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About The bulletin of the Catholic Laymen's Association of Georgia. (Augusta, Ga.) 1920-1957 | View Entire Issue (July 30, 1938)
FOURTEEN THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA JULY JO. 1938 Published for the Georgia Federation of Junior Catholic Clubs The Federation News Motto “Better Catholics” “Better Georgians” LaGrange Host to Federation Convention August 20 and 21 Petrine Club Preparing Pro gram and Entertainment for Quarterly Meeting The Petrine Club of St. Peter's Church, LaGrange, Ga„ wih be host to the Georgia Federation of Junior Catholic Clubs at their quarterly con vention on August 20tn and 21st. Plans for the entertainment of the guests include a dance on Saturday evening and an old fashioned barbecue on Sunday afternoon. The Petrine Club is one of tne new est clubs in the Federation and this will be the first convention of the Junior Catholic Clubs to be held in LaGrange. We feel th-t the Petrine Club is to be congratulated for under taking this responsibility anu we wish to urge every Federation member to make a special effort 'o attend the convention and to cooperate with the Petrine Club in every way to make the occasion a huge success. We wish also to remind the secre taries of the individual clubs of one particular point brought out at the last convention. Be sure to send in as ac curate a number of reservations as possible in order that the host club may be spared needless expense. “THERE’S NO FRIGATE LIKE AN OLD BOOK” By MYRTLE SULLIVAN If a man is known by the company that he keeps, he can be as easily dis tinguished by the books which he reads. If he has no friendships, he may be correctly suspected of a cer tain shallow selfishness in which no true friendship can root; and if he loves no book or books, this very at titude will suggest a barrenness of ex pression, a lack of ideas which a con tinued acquaintance with him will confirm. Books are the basking houses of the world’s thoughts, the treasure vaults and strongboxes of mankind's experiences. m Everytime we open a book we per form the miracle of raising a man from the dead, though he may have been in the tomb for a thousand years. If the book is poetry or prose, its bind ing holds fast the soul of its author— that soul which will speak to us in the identical words he wrote or spoke a hundred or a thousand years ago. St. Augustine still lives as vibrantly in his Confessions and City of God as he did when he was combating the Pela gian hereby. The Little Flower’s purity and beauty of mind still shines in every line of her Autobiography. Dante comes from his exile’s tomb in Ravenna to lead us once more through the Un known, even as Virgil once led him. And though Shakespeare has been long asleep, it does not debar us from absorbing the beauty and majesty of the mind of this great genius of litera ture. In our more modern vines, we have our great apologetics—the thundering voices of Chesterton. Eelloc and Lunn. The romantic novels of Sigrid Unset, Sheila Kaye-Smith and Willa Cather. The mystic poetry of Francis Thomp son and the fragile verses of Alice Meynell and Coventry Patmore. It is not our purpose to attempt the almost endless list of great books, we wish merely to mention the boundless treasures of beauty and truth, of en tertainment, of stimulus to nobler pur pose, of keenest pleasure that lie beneath our hand. So well did God take account of this need in mans make-up for books that He Himself in spired the first one—to be, in the first place, a type for all others, and, in the second, a foundation from which all other truly great and good books would flow. And so it is that everyone who can read has the plain duty ro God, to him self and to his fellow-man to love and reverence good books—and the ecjual duty to shun bad ones No one can say in this day and age that he is incapable of securing a good book. There are scores of agencies at his disposal, from the lending library on the corner to the catalogs of the reliable publishing houses. Here in Georgia we are fortun ate to have the lending library spon sored by the Catholic Laymen’s As sociation, 815 Southern Finance Bldg., Augusta. Ga., where the price of post age will quickly bring to us the best in Catholic thought. Let us not throw away our oppor tunities to gain knowledge! Let us put our few spare moments to the great est advantage! Lunch hours, the time spent riding to and from work, an hour or two in the evening may be so well utilized in obtaining inspiration and pleasure from the great minds of the world. Truly he who goes through life without some acquaintance with good books make of his mind and heart a desort instead of a garden spot filled with beauty. On the Federation Page each month we shall endeavor to review an out standing book and recommend that it be read by our Federation members. “DAMIEN THE LEPER” IS SPLENDID WORK Review of John Farrow. Sheed and Ward Book LaGRANGE The Petrine Club Damien, the Leper”, by John Far row; Publishers; Sheed and Ward, Inc.. 65 Fifth Avenue, New York. (Reviewed by Felix Donnelly) If, following the trend of the day, you like a realistic story, you will find in Mr. Farrow’s book that real ity which is the keynote of a life of a saint. And should you like to read of the romantic days that are past and the thrilling adventures of the pioneers, you will find woven into this story of Father/Damien the ro mance of the life of a missionary m the South Sea Islands. This book is not a type that can be catalogued according to its form. It is the story of one who proves equal ly interesting to the Peolist and the Romanticist, to the lovers of fiction and those who like to read bio graphy. ' ~ Damien de Veuster, after a simple and strongly Catholic childhood dur ing which he was imbued., with the strong faith of his parents, was sent away to school where he became aware of his vocation. His way to the priesthood, however, _ was what we may term the “laborer’s way.” He was admitted into a monastery as a lay brother, and only after years of hard physical labor and extra study was he able to present himself a student for the priesjhood. His career begun when he was 23, before he was ordained, when he vol- lunteered for service in the Ha waiian Islands Here his craftsman ship as a worker, developed when a lay brother, proved helpful in cut ting timber, . making lumber and building churches. Father Damien, however, hearing of the distressful conditions of the ban ished lepers at Molokai, pleaded with his superiors to be sent there. His persistent pleas were granted, and soon he was on his way to the island where he would spend the long re maining years of his life. How the first sight of that island must have repelled him! As he landed from the boat, he saw a land reeking with a deadly and horrible disease, mutilated bodies walking about in despair of their condition. Damien was not slow to go to work. He gathered together a group of men and headed them to clean up the isl and. drain it for sanitation, build homes to make the island a livable habitation. So deplorable were con ditions that Father Damien had to introduce the custom of burying the dead in graves, which he dug him self. Through his untiring efforts, the settlement within a few years was transformed from a hell on earth, full of disease and despair, into a haven for invalids. A home for girls was built, a home for boys, a hospital and again the beautiful Hawaiian music was heard from the hearts of the lepers. There was something to live for! There was here a great family of lepers, with the true spirit of a family for a fath- er bad come to attend the needs of his lost children. A most practical father—a builder, a leader, teacher, and a friend. A doer of deeds, an example to men. one whom the na- fives affectionately called “Kamiano. This story of supreme sacrifice is very simply and artfully narrated by Mr! Farrow. May we recommend it for your reading. MACON The Shamrock Club Our club members have been very busy during the past month excited ly discussing plans for the forthcom ing convention to be held here in August. We are very anxious to make a success of our first venture and hope that all the clubs will be well represented. We regret very much the loss of four of our active members during the past month. Alfeed Nader and Joe Nader have elisted in the army and have been stationed at Fort Benning. Rae Nader will enter training at St. Mary’s Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio and Adeline Ve- leri left us to become Mrs. Claude Foster. We wish all of them the greatest success in their new under takings. Picnics and out-of-town trips seemed to be the preferred form of entertainment for our members on the fourth of July, and as a result many are applying generous portions of sun-burn lotion. However, our main interest at pres ent is making plans to welcome the Federation to LaGrange next month and we hope to make it a memorable occasion. COLUMBUS Junior Catholic Club ROME Sancta Maria Club “DeLa Warr”, the country home of the Misses Alice and Frances Corbitt, on Kingston Road, was the scene of a delightful al fresco supper served to the members of'the Sancta Maria Club recently. Ten members, Father Grady and Mrs. and Mrs. Corbitt were present. The club also enjoyed a square dance July 13. We are glad to welcome Bernice Wollstein back to our group. She has been away for the past year, studying at St. Genevieve of the Pines in Asheville, N. C. We have had the privilege of having a series of instruction classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays conducted by 'two Sisters of St. Joseph, Sister Rose de Lima, and Sister Clair Agnes. These classes consist of all young people of high school age and over. At each meeting a different subject is discussed, each of which is very interesting. ATLANTA St. Anthony’s Club The June social for the Junior Catholic Club was a delightful affair- in the form of a swimming party. Mrs. Fannin, Jeanne Bouchard, and Mr. Fannin who assisted in enter taining were in a way entirely re sponsible for the success of the party. Everyone met at the Club House and then motored out to Fort Benning, Ga., where swimming, boat riding, and a delicious picnic sup per was enjoyed. Our study club has been discon tinued during the hot summer months, but Father McCarthy will resume the sessions in October. We are glad to welcome Martha Fannin as a new member into the club. From all reports, the Vacation Summer School being held at the convent for the younger children is progressing splendidly. Most of the interest of the club is now centered around the approach ing wedding of Leo Leonard and Murrelle Stanford which will take place in August. We wish to extend to this young couple our congratula tions and may God bless their future together. Everyone seems to be vaction- minded and because of the hot weather. here, very little action or enthusiasm is being displayed We’re saving it all for the convention in August arid are looking forward to renewing many pleasant friend ships. SAVANNAH Cathedral Young People’s Association The month of June found us de ploring the fact that of a single wed ding in the club, but the marriage in July of one of the club’s most popu lar members has served to appease our thwarted romantic aspirations. On Saturday afternoon, July 16, at 5 o’clock, Rosa Johann and George Corail were married in the Immacu- lat Conception Church, the Rev. Jo seph R. Smith performing the im pressive double ring ceremony in the presence of a large group of re*a- tives and friends. Rosa has the dis tinction of having served as vice- president and secretary of the Fed- eration and has become an outstand ing and well-known figure in Feder ation circles. Following a wedding trip to Florida, Rosa and George re turned here to make their home in West End. ATLANTA Blessed Chanel Club Summer outings have been in full swing, with the lazy days of July in spiring us to seek the great outdoors. A patricularly delightful occasion was the moonlight picnic held at Venetian Club on July 13. Swimming, games and wonderful picnic food furnisned satisfying entertainment for all. An other recent outing was a picnic given at Glenwood Springs, another popular resort on the outskirts of At lanta. Despite the weather mans predictions, the day turned out to be rainy and stormy 4 , but with the resi lience of youth, the picknickers were undaunted by the contrary turn of the weather and straightway proceed ed with their original plans to have a grand time. FATHER RETHANS IS SILVER JUBILARIAN Bishop O’Hara to Preside at Jubilee Mass August 3 MACON, Ga.—The Shamrock Club held it’s semi-annual election of of ficers at a recent meeting with the following results: Miss Joy Smith, president: P. J. Murphy, vice-presi dent;; Miss Mary Long, secretary, and Francis Cassidy, treasurer. The re- tiling officers were: Ed Lackay, Miss Ala Cassidy, Bill Hicks and Martin Callaghan. Our club members enjoyed a de lightful picnic at Lakeside Park on July 7th in honor of our four new members-, Mr. and Mrs. Steve Man- derson, Corbin Jung and Alec Wink ers. We are sure that they will be a welcome addition J o our club. CATHOLIC SOFTBALL LEAGUE Teams Won Lost Pet. Immaculate Conception .5 1 St. Anthony's 4 2 .666 K. of C * 3 -j71 Blessed Chanel 0 7 .Ovi A HARVARD professor/ Dr. Alex ander Hamilton Rice, chairman of the Spanish Nationalist Relief Associ ation, on his return from Spain assert ed that Christianity and atheism are at war in th- 1 country, with the Na tionalists under General Franco fight ing on the side of Christianity. Our newly elected president, Chris Hernandez made his debut recently to the radio audience on the Catholic Hour presented ivery Sunday after noon over station W.T.O.C. Mr. Her nandez gave a very interesting talk on “Youth”. In the course of his speech, Mr. Hernandez commented on a remark made by a Quiz-master in a lew school. “The most valuable, single thing in the world today is a boy or girl reared to the age of 21 years, for into this youth has been poured all of the advantages of cul ture and of science known to gen erations past, and in him lies the hope of all civilization to come”. Mr. Hernandez stated that the Quiz-mas ter should nave added that ‘‘Into this youth has been infused an immortal soul which marks him for an eternal destiny. “Now if youth be such a priceless possession, wouldn’t it be well to note what is being done for them. For nineteen hundred years the Catholic Church has been fulfilling the com mand of God to His Apostles: ‘Go and teach ye all nations’. In carry ing out this divine command, the Church has always laid great empha sis on the training of youth”. Mr. Hernadez also remarked on the won derful work done by Father Kava- nagh bringing the Catholic youth .if Savannah together and the connec tions he has made with other clubs throughout the state by means of the Georgia Federation of Junior Cath olic Clubs. . For our social during July, the C. Y. P. A. had a shrimp supper at Wit- marsh Island on Friday, July 15. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Moore were in charge, assisted by Mrs. Georgie Her nandez and Mr. and Mrs. John Ryan. CARDINAL KASPAK, Archbishop of Prague, who visited the North Da kota Sioux Indians when in the United States for the Eucharistic Congress in 1936, has been named an honorary chieftain by the Indians, of Wambdi Ohitiga, or Eagle In- itrepid. The entire congregation of the Im maculate Conception Church is an ticipating the momentous occasion on August 3 when Father Charles Rethans will celebrate the 25th anni versary of his ordination to the holy priesthood. Bishop O’Hara will be present at the Solemn.High Mass that morning as well as many members ot the clergy of Atlanta and the state at large. Father Rethans has been a zealous and understanding priest and has, since his stay among us, endear ed himself to his parishioners who now join in celebrating this glorious occasion of Father Rethan’s silver jubilee in God’s service. The club will honor Father Rethans at a buffet supper on August 4, in the club room. The boys on the softball team mo tored up “counterpane lane’ ’en route to Chattanooga recently, when they played the Chattanooga Knights of Columbus in an exhibition match. We hate to brag, but when the boys came home with another victory to add to their athletic laurels, we could not but swell with pride. The I. C. team continues to hold the lead in the Catholic League. Vacation time returned one of our most popular club members to our midst. John Bips, who has been studying optometry in Chicago. The membership committee announces three new members: Rita Denby, Brady Keeney and Harry Badger, The tennis tournament will soon draw to a close and the finals are ex pected to be played off within a very short time. The enthusiastic final ists are exerting every effort to be in top form for the play-offs. As the month of August approaches our spirits soar exhuberantly with the thought of the convention. The Petrine Club will, we are confident, uphold its reputation for being “tops” as hosts and it is with ill-concealed impatience that we await our visit there. We have been keeping up club ac tivities during ihe summer months, despite the hot weather. We've lived up to our quota in entertainment and feel that we owe a great deal of thanks to our entertainment commit tee and our ways and means com mittee who, with the co-operation of the rest of the club, 'have planned our different diversions in accordance with the program inaugurated .last month. Our open houses were held regularly each Sunday evening at the homes of Anne McConneghey, Kay Porter and Sheila Griffiths, respec tively. . Our big entertainment for the month of June was a steak fry, also at the home of Kay Porter. On July 4. we were entertained at a picnic at the summer home of Mr. and Mrs. Clem McGowan, Sr., near Powder Springs. Ga. One of our newcomers, Dorothy English, entertained the club with a party July 1. Clem McGowan was elected to the executive committee to fill tiie va cancy left by the absence of our for mer executive committee member, Tony Borrell. Kay Porter was elect ed chairman of the editorial commit tee. to succeed Elizabeth Keiley. Our membership committee has been do ing splendid work. New members on our list this month are Dorothy Eng lish, Joe Perez and Frank Cuellar. Our Leaflet Missal Committee has produced three new potsers for the Church, which we hope will greatly increase the sale of the Leaflet Mis- The softball team is still trying hard, but we decline to say more on this subject at present. We all miss our chaplain, Father Maguire, who is spending a part of the summer in Philadelphia. Al though we are all anxiously awaiting his return, we do hope he enjoys his stay in the big city. The Study Club has been faithfully following the routine we started a short time ago. According to the out line we have had mapped out, the se ries of talks on the Ten Command ments should take up approximately sixteen weeks. This will carry us well over the summer and a new se ries will start in the fall. Talks made during the past month were by Mau rice McCabe, Buster Lacher. Kay Por ter and Odalite Wallace. We have assigned the succeeding lectures to the different members of the club and are looking forward to some en lightening and worthwhile religious instruction during the coming weeks. ATLANTA Immaculate Conception Club Dear Members: Just today 1 heard from a friend that tiie Federation News is about to go to press, so I thought it would be a good idea to use this medium to let you know.what we are doing at St. Anthony’s. With the event of hot weather and the beginning of vacation trips it seems only natural that there would be a decline in our activities. Stran"c- ly enough, there seems to be an increasing interest in the club. Last Sunday we had one of our long est meetings, or maybe it just seemed longer because it was so hot and we had the club meeting in the sixth grade classroom of the schoolhouse. Evidently we have grown a bit since our grammar school days. At this meeting we voted to begin a study of the Bible. Every member is to obtain a copy of the New Testa ment and have it on hand each Sun day morning at club meeting, when a passage will be read aloud and ex plained with proper interpretation. In order that we may better know and understand the Mass, we are go ing to purchase Leaflet Missals each Sunday. Our Choral Club is now learning Grogorian hymns and we hope to soon sing them in church. The softball league here in Atlan ta shows a great improvement over last year. There are more spectators at the games and more cheering from the Sidelines, which is a good indica tion that there is much more interest in the league this year. The Immacu late Conception Club is now in first place, but St. Anthony’s is running a close second. On the evening of July 9 we hr«d a watermelon cutting at Adams Park, and the rain politely held off just long enough for us to eat the melons. Our picnic at the Venetian Club proved very enjoyable. The date was the 17th, our monthly Communion Sunday. The day was begun well, with a large number of members re ceiving Holy Communion at early ■Mass, probably a good reason for our delightful picnic that day. Our study club continues to meet each Wednesday evening to study our religion and gain a deeper insight in to the rich archives of the Church. The members have shown themselves good students in their regularity at meetings. They told me I have room for <mty a note. I hope I haven’t made it too long. Have a fine vacation and keep eye open for us at the conventi . Godbye now!
