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FOUR
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
JUNE 26, 1937
Rev. J. H. O’Keeffe Recalls
Dominant Part of the Mass
St. Augustine’s History
tn
In Sermon on Spot Where Mass Was First Said in a
North American City, He Also Emphasizes Part De
votion to Blessed Virgin Has Played in Pageant of
Progress
Sermon of the Rev. J. H.
O'Keeffe of the Cathedral at St.
Augustine, Fla., on occasion of the
annual pilgrimage to the ■ Shrine
of Nuestra Scnora de la Leche
April 4, broadcast over Station
WFOY when inclement weather
interfered with the outdoor cere
monies.
man, who is apt to be discouraged if
perpetually told that everything really
important and interesting happened
once for all, long ago, in the chill his
toric past.”
“Blessed is the womb that bore
Thee and the paps that gave Thee
suck”.—Centuries ago in Gaul there
once came to sojourn with the Barba
rian Franks a Christian exile from
Italy who was wont to sing the songs
of Sion in the land of the stranger.
Back in the singer’s homeland lay dy
ing a world of classic culture, while
before his eyes w r ere being daily en
acted scenes of violence and blood
shed.
At that time humanity was groaning
under the weight of disaster and de
spair, but the singer was quick to see
that despite it all, the power of the
gospel message was sustaining waver
ing souls, was slowly winning even
the savage Northman to the gentle
Nazarene. Thus it was, because of his
mantle of Latin Poesy, this exile was
inspired to sing the swan song of clas
sic Latinity, and he sang, not the
death of the gods nor the fall of Im
perial Rome, butswith a poet's vision
and a Christian faith, he chanted a
paen of triumph for the banner of the
Cross of Christ: —“Vexilla Regis Pro-
deunt”! he sang, which being trans
lated means, “The banner of the King
advance!”
Thus Venantius Fortunatus, the last
of the Latin Poets in the last of the
Latin songs, weaves all his glowing
imagery and marshals all his cadenced
measures to sing the progress of the
standard of the King of Kings—the
Holy Cross of our Saviour Jesus Christ
—“Vexilla Regis Prodeunt ” “The
banner of the King advance ” That
song has been the rallying cry, the
hope and the inspiration of Christians
■ for 1400 years. It echoed through the
valleys of Europe when the thunder
ing hosts of the Crusaders marched
on to the rescue c- the Holy Sepul
chre; with Patrick to Ireland, Augus
tine to England, Boniface to Germany,
Junipero Serra to California; it was
the psalm of victory when Columbus
planted his Cross under His holy name
San Salvador; it was chanted by Men-
doda and his secular priests when
Menendez and his conquistadors gaz
ed upon the City of St. Augustine,
whose foundation antedates the com
ing of the Pilgrims to the shores of
New England by more than half a cen
tury; three-quarters of a century af
ter Columbus had discovered the new
world and half a century after Ponce
de Leon laid the foundations of New
Spain on the mainland of Pascua,
Florida, where now stands the Mother.
City of America, named after the
great Saint of the great Church that
blessed its beginnings—he of Hippo—
St. Augustine. “If I be lifted up I will
draw all thmgs unto me”.
Discouragement for this reason^can
never touch the Catholic, for he knows
well that at least one very interesting
thing, one really important thing that
happened once, long ago, the Great
Oblation on Calvary, happens again,
in an unbloody manner, every day
and every hour, age. and every min
ute in some part of the world from
the rising of the sun to the going
down thereof. It happens as often as
a Catholic priest stands at the altar;
for not only is the Eucharist the
memory of a sacrifice but it is “A
Real and True Sacrifice”. It is a sac
rifice complete, intended by Christ,
Himself, in His unfathomable love,
not only to recall but to REPRESENT
—“To show forth again the death of
Christ till He come," and to apply to
our souls the superabundant fruits of
the Sacrifice of the Cross.
Hence the Blessed Virgin is not just
a bit of poetry in Catholic life, mere
sentimentality having no practical sig
nificance! Devotion to Neustra Senora
is responsible as no other factor for
the chivalry that has raised up wom
an to the high estate which is hers in
Christian civilization. It has sanctified
married life, the while it has recruited
the hosts of those who, clad in the
white garments of virginity, follow the
Lamb whithersoever He goeth. It
has helped to actualize the ideal of
chastity, that noblest victory of the
spirit over the flesh. It has inspired
the brqsh of the painter and guided
the hand of the sculptor. Music is the
richer for it and literature is its debt
or. The world over Our Lady, Neustra
Senora, Notre Dame, is glorified by
great Cathedrals and magnificent
Shrines—symphonies in stone—peren
nially hymning her praise. “Hence
forth all generations shall call me
blessed, because He that is mighty
hath done great things for me.”
With paen of pomp and pageantry,
amid the thunder of artillery and the
blast of trumpets, the Crimson and
Gold of the banners of Castille and
Aragon unfurled to the breeze of the
Matanzas waters, Menendez advanc
ed to kiss the Cross of the Eternal
King, to join in the hymn of thanks—
Te Deum Laudamus—to raise an altar
to God--upon which was then offered
in Nombre de Dios the supreme act
of divine worship, the Holy Sacrifice
of the New Law, the Sacrifice of the
Mass of the feast of the Nativity of
Our Lady, Neustra Senora, offered to
our Blessed Lady’s Son by way of
thanksgiving and supplication and
this upon soil, later hallowed by the
ashes of heroes and before a shrine
made sacred by historic memories.
It is impossible rightly to know the
Eternal Father unless we know the
Son and we cannot separate, even if
we would, the human Mother Mary
from her Divine Child. As devotion to
the Mother of God necessarily pre
serves faith in the Godhead of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, so the love of Mary
leads us to the love of Mary’s Son.
"Blessed art thou amongst women be
cause blessed is the Fruit of thy womb
Jesus.” If this be false there is no
meaning to Christianity.
This teaching of the Divine Mother
hood of Our Blessed Lady, which St.
Patrick took to Ireland as it came
fresh from the Council of Ephesus,
and which was handed down to Pat
rick’s spiritual sons—they of the Dis
persion—the Wild Geese—who came
to Florida’s shores—O’Reilly, Hassett,
Crosby, Wallis—this teaching finds its
natural expression ih the devotion of
Catholic people to Neustra Senora,
and particularly to her under her ti-
‘ tie of Neustra Senora de la Leche y
Buen Parto. which had its origin in
Spain in 15S8 to spread to this city be
tween 1602 and 1620. Thus Nombre de
Dios came to be called Neustra Senora
de la Leche and how fitting in as much
as the first Mass said there in 1565
was that of the Nativity of the Blessed
Mother.
file first Mass in a settled city in
North America! Maintained even unto
now with but brief interruption.
Thoughts come acrowding! The shad
ow of Calvary casting itself across this
pagan land—Golgotha brought to Se-
loy—Calvary to St. Augustine with its
salvation and civilization. By the min
istry of Mendoza here in the Indian
village of Seloy, Christ was brought
to the Indians and the Indians were
brought to Christ. The scene in the
upper chamber of Jerusalem on that
first Holy Thursday night, the tragedy
that was enacted in Calvary on that
first Good Friday were repeated here
that morning and. thus, this mission
of Nombre de Dios became the first
tabernacle of God among men in Pas
cua, Florida; this spot became the
very cradle of Christianity in North
America. Well nigh 400 years ago, the
nation was born unto Christ, the grace
of God flooded her soul, the beauty of
the Cross captivated her heart, and
she has clung to it without interrup
tion ever since.
The first Mass in a settled city in
North America! Let us tarry a while
on the nature and significance of the
Mass. We may well imagine Menen
dez saying that memorable morning
with that great literateur Augustine
Birrell: “It is the Mass that matters.
If the Incarnation be the one divine
event to which the whole creation
moves, the miracle of the altar may
well seem its restful shadow cast over
a dry and thirsty land for the help of
The Shrine under this title became
a part of the religious life of St. Au
gustine for something like a century
and a half. Time came when, on ac
count of the evil machinations of man
and the vagaries of nature—when “the
abomination of desolation stood in this
holy place” and “when the pastor was
stricken and the flock dispersed”—
that this Shrine was burned, rebuilt,
dismantled to prevent further dese
cration only to be finally restored,
thanks to the generosity of a local
winter resident who in a spirit of
faith and charity as strong and fer
vent and adamantine as its walls, and
in faithful pious remembrance of a
loved one, made possible the loving
task.
Thus restoration is not unfamiliar to
the Catholic Church, beginning with
the restoration of man to God, restor
ing to him heneath the tree of the
Cross on Calvary his birthright lost
beneath the tree of Temptation in the
garden of Eden: restoration of the
sinner in the Sacraments; physical
restoration of this ShriAe and our Old
Cathedral which contains material
from the ruined Shrines of La Leche
and of Tolomato.
The Church is glad that it has had a
part to play in the life of St. Augus
tine. We are proud that there was nev
er a moment in her history when the
Cross was not alongside the flag, al
though the flag changed with the vi
cissitudes of Florida’s history. The
Cross of Christ has never been obscur
ed but has proudly proclaimed over
hill and dale that this is a Christian
land dedicated to God and His Saints
and consecrated by the sacrifices of
its first missionaries. She is here by
rights of inheritance and she will
gladly give of her every effort to help
restore this city to its former beauty—
beautiful because religious.
While engaged in this work of res
toration let us not forget that “unless
the Lord build a house, in vain do
WILMINGTON SCHOOL
HAS COMMENCEMENT
(Special to The Bulletin)
WILMINGTON, N. C.—The Most
Rev. Wm. J- Hafey, D. D., Bishop of
Raleigh, presented diplomas to six
high school and eight grammar school
graduates at the 67th annual com
mencement of St. Mary’s School. The
Rev. James A. Manley, pastor of St.
Mary’s acted as master of ceremonies.
High school diplomats were award
ed Frederick Joseph Stefano, John
Francis Powell, Benjamin M. Jones,
Jr., Frances C. Allen, Helen M. Fur
long and Dorothy A. Coleman. Gram
mar school certificates were awarded
to Joseph P. Jones, Ledley B.
Symmes, William F. Powell, Mary C.
Coker, Rosemary T. Chenworth, Mary
E. Applewhite, Anne E. Anderson,
and Gladys T- Sterling.
Immediately following the awarding
of diplomas the Bishop addressed the
graduates and their friends, congratu
lating the graduates on having reach
ed this goal and told them they
should be grateful to have received
such excellent training under the
guidance of the Sisters of Mercy. He
also asked God’s blessings on the
fathers and mothers for the sacrifices
they made to enable their sons and
daughters to complete their education
at St. Mary’s.
The Bishop said that in the paro
chial schools the moral as well as
the intellectual senses are trained and
bring home to the nidividual that cer
tain thoughts, words nadactions are
wrong and that in life there must al
ways be that sense of responsibility
and duty to God and our fellow men,
and he hoped the graduates would
never falter in their loyalty to God,
to their church and to their country.
He pointed out to them that they
were starting out on a road on which
they would see a sign which reads
Stop, Look and Listen, and that on
that road they must stop and make
a decision and on that decision would
depende largely their future success
or failure. He also pointed out the
fact that the most difficult and most
nerve-racking thing for any young
man or woman placed in a position
of responsibility is to make the right
decision.
The Bishop also pointed out the
fact that ninetteen years ago we were
celebrating the Armistice of the
World War which made the world
safe for democracy and today what
is the situation? 250,000,000 people
living under three dictatorships, who
cannot call their souls or their bodies
their own; 250,000,000 people subject
to the will of one man.
His Excellency stressed the urgent
need of prayer in the world today
and pointed out the fact that now
is the time for each one of us to open
our eyes and ask ourselves are we
followers of Christ; are we willing
to .become martyrs as so many of
Christ’s followers are doing in Spain
and other countries, or will we ad
here to the commands of commun
ism that is so prevalent in the world
today. The exercises closed with
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
Mission Crusade*s
Meeting in Columbia
Bishop Walsh Addresses
Closing Session for School
Year
they labor who build it.” This sunkist
State is verily the promised land and
in the days to come the teeming mill
ions of earth will come hither to find
home, prosperity and peace. Every
thing that man needs to promote cul
ture and the high ideals of living he
may find in our semi-tropical State,
possessing as it does the cultural
background of Old S>pain.
Our task is to rear men capable of
entering upon our great inheritance.
As we face this program of progress,
let us endeavor to see in vision the
mighty future that beckons us on, and
may we in intelligent appreciation of
our gifts in moral courage, in indomi
table perseverance, so train our chil
dren that in the days to come they
may be found worthy of the priceless
heritage that is ours and being found
worthy bring virtue to our city, hon
or to our State, glory to our Nation
and praise to Him from Whom have
come in the past distant years, our
blessings, peace and prosperity.
Let us rear children loving truth,
following righteousness; believing in
man’s dignity, making this dignity the
foundation of our democracy; obeying
law beacuse it is the voice of God
speaking to us, recognizing our re
sponsibility because of our heritage in
nature and in God; catching the spirit
of the gentle St. Francis, the spirit of
kindness, spirit of the love of our
brethren; willing to make supreme
sacrifice that the Faith of our Fathers
and the liberty won by the blood of
our soldiers may not perish from the
earth forever; endeavoring to work out
in our souls the lineaments of God’s
image in which we are created, pray
ing that the Great Church that blessed
the beginnings of our loved city may
continue to bring to us the priceless
boon of faith in Christ or hope in His
mercy or of that charity towards all
which never passeth away.
We pray that ghe may continue to
bring and where necessary to restore,
to her children her garnered treasure
of wisdom and moral strength which
will insure her endurance in glory and
in power; in fine to center her inter
ests upon those things which perish
not with time—things eternal which
must last forever and once establish
ed need ■ not—restoration—because—
"All things shall be and must be re
stored in Christ, Amen.”
(Special to The Bulletin)
COLUMBIA, S. C—The last Mis
sion meeting of the Catholic Students’
Mission Crusade, St. Peter’s Paro
chial School, was held May 28, in St.
Peter's School Hall, and was honor
ed by the presence of the Most. Rev.
Emmet M. Walsh, D. D., Bishop of
Charleston. Master Henry Jumper
was in the chair; Miss Carmella
Tronco, was recording secretary.
The ease with which these junior
members conducted their meeting
impressed the audience. Even the
minims—pupils of the First and Sec
ond Grades—proved themselves very
capable parliamentarians.
The Catholic Students’ Mission
Crusade, a Pontifical Society, is a
federation of mission societies whose
members are Catholic American stu
dents.
The aim of the Catholic Students’
Mission Crusade is to give the Cath
olic young people of America an in
telligent understanding of the mis
sions of the Catholic Church and to
inspire in them a love for the mis
sions that will express itself, both
now and later, in acts of sacrifice.
The pupils of St. Peter's School be
came affiliated with the National
Crusade at the beginning of this
scholastic year, and they have prov
ed themselves to be a very active,
enthusiastic group of Crusaders.
The officers for this school year
were: Junior Unit—Master Henry
Jumper, president; Master Dave Col
lins, vice-president; Miss Carmella
Tronco, recording secretary; Miss
Mary Bultman, treasurer; Miss Edna
Butler, spiritual treasurer; Miss Mary
MacDonald, stamp secretary; Master
Lawrence Priebe, magazine secretary.
The clergy who honored the Cru
saders with their presence were: the
Very Rev. Martin C. Murphy, V. F.,
Columbia, S. C.; the Rev. Thomas
Weiland, O. P., Columbia. S. C.; the
Rev. Thomas J. Mackin, Shandon, S.
C.; the Rev. Eugene Egan, O. S. B.,
Belmont, N. C., and the Rev. Vincent
Scharffe, Oratorian, Rock Hill, S. C.
Officers of the senior unit for this
school year were: Miss Bernice
Meyssen, president: Miss Catherine
Partin, vice president; Miss Helen
Asmer. recording secretary; Miss
Julia Khoury, treasurer.
Bishop Walsh opened the meeting
with prayer. After the Crusade
Pledges, the minutes and reports, the
first grade pupils presented a play
let, “Saint Dorothy”, and the second
grade pupils presented a playlet,
“Saint Isaac Jogues”. The program
closed with an address from His Ex
cellency. Bishop .Walsh.
ASA STEPHEN KOOSA, 70. a
msmber of St. Peters’s parish, died
suddenly here in May. He came to
America as a young man and lived
in Thcmasville, Ga., until 1913, when
he came to Columbia. He is sur
vived by five daughters: Mrs. Lizzie
Sheheen of Camden, Mrs. A. Guran,
of Tampa. Fla.. Mrs. Mary Knuckley
of Charlotte, N. C., Mrs. Idell Moses.
Miss Helen Koosa and Miss Julia
Koosa, all of Columbia; four sons:
Captain Fred L. Koosa. of Fort Ben-
ning, Ga.. Stephen Koosa Arthur
and Leo J. Koosa, all of Columbia;
also 14 grandchildren and two great
grandchildren. Funeral services were
held at St. Peter’s Church with the
Very Rev. Martin C. Murphey, V.F.,
officiating. Interment was in St.
Feter's Cemetery.
ST. PETER’S SCHOOL
PROGRAM, CHARLOTTE
Bishop Hafey Delivers Com
mencement Address There
MRS. WINNIE J. JENNINGS, 67,
died after an illness of three weeks.
Mrs. Jennings was a native of Lau
rens County, but had made her home
in Columbia for the past 20 years.
She was the widow of the late Wil
liam Jennings 6f Columbia. She is
survived by a daughter, Mrs. Winnie
May Sturkie of Pelion, and four
granddaughters, Mary, Belle, Martha
Reed and Annie Ruth Sturkie, all of
Pelion. Funeral services were con
ducted from St. Peter’s Church, the
Very Rev. Martin C. Murphy. V.F.,
officiating. Interment was in St. Pe
ter’s Cemetery.
(Special to The Bulletin)
CHARLOTTE, N. C.—Belief in God
and the development of character
through religion and religious educa
tion are the only guarantees of the
perpetuation of our democratic insti
tutions and insurance against a dicta
torship, the Most Rev. William J. Ha
fey, D. D., Bishop of Raleigh, de
clared in an address at the com
mencement exercises at St. Peter’s
School here, the Rev. Maurice Mc
Donnell, O. S. B., pastor.
It is difficult to be optimistic in
this country, Bishop Hafey said,
when so many millions of its people
are not influenced by religion and
when so many tens of millions of its
children are being educated without
any religious training. It was such
an educational situation which pre
pared the way for the dictatorships
of Europe, Bishop Hafey said.
The following pupils completing
the Junior High School course were
Joseph Redding, Hertle Baungard-
ner, Kenneth Williams, Ralph Kidd,
Nunnally Snellings, Gertrude Buck-
ley, Helen Ray, Margherita Marus,
Barbara Schachner and Jean Fisher.
Honor students in the Junior High
School were: Ninth Grade: Gertrude
Buckley, Ralph Kidd, Joseph Red
ding. Helen Ray; Eighth Grade:
Billy Heinz, Donald Lampke, Harold
Cauble,; Seventh Grade: Millard
Fisher, Maurice Lamb, Anna Marie
Hummert, Frances , Foley, Mary
Crowley, Blanche Lampke, Lucy
Rose Vehue; Sixth Grade: (In the or
der named): Fred Ray, Eugent Gass;
Fifth Grade: Betty Crowell, Mar-
thagreene Smith; Fourth Grade: Bet
ty Irwin, Anne Manning; Third
Grade: Janet Cushman, Eileen
Lampke; Second Grade: Robert
Cheetham, Barbara Kilheffer; First
Grade: Thomas O’Connor, Mary Ag
nes Harris.
The following students had perfect
attendance records: Hertle Baungard-
ner, Nunnally Snellings, Joseph Will
iams, Roderick O'Donoghue. Richard
Hoover, Phyllis Mueller and Betty
Crowell.
DIPLOMAS AWARDED
53 IN JACKSONVILLE
Three High Schools Have
Joint Ceremony, Bishop
Barry Presiding
GESU HIGH AT MIAMI
GRADUATES 41
(Special to The Bulletin)
MIAMI, Fla.—Gesu High School
graduates a class.of forty-one at the
annual exercises held here recently.
The members of the graduating class
of Gesu School, which is taught by
the Sisters of St. Joseph, in Gesu
Parish, the Very Rev. F. D. Sulli
van, S. J., Ph. D.. pastor, are Mary
Ethel Fletcher, Alice DeLane, Lor
raine Wayland, Eileen Keep, Rose
Carney. Katherine Rou, Celida Men
doza, Claire Pare, Jeanne Chapleau,
Catherine Hefinger, Rosemary Kane,
Mary Elizabeth Bridges, Sibylla
Pugh, Marguerite Schaefer, Margaret
Driscoll, Suzanne Wilson, Patti
Monohan, Mary McCloskey, Sheila
Murray, Rosemary Sutton, Virginia
Barette, Mary Katherine Allen, Rita
Geschwander, Donald Schang, Fran
cis McKenna, Winston Barnard. John
Kavanaugh, Robert Shank, Robert
Gilber, Robert Hart, James Run-
dell, James Richards. John Fleming,
Lawrence Rohan, Jack O’Rourke,
Branner Gilmer, Gerald Tausey,
James Yamauchi, Frederick Mit-
tauer. Russell Burke and Francis
Smith.
. .JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—Gradates
of three Jacksonville Catholic high
schools, Immaculate Conception
School, St. Joseph’s Academy and St.
Paul’s School, received their diplomas
at exercises at which the Most Rev.
Rev. Patrick Barry. D. D.. Bishop of
St. Augustine, presided at the Chur-h
of the Immaculate Conception. The
commencement address was deliver
ed by His Excellency, who directed
attention to the new arrangement
v/hereby diplomas were presented to
the graduates of the three schools
at one time and ~ in one ceremony;
all three schools are taught by the
Sisters of St. Joseph.
The Rt. Rev. Msgr. D. A. Lyons,
pastor of St. Paul’s Church, present
ed the graduates of St. Paul’s School
for their diplomas, the Rev. James J.
Meehan, LI,. D.. pastor of the Church
of the Immaculate Conception those
from the Immaculate Conception
School, and the Rev. John Nevin those
from St. Joseph’s Academy. In ad
dition to the local clergy the priests
present included the Rev. Dr. Mi
chael J. Kenny, S. J.. of Spring Hill
College, author of “The Romance of
the Floridas”, and the Rev. Charles
Dougherty, S. M.. of Washington. D.
C.,and the Marist Fathers Mission
Band. Those receiving diplomas in
the high school departments were:
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
School: Juanita Allread, Mary Bales,
Annie Burns, Boberta Giles. June
Graham, Helen Jackson. Lcda Ray,
Vera Ray, Dorothy Schaffers, Azalea
Small, Georgia Smith. Ada Styron,
Arthur Dunnan, Albert Fechtel,
Frank A. Griffin. Edward Matthews,
Dan Naughton. G. C. Rouse, Fayze
Solomon, J. Alford Tuttle and L. G.
Zorn.
ST. PAUL’S SCHOOL: Rita Boyle,
Betty Collee, Maxine Goyke, Mary
Griffin, Lemoyne Huelsman. Helen
Kelley, Julia Larmoyeux, Adda Peer,
Claudia Poulnot, Nellie May Sallas,
Ann Scoville. Jacqueline Stoy. and
Dorothy Whittier; Vincent Allen,
Richard Barker, Dan Collins, Frank
Evans, Joseph Farley, Tony Fester,
David Germain, Joseph Mehrtens,
Floyd Smith and Joseph Wrigley.
ST. JOSEPH’S ACADEMY: Thomas
Brenner, Martha Dowling. Barbara
English, Stella Fillion. Barbara Hull,
Jacqueline Hayman, Mary Rizk, Nar-
jess Sabbag and Curry Stone.
STUDIES, a scientific periodical,
has been launched by the Institutum
Divi Tliomae, graduate cchool of sci
entific research of The Athenaeum
of Ohio, under the auspices of Arch
bishop McNicholas of Cincinnati,
Rev. Dr. Cletus A. Miller, dean of
the Institute, is editor. Dr. George
Sperti of the Pontifical Academy of
Science, is director of the Institute.