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MAY 9, MB'" THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA 5 I Religious Reception and Profession Ceremonies at St. Vincent. Convent, Savannah, When Young Women Dedicate Their Lives to God, De scribed in Detail By MRS. F. J. SKEFFINGTON Tile reception of three beautiful young Irish girls and the solemn profession of another tvho had been received into the Order of Mercy more than five years - previously, were impressive ceremonies which took place in St. Vincent’s Academy, Savannah, Georgia, on April 26. Ht.. Rev. Michael J. Keyes, DD, Bishop of Savannah, assisted by Rev. Father Croke, Chancellor of the dio cese, presided at the reception, and celebrated the Mass at which Sister Mary Assumpta known in the world as Miss Sarah McGeown, of Porta- down, Armagh, Ireland, made her final vows. Sister Assumpta was re ceived into the Order on April 26, 1921. Tlie young girls who became no vices had completed six months as postulants. They are: Miss Jose phine Devane, of Drngle, County Kerry, who is to he known as Sister Mary Xavier; Miss Margaret Mary Collins, also of Dingle, to he known as Sister Mary Casimir, and Miss May Wilson, of Dublin who re ceived the name Sister Mary Stanis laus. The ceremonies, always of deep religious significance, were beauti fully carried out. The Academy chapel, one of the largest private chapels in the South, distinctly chaste in architectual design and prevaded by an atmosphere of devo tion, seemed never more beautiful and inspiring than upon this oc casion when these four young girls came to offer the sacrifice of their lives to God in the work of the Sis ters of Mercy' in Georgia. The procession moved from the convent proper to the chapel in the following order: The Cross-bearer, the postulants, the novices, the pro fessed religious, the novices-elect, the Reverend Misteress of novices and Reverend Mother Superior, the Right Reverend Bishop and Chap lain. All the religious carried light ed wax candles, symbolic of Christ! the Light of the world. As the procession entered the chapel, the hymn “O Glorious Vir gin” was sung by the sisters cantors. This being ended, the novices-elect, attired as brides, proceeded to the Altar and received from Bishop Keyes a lighted wax candle, the Bishop saying: “Receive, dearly be loved daughter, tltis corporal light, as an emblem of the inward light to dispel all darkness of Ignorance or error; that, illumined with the light of divine wisdom, thou mayest deserve to he united with Jesus Christ, the Spouse of the Church who liveth and reigneth with God the Father, in the Unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end.”. The Bishop next, questioned the novices-elect. to ascertain if of their own volition they asked to be re ceived into the order. Their desire to he received and to persevere in their holy calling having been stated before the assembly, the psalm, “In Exitu Israel” (cxii) was sun .by the cantors, while the novices- elect retired to the convent attend ed by (lie Reverend Superior and Reverend’ Mistress of Novices, to await the presentation of the relig ious habits which were blessed by the Bishop at the altar. Tlie meaning of the religious ha bit is given in the prayer of the Bishop: “O God, most faithful prom iser and never-failing bestower of everlasting benefits, Who hast prom ised Thy faithful the garment of salvation and the raiment of end less bliss* we humbly implore Thy clemency that Thou wouldst bless these garments, the emblems of low liness of heart, by which Thy ser vants are visibly instructed in their holy intention, that under Thy pro tection they may preserve the holy habit of chastity, which through Thy insiprations they have received; and clothe them with a happy immortali ty who are now dressed temporarily in the garb of the revered promise. Sanctify these garments which Thy servant s wish to put on as an index to the knowledge of religion, that they may be known among all other women to be dedicated to Thee. Send down the blessing upon these gar ments, as Thou pourest out on the hem of Aaron’s garments the bene diction of ointment. So mayest thou vouchsafe to bless them, that they may he a protection of safety to these Thy servants, a mark of re ligion, a beginning of holiness and a strong defense against all the wea pons of the enemy, that perserver- ing in chastity they may be enrich ed with a hundred-fold reward. O God. the head of all the faithful and Savour of- the whole body, sanc tify this covering of the veil, which for ’Thy love, and Thy blessed Mother’s, Thy servant is about to put on her head; and may she by Thy protection always, with equal purity of body an<\ mind, preserve what is mystically signified thereby; that when, with the prudent virgins, she shall come to everlasting re compense of the saints, she also, be ing prepared, may be worthy to en ter, conducted toy three, into eter nal fecility who livest and veignest, God, for ever and ever," Having been clothed by the Rever end Mother Superior and Mother As sistant with the habit of the novice, the young religious returned to the chapel while the cantors sang the joyful notes of the “Quae est Ista” from the Canticle of Canticles. Proceeding again to the altar, the novices received from the Bishop other issignia of the order: the cinc ture, emblematic of the yoke of Christ, the white veil, and white church-cloak, symbols of purity and of the robe of immortality; these the novices presented to the Rever end Superior, with which she invest ed them at the altar steps. The Novices now fully clothed with the religious habit, in clear and fer vent accord pronounced the words of renunciation: “Tlie empire of the world, and all the grandeur of this earth. I have despised for the love of our Lord Jesus Christ, Whom 1 have seen, Whom I have loved and toward Whom my heart inelineth.” The young sisters llicii prostrated, the most profound of the outward acts of humility and adoration, and the hymn Veni Creator Spiritus was sung by the cantors. At the con clusion of the hymn, the novices rose and accompanied by the Mis tress of Novices were presented to the Mother Superior by whom they were embraced, and afterwards by all the professed religious, while the psalm “Ecce quam Bonum” was sung: “Behold how good and pleasant it is for the brethren to dwell together in unity: for there the Lord hath commanded blessing and life for evermore.” One- of the features of the trip was an excursion to Matanzas, about sixty miles from Havana, the trip being made over a railroad equipped with an oil-burning engine. The ab sence of dust, smoke and flying cin ders was refreshing. Matanzas is a city about the size of Augusta, a seaport, and here the mayor wel comed the party and spoke at the dinner. Bellmar cave, said to sur pass those of Kentucky, and Mont serrat Chapel were visited here, and the editors also viewed the famous Yumuri Valley, one of the most beau tiful and fertile in the world. At the Matanzas railroad station we saw one of the two priests we met on the streets of Cuba; the other one was reading his office in a court yard near a church in Havana. Cu ba, therefore is not “priest-ridden,” as often claimed by critics of Latin- ■American an<l other Catholic coun tries.. Indeed, for the 600,000 Cath olics in the Archdiocese of Havana there are 265 priests, or less, than one to every 2,300; in the Diocese of Mantanzas the proportion is even less. Secular priests are greatly outnmbered by members of religious orders in Havana. At the Communion of the Mass of the Holy Ghost, said by Bishop Keyes following the reception oi the novices, and while the Bishop held aloft the Sacred Host which she was to receive. Sister Assumpta pronounced her final vows, thus sealing at this solemn moment the sacrifice of her life under the ban ncr of the Cross. In his address on this occasion Bishop Keyes commended the spirit of devotion and the courage of these young girls who had answered the call to the religious life and, break- ingNall earthly bonds of home and kindred had crossed the trackless waters of the Atlantic to serve in the missions of Georgia, where ‘ the Harvest indeed is great, but the lab orers are few.” The word's of Christ to (he rich young man, “If thou wouldst he perfect go sell what thou hast and give to the poor and fol low me,” as also those other words of the Divine Master: “Take up thy Cross and follow Me” were used by Bishop Keyes to illustrate the serv ice of charity upon which the young sisters were to enter. The Bishop spoke regretfully of the almost complete failure of native Georgians to respond to the call, which he feels that many receive but neglect to ans wer. He said that Ireland, a little island, scarcely half the size of Geor gia, furnished a constant stream of spiritual life for the Catholic church throughout the world and more than half the percentage of all vocations furnished by lands in which English is the language of the people, so that practically all countries today re echo to the footsteps of Irish Priests and Nuns who, labor in the cause of Christ. He ascribed this to the will ingness of Irish pareuts to give the best of their Wood to the service of God, in reiurn for all that God has doue for them, and to foster the religious vocation in their children who receive this great and special grace through their parents’ coope ration with the Divine Will, a grace too often lost in American homes through the neglect or positive op position of worldly-wise but foolish parents. In alluding further to the attitude of the world toward the religious life and the prevailing misconcep tion of its sacrifices and consolations Bishop Keyes recalled the expres sion of at least one among the on lookers in the banquet hall, when Mary of Magdala poured the precious ointment upon the head of the Sa viour: “Why this waste? for this could, Rave been sold for much and given to the poor.” When a young girl dedicates her life to the service of God in a com munity of religious devoted to the promotion of religious ideals, the instruction of youth, the care of the sick, the comfort of the dying and of the imprisoned, the Bishop re marked that the same question is asked by the worldly-minded, who do not discern the Cross of Christ and the real end of man: “Why this waste? this person’s life is lost; she could have remaianed in the world and could have done so much for the progress of the human race.” The world, Bishop Keyes said, is a very good place to live in, so long as we use it as a stepping stone to the higher life, which, after all, is the only life that counts. But how many, he asked, living amid its al most boundless blessings, remain Dixie Musings (Continued from Page Four) A Unique Carolina Congregation Colored Catholics of Walterboro, S. C., Out of Touch With Priests For Thirty Years, Nevertheless Pre served the Faith Perhaps the most memorable fea ture of our trip was our visit to Belen college, one of the most mag nificent institutions of tearing we have ever seen. Father Maureau, S. J,. of Key West had been kind enough to give us a letter of intro duction lo the Rev. Rector of Belen, an eminent educator who made us feel at home at once. Father Gu- herrez Lanza, S. J., director of the Observatory, one of the finest in the world, showed us through the college; he made some of his studies at Florissant, Mo, and speaks Eng lish fluently. The college was com pleted recently, is located in the suburbs of Havana on a slope over looking the sea, and succeeds the old Belen College, which is in the city proper. One can better imagine than de scribe Belen. Built of reinforced concrete, it resembles a great goy ernment building in Washington in its approach. The first unit is in the neighborhood of one hundred yards square, four stories in height, with the ceilings in each floor per haps twice as high as those in spa cious American schools. Within this unit, which contains reception rooms offices, class-rooms and quarters, is a beautiful courtyard that makes one imagine that he is in the palace of some mighty monarch of the l^ast. Beyond this unit is the second one built in horseshoe fashion and sur rounding' a courtyard which serves as a campus for the students. It seems large enough to contain a regulation football field. From these two units nine other buildings radiate. This may give an idea of the magnitude of the college. There is not space available at this time to describe the world-famous museums or the Ob servatory of the college. Nothing we have seen in the United States surpasses it. The cost of the col lege runs into the millions. It is un derstood that the enhancement in value of the property of the college in Havana made the erection of the new plant possible, although it is not free of debt. (Written for Tlie Bulletin) On Suhday, April 25, Rt. Rev. Wm. T. Russell, D. D., Bishop of Charleston, gave three children of St. Anthony’s church, Walterboro, S. C., their first Holy Communion at the 7:30 o’clock Mass, and con firmed them along with an adult after Mass. Lucian Patterson and his sister, Miss Lucia Patterson, were the sponsors. At 11:30 a. m., the Ht. Rev. Bish op arrived at St. James (colored) church, where he confirmed twen ty-seven children and several adults. Bishop Russell was assisted by Rev. Janies J. May, rector of the Cathe dral of Charleston, and Rev. John V. Woods, of St. Mary’s church, Du mont, N. J. Confirmation was fol lowed by Solemn Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. Along with delegations from St. Anthony’s church, Walterboro, and St.Mary’s church, Yonge’s Island, a- bout one hundred and thirty Knights of Columbus, including their families and friends, were present at Cath olic Cross Roads. This pilgrimage was organized by the lecturer’s com mittee of the Charleston Council, K. of C. Immediately after the services of confirmation the con gregation and visitors gathered around the flag pole, recently erect ed, on the campus of the school. The Rt. Rev. Bishop blessed the American flag, the gift of the Knights of Columbus, P. N. Lynch Council 704, of Charleston. Basil Kerr, deputy grand knight, in his splendid address of presentation, dwelt upon the ideals of the Knights of Columbus and illustrated the genuine patriotism of American Catholics in the late War of the Nar tions. The flag was received by Joseph Brown in the name Of the senior member of the parish. He said in part: “As we gaze upon the Cross of Christ, the symbol of our salvation, it must ever remind us how best to serve our country. For we believe that all authority comes from God, and we teach our children here to respect and obey our country’s rulers. We believe it is our duty to our country to love it; to support its constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its flag; to defend it against all enemies.” Father H. F. Wolfe, pastor of this mission church of St. James and also chaplain of P .N. Lynch Council, announced that the occa sion might have a threefold pur pose, namely, to commemorate the centennial of the founding of this shrine of Catholicity in South Caro lina. The original church was built about 1826, under the''title of St. James. The McGees, the Maloneys, the Purcells, the Fox’s, the Bretts, the Ryans, and some others formed a respectable Catholic settlement. They acquired considerable wealth, were people of culture and charac ter, and produced an abiding im pression in favor of the faith, gain ing for it esteem and consideration among the wealthy planters. By the year 1847 all the old Catholics had passed away. Tlie parish fell into desuetude—death and removals be ing the cause. Bishop Russell in closing the ex ercises of celebration said that the Bible was not presented, as was cus tomary by other societies, because the Catholic church has ever pos sessed- the Bible, and that if the Catholic church had not preserved the Bible for the world it would not be extant as it is today. He stress ed the solemn duties of Catholics to their country. In conclusion he recalled the story of Catholic Mary land and her priceless gift of re ligious toleration to the American colonists. At the conclusion of his address all joined in the singing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” There is a powerful lesson to be drawn from the colored Catholics of St. James parish. For nearly 30 years these people preserved their Catholic faith without the minis trations of a priest. In 1861, or thereabouts, the original church be came a holocaust in a forest fire. After the proclamation of emanci pation the Catholic negroes from the plantations of the Northrops, Pinckneys and Bellingers, formed m community in the vicinity of the former church. They were found, so the. tradition runs, by a Catho lic negro, from Charleston, who di rected them to the late Bishop Nor throp of happy memory. A new church was constructed about 1898, by the late Rev. Daniel Berberich, the Apostle of Catholic Cross Roads, on the site of the old St. James church. The lumber was cut by hand and prepared in the vicinity, and the shingles, too, were fashion ed by devoted hands in yonder swamp. About 1900 Father Berer- ich constructed a parochial school which has been maintained consist ently down to the present day. Un til a year ago it was presided over by Miss Eugenia Gatewood, who for nearly a quarter of a century de voted her life and talents to negro education. It is now presided over by a younger teacher, an alumna of the school. Twice each month is this mission visited by a priest. On the Sundays the priest is absent, these people come to the church, recite, the Mass prayers, say the rosary and have the gospel read to them. Some of the parishioners walk from five to eight miles one way to attend services. If some Catholic traveler from the north, on his way to the playground of America, happens along some Sunday eveniug, he might, if his ear is attnned, catch the familiar chant of the Tantum Ergo, and see Our Sacramental Lord bless His .children. Thus the Catho lic church in South Carolina watches over in ibis secluded spot her negro children. One can of course only touch high point here and there in an arti cle of this length on such a sub ject. Again, the longer we talk about a country upon which we are qualified to speak principally by a hasty visit the greater is the liabil ity to err, as we know from our ex perience in reading the impressions of our European brethren after their flying trips to America. There is no mistake, however, in our de sription of the cordial hospitality and good-will displayed toward us by everyone with whom we came ^ contact in Cuba. When our Cuban friends visit Georgia, as a delegation proposes to do next year on the in vitation o ftlie Georgia editors, we know that the desire to make their stay memorable will he no less sin cere than theirs was, and we trust that the realization will he no less full—R. R. faithful to God, the Author of all good? The world in general for gets, if it does not despise, its God, and pursues the mad race after pleasure until it falls into the grave. What an inspiring example, then, to higher things, to the real values of life, is given today by those irfto- cent girls from the far-away Isle of Destitny, who have weighed just ly the value of human pleasure, of human achievement, and. by giving up all that the world holds dear, ob tain the inestimable blessings, the hundred-fold promised by our Lord, our Divine Savior, to these who leave father or mother, home or kindred for His sake. These ceremony ended with Bene diction of the Most Blessed Sacra ment given by the Right Reverend Bishop. Other professions taking place in St. Vincent’s durng the past year were: Sister M. Anmmciata (Cincin nati, Ohio), final vows, on Novem ber 21st. Sister M. Angela, (Augusta, Georgia) first vows, on November 21, and Sister M. Bernardine, (Au gusta, Georgia), made her first vows on March 25tb. Weakening Prejudice From the Ave Maria, Notre Dame, Ind, Sometimes one hVs the conviction that anti-Gatholic prejudice is as general now as it ever was; at other times, one is persuaded that it is not only far less widespread than it Used to he, but very much less invet erate. This depends, perhaps, on the mood one happens to be in. Wheth er or not, it is always gratifying to recall evidence going to show that bigotry is becoming a thing of the past and that our separated breth ren are far more approachable than we had supposed them to be. A prominent Unitarian minister in one of the Eastern cities, to whom we once sent a book explanatory of a point of Catholic doctrine which he had misstated in a published sermon, wrote in acknowledgment: “I have carefully read Ihe work, and with deep interest. There is a marked change in my thought and feeling about the Catholic church since then, and I shall read the book again There are other things I should like to know,” etc. Another clergyman, well known as an historical writer, and one of the ablest Protestant, theologians in the United States, ex pressed his pleasure on seeing in this magazine “an emphatic rebuke to unworthy insinuations against the high worth of Pope Clement XIV.” Still another pleasant letter was addressed to us by one of the leaders of a colony of Shakers,in reference to “The Black Monks of St. Benedict,” by the Rev. Ethelred Taunton. “We are all eager to get this work for reading during meals. The life of the early monks is a sub ject of great interest to us. They are. the ones who continued the Chris tian life after the death of the Apostles.” There is abundant evidence of this .kind, but unfortunately, we are apt to undervalue or to disregard it. The Mexican Muddle A notorious French anti-clerical once boasted that he would blot the name of God front the heavens. He and his ilk have failed, but they did succeed in creating the most intol erable difficulties for the exercise of religious liberty. These men made it impossible for religious teachers to conduct schools in France. More than this, they drove into exile hun dreds of devoted priests and nuns. What they did not have the effront ery to do, however, was to interfere with the work of the secular clergy. They did not make it next to impos sible for priests to be supplied for parish work by closing the semina ries. Diabolical as was his purpose, the French anti-Clerical did not dare to go so far. 'Ihe Mexican anti-clerical, however seems to be trying to out-IIerod Herod. With smug self-satisfaction he cries out that Mexico must be pro tected from foreign influence. For eigners must be excluded from i teaching in the schools. Foreign ■ priests must be forbidden to minis- ter to the spiritual needs of the Mexican people. This regulation they ' have written into the Constitution. ! There might even be some sem blance of justification in such a. move. But the irony of the whole , matter is that the preparation. of 1 Mexican young men to replace the expelled foreigner has been render ed practically impossible by closing the seminaries. You must have only Mexican priests, Catholics are told. Then, in the same breath, they are forbidden to conduct seminaries which are the only means of prepar- - ing young Mexicans for the priest hood. That strikes at the very root of things. It cuts off the supply of j priests at its very source. A clergy without seminaries from which its depleted ranks may be replenished » is on the way to extinction. It is very plain that all this regulation has but one aim Religion is to toe blotted out. Religious liberty is dead. Once more a group of puny politicians seek to blot the name of the great God from the heavens.-# The Tidings, Lob Angeles, ■