you
to learn a few of the simple
methods and
begin to apply
them. Experts
outline them in
“Sharing the
Faith” (Our
Sunday Visitor
Press, $1.25).
It will provide
you with the
“know-how” and thus give you
the courage to try. It will show
you how you can use even the
most casual contacts for this
REV. JOHN A. O'BRIEN
purpose.
This is illustrated in the
conversion of Louis Csenge of
Larchmont, New York. “I was
baptized a Catholic, ” he re -
lated, “but was reared in the
Reformed Church in which I
was confirmed at age 12. Dur
ing the succeeding years 1 at
tended the Congregational, Ep
iscopal, Methodist and Presby
terian Churches. I married a
Presbyterian, and we attended
various churches.
“Though we often heard ex
cellent sermons, we did not
feel closer to God or part of
the real Church. There was
something missing -something
which sermons couldn’t supply.
My office was near St. Pat
rick’s Cathedral in New York,
and I would drop in to say a
prayer. It has hundreds of pam
phlets on display and I would
buy one or two. After reading
scores of them, I read two of
Bishop Sheen’s books.
“The Hail Mary was one of
the few prayers I knew by
heart and I recited it many
times, seeking the intercession
of the Blessed Virgin and the
guidance of her divine Son. Its
fulfillment came about in a
strange way. My wife and I were
dining at our club. A clergyman
entered and took a seat at a
table nearby. Mrs. Csenge in-
(Continued on Page 5)
A dedicated young woman,
disturbed by remarks she had
heard to the effect that prob
ably nothing much will come of
the world council of the Church,
asked me anxiously:
“Do you
think that's
true?
Her face
brightened at
my answer:
,“I certain
ly don’t sup
pose for one
moment that the
Pope had his
advisors spend nearly three
years in preparation, and sum
moned 3,000 bishops from all
around the world, to have them
sitting around telling one an
other that everything is just
dandy and nothing needs to be
changed.”
I know that some prelates
have cautioned that we must
not expect too much from the
council. But the correct inter
pretation of such remarks de
pends upon what is meant by
"too much.” For example, the
suggestion of a Swiss woman
lawyer that women be ordain
ed to the priesthood strikes me
as falling obviously into the
category of expecting much too
much.
We must remember, further
more that no individual bish
op, nor indeed any group of
bishops, can predict what the
council will or won’t do. That
is going to depend not only
on the discussions and the votes
of thousands of the Fathers of
the council, but also-and very
importantly - on what Pope
John has in mind.
WE KNOW WHAT the Holy
Father’s general intentions are:
He has expressed them repeat
edly. He has said that the cen
tral purpose of the council is
the renewal of the Church.
“Every spot and wrinkle” is
to be removed. The council is
to correct whatever on the hu
man side of the Church tends
to obscure or distort her light
as a divine institution, making
her less attractive than she
ought to be in the world’s eyes.
Unless words have lost their
meaning, that doesn’t mean
standing pat.
At this moment, I think, we
might all profit from refresh
ing our memories about Pope
John’s own description of how he
came to call the council in the
first place.
HE TOLD THE STORY last
May to a group of pilgrims
from Venice.
He said his decision came in
a way that was so sudden and
unexpected that it sounds un
likely in the telling.
He was conversing, he said,
with his secretary of state, the
late Domenico Cardinal Tar-
dini. They were speaking about
the distressing fact that “the
world was plunged in grave an
guish and restlessness.”
Among other things, they not
ed that everybody claimed to
“want peace and agreement,”
but that unfortunately people
sometimes only succeed in
“sharpening dissensions and
increasing threats.”
At this point, Pope John
asked Tardini and himself:
“What will the Church do?
Should the mystical ship of
Christ remain at the mercy of
the waves and drift? Rather is
it not from the Church that
the world expects, not only a
warning, but also the light of a
great example?
“What could that example
be?”
Cardinal Tardini, Pope John
related, “listened in an atti
tude of reverence, respect and
expectation.” At that instant,
said the Holy Father;
" All of a sudden our soul
was enlightened by a great idea,
perceived exactly at that mo
ment and received with un
speakable confidence in our di
vine Master; and a word, sol
emn and committing, came to
our lips. Our voice spoke it
for the first time: a council.”
Immediatley, Pope John told
the pilgrims, he felt a kind of
apprehension. He felt that he
would have to listen to Car
dinal Tardini warning him about
the grave difficulties and the
long and arduous preparations
which a council would involve.
But it was not so. Pope John
recalled:
“Instead, an obvious emotion
became visible on the cardinal's
face; his consent was immedi
ate and exultant. This was the
certain sign of the Lord’s will.”
We can pray, therefore, with
confidence that the Lord will
see to it that the council does
what is needful.
Saints Never Lost Sight Of Goal—Eternity
Jottings
By BARBARA C. JENCKS
“The saints are a rebuke and challenge hardly to be
suffered, for their way is always the impractical way of
the Sermon on the Mount; poverty, humility, the folly of
the Cross. And yet when the years move on and we look
back, we find that it is not the social reformer or the
economist or even the church leader who has done
tremendous things for the human race, but the silly saints
in their rags and tatters with their empty pockets and
impossible dreams.”
Caryll Houselander
# >ie *
SAINT is a powerfully awesome word: Each of us has
our own definition of sanctity Most definitions have to do
with folded hands, lowered eyes, pius words. It is unlikely
that we would recognize a saint if we saw one. Yet, I
wager that each one of us rubs shoulders or bumps into
a saint everyday. We might even live with one. But our
lofty unrealistic definition of what it means to be a saint
blinds us. We are too close or too far away to see. Caryll
Houselander wrote: “It would be very difficult to like all
the saints. Christ dwells in every type of human being and
in spite of the faith that Christ lives in them all, they train
their own character. Their limitations show up because
of the image we have formed of what sanctity ought to be.”
The canonized saints were people just like us possessed
of tempers, irritability, passions, those unpleasant and an
noying mannerisms which upset our families or alienate
friends. The litany of saints are made up of those who were
sinners first. The saint is not born of marble and stone and
it isn’t easier for him than it is for anyone else, although
most of us are conditioned to think it is:
ON THE feast of all Saints, we all contemplated again
this problem of sanctity which is ever new. Recently down
at the Carmelite Monastery in Barrington, I heard a capsule
meditation on sanctity in reference to St. Teresa of Avila.
BSing human seemed, to the Carmelite, to have a great
deal to do with being spiritual. The body and the soul are
equal parts of the whole person. Who was it that said holiness
is wholeness? Father William Kelly, S. J. has written:
“The saints lived in the world just as we do, and still served
God in an extraordinary way. They loved the world - the
aroma of flowers, the charms of an attractive person; the
confidence of little children. . .They knew guilt and ex
perienced the false way which the human heart travels. Still
they asked forgiveness. They fell, committed the same
mistakes. Yet they rose again and again, thanking God for
the grace to do so. They also had bodies. They experienced
within themselves the humbling weakness and inadequacy of
human nature. . .they never lost sight of the goal of their
earthly pilgrimage - eternity.
DORIS REVERE PETERS
2)oris ^$nAwerA
YOUTH
Most Frequent Query— "Why
Am I Self-Conscious?"
Dear Doris:
I’m a 14-year-old girl with
a problem that is pretty seri
ous for me. Lately I seem to
have built a wall around myself,
not wanting to be with people.
My mother has noticed it and
tries to get me to do things.
I know I’m too self-concious
but I can’t help it. I’m afraid
of being hurt but in what way
I’m not sure. Please answer
this as soon as possible because
I realize if this keeps up my
friends will get tired of hearing
my excuses and pretty soon I
won’t have any friends.
In need of advice
It is a good sign that you
are concerned about keeping
your friends. You do want to be
with people and do things. But
your self-consciousness is the
wall that is keeping you from it.
In a recent column I remark
ed that this was the question
we heard most often, “How can
I get over being shy and self-
conscious? You can if you think
what it means. Turn it around.
It means you are conscious of
self—too much so. Some girls
are conscious of their looks,
or hair, or poor complexion
or lack of talent. It makes them
miserable. This is so unneces
sary because the chances are
no one notices these things
except themselves.
Since you realize you are
self-conscious you can do
something about it. The cure
is to forget about yourself
and think of others. You maybe
hurting your friends by your
constant refusal. And certain
ly you are worrying your mo
ther. The very next time you
are invited, go with your
friends. It won’t be easy at
first but it will get easier.
If your friends have been pa
tient so far you have little to
fear from them. All they can
do is help you. Go with them.
HOW TO BREAK OFF
Dear Doris:
Although I agree that going
steady is not practical I would
like to know how to break off
with a boy.
I have been going with a boy
for eight months and although
I used to like him a lot I don’t
anymore. He still likes me and
I don’t want to tell him how I
feel. It seems mean just to tell
a person that you don’t like him
even though I have good reasons.
One of these reasons is that
he drinks—not when he is with
me but when he is with his
boy friends. I guess the other
reason is that I’ve gotton to
know him better and can see
all his faults that I didn’t rea
lize before.
Now I just want to know what
I can do without hurting him.
N. M.
I agree with you. It would
be mean to tell a boy you don’t
like him anymore. But you don’t
have to do this. You can always
be busy when he calls for a
date. Beg off. He may catch
on in a hurry and stop calling
you and the relationship will
just die naturally.
The other way is to tell him
frankly what you said in your
letter, “going steady is not
practical for you.” Elaborate
on this idea. It interferes with
your school work, you feel you
are too young to become seri
ous, etc.
If you keep your reasons
general, not personal, his feel
ings won’t be hurt. In fact you
might be surprised how re
lieved he appears.
TALK ABOUT BOYS
Dear Doris;
I’m a junior in high school
and would like to know why
some girls in school mostly
talk about boys, dates and not
about sports, reading or their
hobbies. Why can’t high school
girls have other interests be
sides boys and dates?
Joan S.
Many do, Joan. You haven’t
met them. Maybe you should
join the library club, debating
club or sodality. Here you will
find girls who share your in
terests. But don’t expect their
conversation to exclude boys
entirely! It isn’t possible.
GOOD MANNERS
Dear Doris:
I am 15 years old and I
would like to know if I should
offer a young priest a seat
on the train or bus. When I’m
on a train I don’t offer a priest
a seat as I think he will be
embarrassed. I want to do the
correct thing so please answer
me.
Cathie en
The priest won’t be embarr
assed, Cathleen. He is more apt
to be grateful and happy there is
a 15-year-old with good man
ners. Don’t you ever be em
barrassed to use your good
manners.
(Doris Revers Peters ans
wers letters through her col
umn, not by mail. Please do
not ask for personal reply.
Young readers are invited to
write to her in care of The
Bulletin.
| QUESTION BOX j
Q. In the Litany of the Bless
ed Virgin—the one recited dur
ing October Rosary Devotions—
Our Lady is referred to as
the “Ark of the Covenant.”
What is the meaning of this
phrase?
A. In the Old Testament,
the Ark of the Covenant was
the sacred chest in which were
originally kept the Tables of
the Law, a golden vessel con
taining some manna (i.e., the
bread-like food which was mys
teriously sent by God to the Cho
sen People during the period of
their wandering in the desert)
and the Rod of Aaron that had
miraculously blossomed forth.
In Solomon’s Temple, the Ark
stood in the Holy of Holies.
Above the Ark, in the fashion
of a cover, was the Propitia
tory or Mercy Seat, made of
gold; and over this, two golden
Cherubim facing one another,
their wings spread out.
From the Ark, God manifest
ed his presence, continually
during Moses’ time, and on oc
casion during the later history
of the Old Testament Jews.
Teh Ark was lost around the
6th Century B.C.
The Blessed Virgin is invok
ed as the Ark of the Covenant
because she bore within her
self the Lawgiver of the New
and Eternal Testament. Christ,
moreover, gives himself to us
as the Bread of Life, prefigured
in the Old Testament manna.
And the Rod of Aaron, which
signified the Old Testament
Priesthood, is but a shadow of
Christ’s everlasting priest
hood, which he assumed through
Mary's fiat.
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 Markwalter, Managing Editor
Rev. Lawrence Lucree, Rev. John Fitzpatrick
Associate Editors, Savannah Edition
Vol. 43 Saturday, November 10, 1962 No. 12
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 Auditor
JOHN MARKWALTER, Augusta Executive Secretary
MISS CECILE FERRY, Augusta Financial Secretary