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SEPTEMBER 19, 1936
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC E AYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
ELEVEN
. S. Carolina’s Piedmont Religious Camp Closes
FIFTH SUCCESSFUL
SEASON-OVER 150
CHILDREN ATTEND
Bishop Walsh Officiates at
Close — Father Dean in
Charge of Upper Carolina
Camp at Pickens, S. C.
Camp St. Ann’s Catholic Vacation
School has finished its fifth success
ful season’s activity. This year, as
last, the camp was located at Rocky
Bottom, sixteen miles north of Pick
ens, S. C. The camp lay in a natural
cove surrounded by Little Caesar’s
Head, Chimney Top and Horse
Mountains, and both camp and sur
roundings combined to form a beau
tiful setting for the vacation school.
Indeed nature itself seemed to join
with the camp in presenting the
most ideal possible arrangement.
The camp personnel was again un
der the capable direction of the Rev.
Sydney Dean, assistant of St. Mary’s
Church in Greenville. He was ably
assisted by a competent staff includ
ing four Sisters: Sr. M. Catherine,
Sr. Mary and M. Raphael and
M. Raphael, and Sr. M. Concepta;
six Seminarians, Mr. Richard Mad
dox and Mr. Lawrence McLaughlin
of the Sulpician Seminary, Washing
ton, D. C., Messrs. William Doyle,
John Steele, and William Goldsmith,
of St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore,
Md., and Mr. Edward A. Keller, St.
Bernard’s Seminary, Rochester, N.
Y.; eight lay counsellors, the Messrs.
James Staples and Emile Ericson of
Charleston and George Francis of
Greenville, in charge of boys; and
the Misses Mary Dean of Charleston,
Ruth Poechmann of Duluth, Minn.,
Margaret Niggel of Columbia, Te
resa and Veronica Monahan of
Charlotte, N. C., in charge of girls.
The infirmary was directed by two
registered nurses, Mrs. Eliza Clark,
R. N„ and Miss Louise Felder, R. N.,
of Greenville. The kitchen staff was
under the direction of an experienc
ed dietician, Mr. Richard Smith, of
Greenville, assisted by three negro
helpers. One hundred and fifty-one
boys and girls, ages from 8 to 18,
representing 48 towns in South Car
oline were invited for the three
weeks’ encampment.
The camp equipment was quite
satisfactory and consisted of two
large dormitories which furnished
adequate sleeping quarters: one for
the boys and another for the girls.
In addition, there was an ample
building which did duty both as re
fectory and recreation hall; the
chapel was in a separate building. A
large baseball field and a concrete
swimming pool of varying depths
completed the equipment.
As friends of the camp probably
know, Camp St. Ann’s is one of two
camps, similar in purpose and gen
eral execution, founded for the pur
pose of giving children from the ru
ral sections of South Carolina a bet
ter opportunity to learn the funda
mental truths of their holy religion
Camp St. Ann’s is intended for the
children from the northern section
of the state while children from the
southern part are taken care of at
Camp St. Mary’s at Bluffton. Both
camps are under the patronage of
the Most Reverend Emmet M. Walsh.
D. D., Bishop of Charleston, and
both were founded by him.
To completely fulfill the purpose
of the camp, many things were tak
en into consideration: health, and as
a consequence, food, recreation, and
surroundings, healthful and pleas
ant; character, and therefore, com
panions and a staff calculated to
further a strengthening of it, and
insofar as possible, a completely sol
id Catholic atmosphere; and primarily,
religion.
The first of these was well pro
vided for by giving the children the
best food possible both in regard to
quantity and also in regard to nu
tritive qualities; by providing whole
some activities including swimming
under careful supervision of coun
sellors experienced . as lifeguards
and by games of various sorts, by
hikes, etc. Lighter entertainment
was furnished nightly at a series of
interesting and well planned camp
fire programs, of a calibre so supe
rior as to attract the presence of and
prompt the congratulatory remarks
of neighboring campers.
The Camp was more than Catholic
in name only. There the children
had the opportunity to know and
become acquainted with Priests,
Seminarians, and Sisters, and to live,
probably for the first time, in sur
roundings completely Catholic,
where things Catholic were the com
mon and accepted things, and not
strange and unfamiliar. But most
important of all, was the daily cele
bration of Holy Mass, and the un
paralleled opportunity to receive
daily Communion with its accompa
nying wealth of spiritual riches.
The third point, and natural
enough, the most important of all,
was the instruction of the children
in the ground work of their religion.
Since this was the primary and un
derlying purpose of the camp, most
care was taken in regard to it. The
Classes were so arranged as to give
Sisters at Camp St. Ann
The Staff at Piedmont Camp
Charleston Diocese Leader
in Religious Vacation Camps
Bishop Walsh Among First to Inaugurate Summer
Schools and Those of South Carolina Famed
Throughout Country
The need of an educational system
which will give Catholic children a
thorough training in the moral and
doctrinal teachings of our faith has
been fully realized by priests and
parents. To develop such a system,
they have, at sacrifice of money, la
bor and time, established a Catholic
system of education, second to none
in efficiency and equipment. Last
year the Catholics of this country fi
nanced more than 8,000 grammar and
L"’i schools with an enrollment of
about 3,000,000 children.
However though the problem of
Catholiv education for the children
living in well established city par
ishes is practically solved there are
thousands of other Catholic children,
scattered in the rural sections where
the Catholic population is so small
that it would be morally impossible
to erect and maintain parochial
schools. These children depend upon
the monthly or semi-monthly visit of
the priests for their religious instruc
tion.
are gathered together in a central
place and remain for a period of
three weeks. This method has prov
ed so successful that it has passed
the experimental stage.
The past summer, there were two
camp schools in the diocese, Camp St.
Mary, in the southern part of the
state, which completed its eighth
year and the other, Camp St. Ann, in
the northern part of the state, which
finished its fifth year. Attended by
the children from the missions of
Anderson, Camden, Florence, Colum
bia, Greenville, Rock Hill and Sum
ter. This year, the combined en
rollment of the two camps was over
300 children.
the children an insight into as much
of their religion as could conven
iently be given in the short space of
time of three weeks.
The children were divided into
several groups: the older ones into
four groups. These were taught by
the Messrs. Madden in Church His
tory, McLaughlin in Religion, Keller
in the Mass, and Miss Poechmann in
Catechism. The First Communion,
Confirmation, Intermediate and
Fourth groups were taught by the
Sisters. This program of classes pro
vided for the learning power of the
children, and also gave them an op
portunity to view their Catholic Re
ligion from many angles. An insight
into Catholic culture was given in
the singing classes where a little of
Gregorian Music was taught.
On three different occasions, a
commentary on the Mass was read
while Mass itself was being cele
brated. The third time the altar was
so arranged that those present at
th Mass were able to observe all the
actions of the priest. They helped
the children to understand much
more clearly, the solemn and beau
tiful imagery and symbolism of the
Mass as perhaps nothing else could
To realize this splendid ideal of
the camp, the program was fash
mind. The day began at 6:45
morning prayers and Mass following
at 7:15. Breakfast was at 8:15, and
from 9 until 10 there were classes.
After fifteen minutes of recreation,
there was a singing class; and fol
lowing another short period of play,
classes from 11:15 until 12:15. The
period from 12:15 until 1 o’clock was
filled with various activities: singing
for the choir, project work, altar
boys, etc. Dinner was at 1 o'clock.
The afternoon, following a short
rest period, was taken up with base
ball, hiking and swimming. From 5
until 6 there was an hour of quiet
and intensive study when the chil
dren would prepare for the follow
ing day’s classes. Rosary was at 6
and supper at 6:30. The children
were then free until campfire pro
gram which began at 8 o’clock. Night
prayers followed at 9 after which
the younger children went to bed.
Those 16 or older were allowedto re
main up until 10:30. By 11 the en
tire camp body had retired.
On Sundays, this program chang
ed somewhat: Rising was an hour la
ter, and there were no classes or
study period. In the afternoon, Ros
ary would be said in the presence of
the exposed Blessed Sacrament, and
Benediction would follow. Once
each week, on Thursday nights,
there would be no campfire pro
gram, but instead Holy Hour with
exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
On Sunday, July 7, children re
ceived Holy Communion for the first
time. The choir sang a special Gre
gorian Mass, “Cum Jubilo”, as well
as a two-part harmonized “Regina
Coeli’’ in honor of the occasion. The
following Saturday, there was an
impressive group Baptism of four
commentary was read in order that
the entire camp might better real
ize the beauty and symbolism of a
Catholic Baptism.
Camp closed on Sunday, July 12
after Bishop Walsh had administered
the Sacrament of Confirmation to a
class consisting of fourteen children.
The previous night, a special closing
program was presented during which
prizes were given to those who had
attained proficiency and excellence
in the different branches. A list of
prize winners follows:
CATECHISM Prize awarded to Eu
gene Bennett of Columbia; Ruby
Berry of Greenville; Mabel Francis of
Rock Hill; Catherine Grobusky of
Walhalla; Edgar Smith of Sumter;
Mary Berry of Greenville; Elizabeth
Smith of Sumter; Patricia Morris of
Columbia.
LITURGY Prize awarded to Ruby
Berry of Greenville; Kathleen Her
bert of Columbia; Mabel Francis of
Rock Hill; Martha Azer of Rock Hill;
Edgar Smith of Sumter; Evangeline
Adeimy of Rock Hill; Philip Roddy
of Rock Hill; Elizabeth Smith of
Sumter.
CHURCH HISTORY Prize awarded
to: William Azer of Rock Hill; Mary
camo, the program was
ioned with the above three things .in Ip unn of Columbia; Martha Aze_r_ of
„ R<
As a possible solution to the prob
lem of providing adequate religious
training for the rural children, Bish
op -O’Hara of Iowa in 1923 organized
the vacation school as an experiment.
The experiment proved so successful
that within a decade of years, the va
cation school had grown from the
lone school in Iowa to over 2,000 such
schools with an attendance of nearly
150,000 children. Practically every di
ocese in the South and West had
adopted Bishop O’Hara’s experiment
and obtained the same gratifying re
sults.
The Vacation School may be defin
ed as an organized school of religious
instructions, conducted during the
five week days of a period of three
weeks. It is an organized school in
the real sense in that a regular school
schedule is maintained, the class
work carefully systematized but with
less formal routine.
In South Carolina, where the relig
ious school seems particularly appli
cable because of the fact that few
parishes outside of our larger cities
are able to maintain a parochial
school, five such Vacation Schools
were conducted during the past sum
mer. In addition to the regular va
cation school, Bishop Walsh took the
initiative in developing the move
ment one step further. The regular
vacation school works very well in
the towns where there are sufficient
number of children to attend but we
have in the state, a large number of
towns where the children are so few
that the day school would be im
practical. To give these children the
benefits of the three weeks religious
trainings. Bishop Walsh inaugurated
the camp school, where the children
Olympic Star Starts
With Sign of Cross
Stadium Crowd Impressed
by Faith of Negro Sprinter
In its five years of activities, Camp
St. Ann in the northern part, has
provided religious instruction for 500
boys and girls, ranging in ages from
8-19 and representing about 50 small
communities of the state. Of these
children, 35 were baptized; 80 receiv
ed their First Holy Communion; 150
were confirmed. Some of the chil
dren traveled a distance of 250 miles,
others came from less distant places
but all were from decidedly non-
Catholic communities where Catholic
life, action and atmosphere wei* en
tirely lacking. It is easy to see that
association with fellow Catholics at
camp must have been for each child
a lesson that needed no teacher to
impart. This association help to form
healthy friendships which were re
newed and cemented by the yearly
attendance at camp.
At camp, the children are under
constant supervision. Six hours of the
day are devoted to studies which con
sist of Catechism, Prayers, and proj
ect work for the younger children
and CatechV,-. Liturgy, Church His
tory, and Churcii Music for the old-
ers ones. Boys are taught how to
assist at Mass and the girls how to
arrange the altar. The more com
mon prayers, litanies and the ordi
nary ceremonies of the church are
explained, and demonstrated. The
“Question Box” class answers the
more common objections, and mis
represented teachings of the Church.
The horarium provides for eight
groups with a special class for those
to be confirmed. In the upper classes
a departmental system coordinated
the program and affords a much de
sired variety. Each teacher special
izes in one subject which enables the
children to obtain a fullness and
richness of ideas.
Recreation is an important feature
of camp program. It relieves the
strain of the long morning classes
and creates an atmosphere of de
lightful freedom. In the afternoon
after an hour’s rest period, indoor
and outdoor sports are in order. Hik
ing, swimming, baseball, field events
and other supervised activities keep
the children occupied until the study
period just before supper. A spirited
campfire program ends each day of
camp. When it is remembered that
many of the children come from iso
lated districts where the opportuni
ty for social life is rare, it is easily
seen that the recreations provide
them with the opportunity of enjoy
ing pleasures so long denied.
ock Hill; Mabel Francis, Rock Hill
Mary Berry of Greenville; David
Lovell of Dillon; Dixie Lewis Of
Florence; Agnes Kind of Greenwood
RELIGION Prize awarded to Kath
leen Herbert of Columbia; David Mc
Call of Cateechee; Mabel Francis of
Rock Hill; Catherine Grobusky of
Walhalla; Evangeline Adeimy of
Rock Hill; Mary Berry of Greenville;
Patricia Morris of Columbia; Mary
Myers of Greenwood.
The commencement exercises open
ed with the choir singing the “Re
gina Coeli” in two parts. This was
followed by recitations: "The Angel
as” by Carol Thorny of Lake City
and “The Carpenter’’by Joseph Dunn
of Columbia. The choir sang the
camp hymn, "Good St. Ann, Judah’s
Glory.” A pantomine tableau of the
marriage feast of Cana was then giv
en. Those who took part included
Fhilip Roddy, Rock Hill, Reader;
Frank Reilly, Greenville, Our Lord;
Betty Adams, Greenville, Blessed
Mother; Karl Lunkenheimer, Chester
Bridegroom; Mabel Early. Florence
Bride; David Lovell, Dillon, and
Howard Jacobs, Greenwood,, waiters
Following the tableau, a group of the
younger children of the camp, pre
sented in the name of the cam, “The
Baby’s Surprise” as a token of affec
tion and gratitude to Father Dean.
Father Dean gave a short talk
thanking those who assisted in mak
ing the camp a success and presented
to each member of the staff, a beau
tiful silver crucifix. The Most Rev
Bishop closed the exercises with an
inspiring talk in which he urged the
children to be faithful to the princi
ples which they had learned during
children. During the' ceremony a grMhree weeks atj tamp,
(Special Correspondence, N. C. W. C.
News Service)
BERLIN.—Ralph Metcalfe, famous
American negro sprinter, who won a
gold medal at the Olympic games
here and was widely acclaimed by
the crowds, made the Sign of the
Cross before starting on his successful
run in the great stadium. He also at
tended the Holy Mass said by the
Most Rev- Conrad Count von Prey
sing. Bishop of Berlin, in the Olym
pic Village and received Holy Com
munion on that day.
More than 230 sports participants
attended the Sunday Masses said in
the Village during the games, and
many came for the Masses on week
days.
WORSHIPPERS FROM
MANY LANDS
Besides the Americans, practically
all other nationalities were represent
ed at these unique divine services,
including the Chinese, the British In
dians and the Filipinos. Sometimes
the accommodations available were
insufficient, and many athletes had to
stand during the services.
In his sermon, Bishop von Preysing
emphasized that sports are never an
end in themselves, and that physical
education should not be considered
as the only aim in life. Athletics, he
said, should always be subordinated
to the will of God. Obviously allud
ing to present conditions in the
world, the Bishop said that the Chris
tian nations had achieved their goals
in history only when observing the
laws of God, and not when they had
gone after their own selfish ambi
tions exclusively.
BRAZILIANS ATTEND MASS
The Brazilian athletic team sent a
special delegation to attend the first
Mass of a newly-ordained priest of
Brazilian nationality in St. Matthew’s
Church here. ...
The advantages of the camp is not
alone in intensive formal instruction.
The entire atmosphere at camp is
Catholic from Mass in the morning
until evening prayers at night. The
Sacrament Presence living with the
children for three weeks is for them
the outstanding privilege at camp.
The entire day is centered around
the altar. Here they assist at Mass,
and almost all, who can, receive Holy
Communion daily. During Mass, they
sing appropriate hymns and recite
the Mass prayers especially prepar
ed for the diocese of Charleston.
Three times during the camp, a run
ning commentary on the Mass is giv
en, with the altar so arranged that
each child is able to see every action
of the priest during the explanation.
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
is given twice a week, including a
Holy Hour on one night of the week.
Voluntary visits to the Blessed Sac
rament are encouraged but the chil
dren are left on their honor to make
them. It is most impressive to watch
the little ones making their visits
throughout the day.
Three weeks is a short time but
even in such a short time, the double
process of a formal Catholic instruc
tion and of leading a Catholic lifo
in Catholic surroundings under the
daily influence of priests, sisters and
seminarians must make an impres
sion on these children that will en
dure for life.
The teaching staff consists of Sis
ters of Our Lady of Mercy, and dio
cesan seminarians. Registered nurses
conduct the camp infirmary while
the recreational activities are direct
ed by Catholic young men and wo
men. The closing of the camp is
marked by the administration of the
Sacrament of Confirmation and com
mencement exercises, presided over
by Bishop Walsh. After six years
of experience in camp schools, and
seeing the wonderful results produc
ed, ail are most enthusiastic with this
method of providing religious in
struction for the rural children, .