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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
THE PRESIDENT AND HIS FLYING
SQUADRON
Augusta, Ga., December 31, 1919.
To the Officers and Members of the Association:
As this is the initial number of the Catholic Lay
men’s Association of Georgia Bulletin, I feel it incum
bent as your president to inform you that immediately
after the adjournment of the convention held in Au
gusta, September 28th, the Executive, or Finance Com
mittees, decided that, instead of assessing each city
according to its Catholic population as heretofore, we
would go before the Catholics of Georgia, asking
them to subscribe an amount to expand and enlarge
our work. Following out their instructions, Our
Right Reverend Bishop, Mr. James J. Farrell and Miss
Mary Helen Hynes, Mr. J. B. McCallum and your
president, visited Atlanta Sunday, October I 9th, and
had the pleasure of addressing one of the largest Cath
olic assemblages ever held in that city outside of the
churches. Under the splendid leadership of that won
derful and successful organizer, our first vice-presi
dent, Mr. James J. Haverty, they put on a drive for
funds the following Sunday and raised the magnificent
sum of $23,004,000 to be paid within two years. The
following Sunday we visited Savannah, Ga., and
through the co-operation of the local pastors and
that splendid leader, Mr. M. A. O’Byrne, had a splen
did meeting, and while no collection was taken up,
within a few minutes after the meeting, voluntary
subscription amounting to $3,700.00 was received.
I feel that Savannah will show up equally as well as
in Atlanta when they finish their campaign. Our
next visit was to Macon, Ga., Sunday, November 2d,
and with the assistance of the good pastor and the
Catholics of that city, a most successful meeting was
held, and 1 have the assurance from their officers
that we can count on between six and seven thousand
dollars from that city. Sunday, November 16th, we
visited Brunswick and Waycross, and have been as
sured that Brunswick will give us at least $1,500.00,
and Waycross between $800.00 and $1,000.00.
Monday, November 1 7th, Mr. Farrell and Secretary
John B. McCallum visited Albany, which has already
sent in signed pledges amounting to $2,300.00. Our
Miss Hynes, of the Publicity Committee, and Mr.
George Poche, vice-president, at Washington, put on
a drive in which seventeen subscribers gave $1,050.00,
over half of which is in cash. Columbus was visited
Sunday, December 7th, and we have reason to believe
that they will raise between $4,000.00 and $5,000.00.
The vice-presidents for the Missionary Districts for
North, Middle and South Georgia, will reach their
sections by correspondence, and I look for good re
sponses from them.
In all cities and town visited we formed branches
of the Association, which will look after the work in
their respective localities. The responses in every case
have been most generous, and I see no reason with
the amount raised why we will not be able to carry
on the work of our Association for the next three or
four years without having to call upon the Catholics
of Georgia.
At the request of the Right Reverend Wm. T.
Russell, of South Carolina, Mr. Benedict Elder, Mr.
James J. Farrell, Miss Mary Helen Hynes, and your
president, visited Charleston, S. C., Wednesday, De
cember 3d, and addressed the Priests of the Diocese,
as well as Lay Delegates from every section of the
State, on the work being done by your Association in
th is State. They at once organized an Association
in that State following up our plans and rules. As
Georgia Catholics we should feel proud, as our line
of work is destined to become not only national but
international.
The Catholics of Georgia have imposed upon the
State and local officers in the different cities a big re
sponsibility, so I appeal to them to be faithful to your
trusts, become active in your work, and where you
hear and know of non-Catholics seeking Catholic in
formation, or where you hear of attacks on the Church
or any of its doctrines, at once get in touch with the
publicity manager. Let us all work actively, intelli
gently, and make the year 1920 the banner year in
the history of our Association.
P. H. RICE,
State President.
CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S DUTIES
(Written for The Bulletin by a Layman.)
“I forbid the Catholic laity to be inactive,” said
the great Leo XIII., writing, in 1896, to the Bishop
of Terragona. Again, writing in the same year to
Cardinal Langenieux, he emphatically enjoined the
Catholic faithful "to show themselves the steadfast
defenders and enlightened champions of the eternal
principles of justice and Christian civilization.”
But useful and enlightened activity must be rooted
in right knowledge, be quickened by right motives, and
be directed to right ends. Here, then, are three par-