Newspaper Page Text
Published By The
Catholic Laymen's
Ass'n Of Georgia
THE SAVANNAH BULLETIN
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH
QUESTION BOX
ON PAGE 4
Vol. 38, No. 19.
MONROE, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1958.
10c Per Copy — $3 a Year
Centennial Year Opens
Mary's Call
Prayer
Vibrant Echo At Lourdes
AMERICANS THRONG FAMOUS SHRINE
Our Lady’s Shrine at Lourdes is expecting three times the usual number of visitors—an esti
mated six million—during the 100th anniversary celebrations of the apparitions of Our Blessed
Lady to St. Bernadette Soubirous. Pictured, a typical scene of visitors, and the sick seeking rebel
from their ailments. Msgr. T. James McNamara, rector of the Cathedral, and Father D. J. Bourke,
pastor of St. Mary’s, Augusta, will lead a Diocesan Pilgrimage scheduled to depart April 22nd
— y IN G 1 I1U LU/
Colony Founded 225 Years Ago
Catholics Were Among
Earliest Georgia Settlers
EDITOR'S NOTE: THE
SAVANNAH BULLETIN is
pleased to reproduce this article
which appeared in a special issue
of THE SAVANNAH MORN
ING N El VS commenting on the
225th Anniversary of the founding
of the Colony of Georgia-
By Walter C. Hariridge
Catholics were among the ear
liest settlers of Oglethorpe’s col
ony. It is true that the charter
under which Georgia was found
ed prohibited Catholic worship.
But Oglethorpe, the son of ardent
Catholic parents, regarded with
benevolence the presence in his
colony of adherents of the “Old
Religion.” They came from many
lands, England, Ireland, France,
Spain and Canada, and in spite of
the restraints imposed upon them
by the penal laws, they achieved
positions of trust in Colonial Sav
annah. This interesting and little-
known phase of history is being
recorded by Mrs. Marmaduke
Floyd, an authority on Georgia
colonial period, whose biography
of Peter Tondee, already publish-
Installatlon
Of Officers At
Saint Benedict’s
SAVANNAH—The officers of
the Catholic Women’s Club of St.
Benedict’s Parish were installed
in a brief ceremony Sunday eve
ning, Feb. 9, by Rev. Francis B,
Gillis, at St. Pius X High School.
The following officers were in
stalled, Mrs. M. Allen, president;
Mrs. Angela Grant, vice presi
dent; Mrs. Evelyn Walker, sec
retary; Mrs. Ethel King, treasur
er.
A short address was given by
Father Gillis in which he stressed
the increasing responsibilities of
our Catholic women.
Miss Sandra Williams, Miss Do
lores Clark and Miss Ann Myers,
students from St. Pius X High
School, entertained the group
with a short musical progx-am.
A luncheon was served to the
members and friends of the Cath
olic Women’s Club who . were
present for the occasion.
ed, has focused attention on this
Catholic layman, founder of the
Union Society and a leading pat
riot of the Revolution. .Through
out the struggle for independence,
the Catholics of Savannah gave
many proofs of their patriotism.
They had the consolation of at
tending Masses, celebrated by
chaplains of the French troops in
the lines before Savannah when
the city was held by the British
and besieged by combined forces
of Americans and Frenchmen, Pu
laski, their Polish ally, whose last
words, “Jesus, Maria, Joseph,”
were uttered as he fell mortally
wounded at the seige of Savannah
in 1779, is especially remembered
by Savannahians. The 150th an-
niversai'y of his death was com
memorated by a military Mass in
the Park Extension, with repre
sentatives of the Polish, French
and American governments in
attendance.
In the years of prosperity after
the Revolution, several thousand
new residents were added to
Savannah’s population. These in
cluded some five hundred Cath
olics, Frenchmen, refugees from
the Revolution in France, and the
slave insurrection in St. Domingo;
Irishmen, forced to emigrate be
cause of the political and eco
nomic troubles that plagued the
Emerald Isle; and Marylanders of
English colonial stock who had
come South in search of fertile
lands on the Georgia frontier.
It Was not long before a priest
came to Savannah to care for the
spiritual needs of these diverse
groups, bound together by their
Catholic faith. This pioneer cleric,
the Abbe John Lamoyne, was a
Frenchman. He died in Savannah
in November 1794, after a mini
stry of little more than one year
dn 1796, his successor, the Abbe
Le Mercier, another French
priest, arrived in Savannah and
after visiting those Catholic fam
ilies who had taken lands in the
upper part of Georgia, he re
turned to establish a church in
Savannah. In 1799 the mayor and
aldermen of Savannah conveyed
a lot on Montgomery street to
the Catholic congregation. T h e
next year a small frame chapel
was built, and on March 22, 1801,
Pontifical Mass
Highlights First
Day Ceremonies
By Paul W, McCloskey
(Radio, N.C.W.C. News Service)
LOURDES, France — The jub
ilee year in this mountain city of
Our Lady opened with a vibrant
echo of Mary’s call for prayer of
a hundred years ago.
But the start of the centenary
celebrations was marked by a
note of triumph which muted, for
the day at least, the Blessed Mo
ther’s call for penance.
Thousands of pilgrims from all
over the world—some of whom
had spent the night praying at the
grotto where Our Lady first ap
peared to St. Bernadette on Feb-
★ ★ ★ ★
FORTY HOURS
DEVOTION
St. Jerome, Americus, Feb.
23, 24, 25.
Holy Family, Columbus,
March 2, 3# 4.
St, Mary's-on-ihe-Hill, Au
gusta, March 9, 10, 11.
Immaculate C o n c e p lion,
Moultrie, March 16, 17, 18.
St. Williams, St. Simons Is
land, March 16, 17, 18.
St. Anthony's, Savannah,
March 23, 24, 25.
'The Savannah Bulletin In Every Home'
Early Returns Indicate That
Drive Is Progressing Well
Name Boundaries
For New Parish
At Augusta
Final Solicitation Set For Ail
Parishes Sunday, February 23rd
Going To Gourdes?
GOING TO LOURDES THIS
YEAR? CONTACT MONSIG
NOR T. JAMES McNAMARA,
CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN
THE BAPTIST, 222 EAST
HARRIS STREET, SAVAN
NAH, OR SEE YOUR PAS
TOR.
it was dedicated under the in
vocation and name of St. John
the Baptist. Father Le Mercier
was succeeded by a third French
priest, the Abbe Antoine,, whose
exertions placed the parish on
a secure footing.
Over the first decade of the
ndw century, the growth of the
Catholic congregation Was rapid.
Large numbers of Irishmen came
to Savannah, and though many
of them died of yellow fever in
the epidemic of 1819 and 1820, the
majority survived and became an
integral part of the community.
BISHOP ENGLAND'S TENURE
In 1820 Georgia and the two
Carolinians were erected by the
Holy See into the diocese of
Charleston. John England, a
forceful Irish priest of unusual
ability, was made bishop, and
he lost no time in making an
official visitation to the Savannah
congregation. Noting with pleas
ure the progress that had been
made under the pastorates of
Father Le Mercier and Carles,
Bishop England took measure to
insure an even greater develop
ment. During this rule, which
lasted until his death in 1842, a
number of zealous priests wbrked
in Savannah for the salvation of
souls; a substantial brick church
the walls of which are still stand
ing, was built for the congrega
tion on Drayton Street, and sev
eral schools under Catholic aus
pices were founded. The c
gregation continued to grow
throughout the rule of Bishop
England’s successor, the Rt. Rev.
Ignatius A. Reynolds.
Father Jeremiah Francis O’
Neil, appointed pastor of Savan
nah by Bishop Reynolds, gained
a unique place in the affections
of the community. A man of apos
tolic zeal, he spent himself for the
education of the children and
especially of the orphans in his
care. With that end in mind, he
brought from Charleston a band
of Sisters belonging to the Order
of Our Lady of Mercy, a sister
hood established in Charleston by
Bishop England. Six of these re
ligious arrived in 1845 and took
possession of the beautiful eon-
(Continued on Page 8)
ruary 11, 1858—assisted at the
opening Mass offered by Bishop
Pierre Theas of Tarbes and
Lourdes in the morning.
An hour earlier the people of
Lourdes, including some who are
kinsmen of Bernadette Sourb-
irous, made their way in proces
sion from the parish Church of
the Sacred Heart down the wind
ing streets of the town to the
great basilica built into the moun
tainside above the grotto of the
apparitions.
His Eminence Pierre Cardinal
Gerlier, Archbishop of Lyons and
former Bishop of Tarbes and
Lourdes, presided at the centen
nial year’s opening and also
preached at Pontifical Vespers in
mid-afternoon.
After Benediction of the Bles
sed Sacrament there followed a
Eucharistic procession in which
the Body of Christ was carried
through the ranks of the fit as
well as of the sick, maimed and
blind.
The celebration of the feast
culminated in the evening with a
(Continued on Page 8)
LENTEN REGULATIONS
My dear People:
In accordance with the provisions of Canon Law, as modi
fied through the use of special faculties granted by thq Holy
See, we herewith publish the regulations for the Lenten Season
of 1958. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 19th, and
ends at midnight on Holy Saturday, April 5th, 1958.
I. THE LAW OF ABSTINENCE
1) The law of abstinence forbids the use of meat and of
soup or gravy made from meat. A day may be one of complele
abstinence, in which case no meat or soup or gravy made from
meat may be taken; or a day may be one of partial abstinence,
in which case meat and soup or gravy made from meat may
be taken once that day at the principal meal.
2) Complele abstinence is to be observed on Ash Wednes
day and on all Fridays.
3) Partial abstinence is to be observed on the Ember
Wednesday and Saturday which occur during the Lenten
season on February 26th and March 1st.
4) Everyone over 7 years of age is bound to observe the
law of abstinence.
II. THE LAW OF FAST
1) The law of fast means that only one full meal may
be taken on that day.
2) Everyone over 21 and under 59 years of age is obliged
to observe the law of fast.
3) All weekdays of the Lenten season, including Holy
Saturday, are days of fast. A dispensation is hereby granted
from fast and abstinence on the Feast of Saint Patrick.
4) Meat may be eaten by all at the full meal on all days
during the Lenten season, except on Ash Wednesday and on
Fridays.
5) The one full meal permitted on days of fast may be
taken either at noon or in the evening, according to one’s
choice or convenience.
6) In addition to the one full meal, two other light meals,
sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to
each one’s needs; but together these two meals should not
equal another full meal. No meat, or soup or gravy made from
meat may be taken at these two meals by anyone who is bound
by the law of fast.
7) Eating between meals is forbidden; but liquids, in
cluding milk and fruit juices, are allowed.
8) When one’s health or ability to work would be serious
ly affected, the law of fast does not oblige. In cases of doubt,
your parish priest or confessor should be consulted.
We earnestly exhort all our people to attend daily Mass
during the holy season of Lent; to receive often the Sacra
ments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist; to attend the eve
ning devotions in their parish churches; to contribute gen
erously to works of religion and charity; to perform volun
tary mortification especially in regard to alcoholic drinks and
worldly amusements; to pray for peace and the intentions of
our Holy Father, and to recite the family rosary daily with the
members of your household.
Imparting to you rny blessing, I am,
Devotedly yours in Christ,
thomas j. McDonough.
Auxiliary Bishop of Savannah.
SAVANNAH — Early returns
indicate that The Savannah Bul
letin subscription drive is rapidly
gaining momentum.
“If the present rate of subscrip
tion return is maintained uutil
the end of the drive, w T e will cer
tainly reach our goal of “The
Savannah Bulletin in every
Catholic home,” said John Mark-
waiter, managing editor.
The drive started with pulpit
announcements and sermons on
the Catholic Press in every church
of the Diocese. Envelopes were
provided for subscribers and the
first returns were made on Sun
day, February 16th. Final returns
will be completed February 23rd.
In urging support of the drive,
Bishop Thomas J. McDonough,
auxiliary bishop, stated, “The
Savannah Bulletin aids parish and
diocesan projects by keeping be
fore the minds of our people the
work being done in the Diocese.
No other Catholic periodical
however excellent, can accom
plish the work of The Savannah
Bulletin, for it alone has the ex
clusive role of making southern
Georgia more Catholic.”
The drive stressed the necessity
of a strong and popularly sup
ported Catholic Press if Catholic
people are to be well informed
about the truths of their Faith
and Catholic p»actice.
FLEMING HEIGHTS — The
Chancery Office in Savannah has
defined the following boundaries
for the newly erected parish of
St. Joseph, here.
WEST
South from Milledgeville Road
along the eastern boundary of the
Ft. Gordon Reservation, west
along the southern boundary of
the Ft. Gordon Reservation to the
Richmond County - Jefferson
County line,
SOUTH
East from the Ft. Gordon Res
ervation boundary along the Rich
mond County-Jefferson County
line to the Georgia-South Caro
lina state line.
EAST
North from the Richmond
County-Burke County line along
the Georgia-South Carolina state
line to a point eastward from Nix
on Road.
NORTH
West from the above indicated
point along a line to Nixon Road,
west on Nixon Road and Tubman
Home Road to Milledgeville Road.
West along Milledgeville Road to
the Ft. Gordon Reservation.
Fort Gordon Reservation.
Knights Of The Altar
Invested At Cathedral
SAVANNAH—In a very im
pressive ceremony, one which
would remind a priest of his
Tonsore, Monsignor T. James Mc
Namara, Rector of the Cathedral
of St. John the Baptist, invested
the altar boys in the Knights of
the Altar. The ceremony took
place at the Cathedral of St. John
and was witnessed by many of
the Cathedral parishioners.
In a short talk Msgr. McNamara
congratulated the boys for their
splendid service to the Cathedral,
and reminded them that because
they had the distinct privilege of
serving Our Lord in the Bishop's
own church their service to God
should always be most edifying
to the faithful.
F ather Herbert Wellmeier
Spiritual Director of the Knights,
delivered the sermon at the in
vestiture comparing the Knights
of the Altar to the knights of
old. The Knights of old would
train very diligently for so great
an honor to be a knight, and
took an oath of loyalty to their
king. How much greater should
be the preparation and loyalty of
the Knights of the Altar when
they consider Christ was their
King!
Said Father Wellmeier: “When
We speak of knights, all kinds of
pictures flash through our minds
from days of old: men in shining
black armor on great stallions,
lances clashing over a dragon, or
to win the favor of a golden
haired maiden. The romance and
glory of those days tends to ob
scure the hard work that went
into preparing oneself for knight
hood.”
“It is most fitting that you
young men should be called
knights. Your training, your du
ties strongly resemble those of
the crusading knights of old. You
have your period of training when
you learn how to serve your
Lord. You study your religion,
you study how to conduct your
selves around this castle. You
are not a knight merely on the
day and for the half hour you
serve mass. You are to be a
knight at all times. You have
weapons to fight Satan, your
king’s enemy. Your sword is good
example, your shield is your will
ingness to sacrifice. These re
sponsibilities are heavier than ar
mor.”
“Your dignity as a knight is
great. You serve the greatest lord
there is, Christ the King. You
have the place of honor at Christ’s
banquets, you are nearer Christ
and his priest than anyone, you
are expected to love the Blessed
Sacrament and receive Commun
ion often.”
“You are not only a knight but
a modern day Levite. In the sac
rifices of the Old Testament the
tribe of Levi were the chosen as
sistants to the Jewish high priest
(Continued on Page 8)
KNIGHTS OF THE ALTAR—Newly invested Knights of the Altar are pictured with Msgr.
T. James McNamara, rector of the Cathedral, and Rev. Herbert Wellmeier, their spiritual director.
Officers are: Supreme Grand Knight, Vincent Saunders; Vice Supreme Grand Knight, Eugene Ko-
bider; Grand Knight Secretary, Edward Pigman; Grand Knight Treasurer, Victor Strojny. The
following are Knight Commanders; Patrick Barbee, Thomas Brennan, Harry Crawford, George
McCloy, Charles Ray and Peter Vasta. Knights are: Arthur Boondry, Edward Burns, Julian Corish,
Hubert Gibson, Joseph Kwolek, Frank McKenna, Michael Remion, James Graves, Robert Kelly
and Stephen Saunders.—(Andrew Bunn Photo).
