Newspaper Page Text
APRIL 27. 1940
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOL T C LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
ELEVEN
REGIONAL CONFERENCE N. C. C. W. TO BE HELD APRIL 28-29
Catholic Youth Council Hold ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE
State Meeting in Charleston TO FLORIDA SHRINE
FIRST SOUTHERN
SESSION MEETS
IN BIRMINGHAM
Members of National Coun
cil of Catholic Women From
Georgia and Carolina Will
Be on Program
(Special to The Bulletin)
B1RMING HAM, Ala.—Elaborate
plans have been perfected for the
reception and entertainment of # the
hundreds of delegates who are ex
pected to attend the First Southern
Regional Conference of the National
Conference on Catholic Women which
will be held here on Sunday, April
28 and Monday, April 29.
Conference headquarters have been
established at the Tutweiler Hotel,
and the Pontifical High Mass which
will open the conference will be
sung at St. Paul's Church, with the
Most Rev. Emmet M. Walsh, D. D-.
Bishop of Charleston, delivering the
sermon.
While the regular conference ses
sions will not begin until Sunday
•there will be a meeting of Diocesan
Presidents and Diocesan Spiritual
Directors and the informal reception
or. Saturday evening.
Mrs. Reyburn L. Watkins, presi
dent of the Savannah-Atlanta Dioce
san Council of Atlanta; Mrs. J. Car-
roll Magarahan, president Charles
ton Diocesan Council, Greenville; Mrs.
W J. McAlpin. president Atlanta
Deanery Council; and Ifiss Riddeck.
of Charleston, will take part in the
deliberations of the conference.
Tl.e Most Reverend Gerald P.
O’Hara, D. D-, J. U. D., Bishop of
Savannah-Atlanta, will speak at the
luncheon on Monday on '"The Rea]
Efficiency of a Truly United Catholic
Laity”.
REVISlNG"CATEOHISM
PAINSTAKING WORK
The Rev. Dr. Francis J. Con
nell, C.SS.R., Gives Dutline
of Task
(By N. C. W. C. News Service)
KANSAS City,—The thorough and
painstaking work of the collaborators,
and the many improvements made,
jn the revision of the Baltimore Cat
echism were described by the Rev.
Dr. Francis J. Connell, C. SS. R., Pro
fessor of Theology at the Redemp-
torist House of Studies, Esqpus, N. Y.,
in a notable {japer at the thirty-seven-
1h annual convention of the National
Catholic Educational Association here.
Speaking on "The Forthcoming Re
vision of the Baltimore Catechism,”
Dr. Connell told how definite action
toward the preparation of the revision
was taken by the Hierarchy in 1935.
He described how the collaboration of
many competent persons throughout
the country, including every Bishop
and major seminary superior, was
secured. Each received a set of 37
worksheets on which comments and
new formulations of texts were set
down. By the spring of 1936 more
than 70 worksheets had been returned
with criticisms and suggestions, Dr.
Connell said.
Dr. Connell said the returned work
sheets were assigned to three com
mittees, which carefully studied and
compared the comments and sugges
tions with the Baltimore Catechism.
Each committee drew up a multi
composite text and after these were
scrutinized and collated the initial
draft of the revision was made. This
was printed for private circulation
and sent to the Bishops and religious
Superiors for their further examina
tion. At the 1936 Convention of the
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
some 40 Bishops and theologians dis
cussed the tentative revision in the
light of new suggestions received after
its printing. As a result of this dis
cussion a second tentative edition was
published late in 1937. which also was
carefully examined. Finally last year
appeared what is hoped to be sub
stantially the completed revision, al
though it is still restricted to private
circulation. Last November the work
was submitted to the Sacred Congre
gation of the Council in Rome for
the examination and approval of that
body.
Dr. Connell pointed out that the
Baltimore Catechism has served a
highly useful purpose in the religious
training of millions of Catholic boys
and girls in the past 55 years. “In view
of the limited time given in its pre
paration,” he said, “and the fact that
its compilers were so few, the Balti
more Catechism is an excellent work.”
Improvements Cited
Among the improvements in the Re
vision cited by Dr. Connell are'-
Changes in the order; additions of
phrases and explanations that apply
directly to modem circumstances and
conditions; amplification of certain
doctrines, such as the principle of
God’s self-existence as the most es
sential attribute of the divine essence;
tlie doctrine that Adam, as the moral
head of the human race, is alone re
sponsible for original sin, since it was
he who transmitted it to the whole
human race; St. Joseph as the Spouse
of the Blessed Virgin, and an ap
pendix of 16 question-answers under
the title ".Why. I Affi a Catholic,’*
Savannah Freshman
an Spring Hill Team
M. A. Spellman Selected as
Member of Pitching Staff
MOBILE, Ala. — Compensating
Coach Smith, of the Spring Hill Col
lege baseball team, for the loss of
five of his ace moundsmen by grad
uation last year, is the discovery of
two talented Freshman twirlers who
give promise of developing into pit
chers of major league calibre. These
men, M. A. Spellman, of Savannah,
Ga.. and Bob McMahon, of New
York, have displayed remarkable
ability thus far, and are expected to
contribute in a large measure to what
is looked forward to as a successful
season.
The schedule of games, which be
gan on March 22 and closes on May
2, includes as opponents teams re
presenting Naval Air Station, at Pen
sacola: Marion Institute. Mississippi
College, Troy Teachers, Millsaps Col
lege, and Mobile Shippers.
Theologian Explains
<f Exoneration of Eve”
Clarifies Misunderstanding
in Regard to Revision of
Catechism
Dispatches to the secular presss
having quoted the Rev. Dr. Francis
J. Connell, C.SS-A-, as having said
that Eve is "completely exonerated”
in the new Catechism of all blame for
the first sin in the world, the N. C.
W. C. News Service asked the Rev.
Dr. James W. O'Brien of the faculty
of Sacred Theology, Catholic Univer
sity, to clarify what was evidently
a misunderstaudging of the meaning
of Dr. Connell's words. Dr. O’Brien
lias taken a leading part in the revi
sion of the Cathechism.
BY REV. JAMES W. O'BRIEN,
S. T. D.
(Writen for N. C. \V. C. News Service)
The report of the address of Doctoi
Connell at Kansas City as carried
by some secular newspapers is open
to misinterpretation. I have not at
hand the exact text of Doctor Con
nell’s address, but I am quite sure
that the idea he wished to convey
was expressed by him with more
clarity and more reserve than the re
port in the daily press indicates.
First of all there lias been no
change whatever in the Catholic Doc
trine regarding the nature and the
cause of original sin. Adam alone,
as head of the human race, is re
sponsible for tlie fact that original
sin is handed down to posterity.
Secondly, Eve is not therebv ex
cused from all blame as the secular
uress suggests. Both Adam and
Eve committed sin. Both were guilty
in the sight of God. Eve could hardly
be held blameless therefore-
Thirdly, if Eve alone had committed
sin, original sin would not have been
passed on to posterity. It is for this
reason that the personal sin of Adam
is responsible for original sin, with
the stain of which his posterity is
conceived and born into the world.
The Blessed • Virgin Mary, who was
preserved free from original sin is
l he enly exception. John the Bap
tist and the Prophet Jeremiah were
purified before birth.
Fourthly, the Baltimore Catechism
disregards the question of what
would have been had Eve alone com
mitted the sin, and concerns itself
merely with the fact of the fall of
our first parents. As a mater of fact
Eve was responsible to some extent
for the fall of Adam, and hence the
blame for original sin must rest with
her as well as with Adam. The Balti
more Catechism was not therefore in
correct.
The new Catechism goes further.
It recognizes the fact that both of
our first parents sinned: and that
both are blameworthy. But it also
recognizes the fact that if Adam had
not sinned there would have been
no original sin. Original sin is there
fore attributed to Adam alone- When
speaking of the sin they committed
the new Catechism refers to both of
cur first parents- When speaking of
the effect of that sin upon us, it
refers to Adam alone. This is exactly
the doctrine as expressed by St. Paul.
There has been no change in it from
his day to this.
(By N. C. W. C. News Service)
KANSAS CITY—In the course of
the paper wich he presented at the
convention of the National Catholic
Educational Association here, the Rev.
Dr. Francis J. Connell, C.SS.R., Pro
fessor of Theology at the Redemp-
torist House of Studies, Esopus, N.
Y., said:
"What exactly are the grounds of
complaint against the Baltimore
Catechism? In the first place, it
contains some definite theological
inaccuracies. It ascribes original sin
to the transgression of Eve as well
as that of Adam, whereas according
to Catholic teaching Adam alone was
the moral head of the human race
and he alone by his disobedience
brought about the loss of sanctifying
grace for all mankind”.
Again, Dr. Connell said: “Lesson
V (New Catechism) adds the import
ant doctrine that Adam and Eve
were the first parents of the entire
human race, and correctly ascribes
the existence of original sin to Adam
•does, mi gvs”» .y'vyfcfr »-»■>• »y
HEADS YOUTH COUNCIL
MISS JEAN FRASER
Tlie Catholic Youth Council of the
Dicccse of Charleston has again se
lected as its Stale President, Miss
Jean Fraser, of Greenville.
annualTieldmass
NEW SMYRNA REACH
Commemorating Labors of
Early Spanish Missionaries
Among Florida Indians
(Special to The Bulletin)
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla.-Ap-
proximately 1,300 persons attended
the Solemn Field Mass, celebrated at
the 01d s Spanish Mission west of New
Smyrna Bleach, April 7, by the Right
Rev. Monsignor William J. Mullally,
pastor of St. Paul’s Church, Daytona
Beach. The Kiev. Joseph T. Daley,
C. SS. R., of Orangeburg, S. C., for
merly pastor of the Sacred Heart
Church here, was deacon, and the
Rev. Francis Brennan, C. SS. R., pas
tor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
Church, Tampa, was sub-deacon.
The sermon was delivered by the
Rev. Cornelius Hoffman, and the
Mass was sung by the combined
choirs of St. Paul’s Church, Daytona
Beach, and Sacred Heart Church,
New Smyrna Beach. The Rev.
Joseph H. Driscol, pastor of the
Sacred Heart Church, who arranged
for the service, extended a welcome
to the congregation.
At a luncheon given by the mem
bers of the Spanish Institute of the
Florida Historical Society, at the
New Smyrna Hotel, Father Driscoll
stated that the mission was founded
for the benefit of an Indian tribe
known as the Jororo, who are sup
posed to have inhabited this section
of Florida. The speaker traced the
activ ty of the missionaries from their
arrival from Spain in 1655 until their
extinction at the hands of savage In
dians at the instigation of Governor
Moore of South Carolina in 1704.
Father Driscoll was introduced by
Mrs. William C. Bowers of Winter
Pork, vice-president of the Florida
Historical Society. She also present
ed the other speakers • zho were Mrs.
Angela Campbell, head of the Span
ish Department at Rollins College;
and Dr. Rollis S. Atwood, chairman
of the Intre-American Relations In
stitute at the University of Florida.
The Field Mass was inaugurated
four years ago on (he occasion of
the golden jubilee o f the incorpora
tion of New Smyrna Beach, as a tri
bute to the early Franciscan mis-
sienuaries who labored so zealously
and shed their blood in martyrdom
in an attempt to convert the savage
Indians to Christianity.
Mrs. Sidney Mallette,
Tarboro, N. C., Is Dead
(Special to The Bulletin)
TARBORO. N. C. — Mrs. Sidney
Mehegan Mallette, a member of one
of Tarboro's oldest families, and a
pioneer Catholic resident of Eastern
North Carolina, died March 26, after
an illness of several weeks.
Mrs. Mallette was born in Tarboro
January 16, 1858. She was the eldest
daughter of the late Emily Goode
Bond and James Gregory Mehegan.
In 1833 she was married to John
Peter Mallette.
She is survived by a daughter, Miss
Sidney E Mallette, of Tarboro; three
sons, Joseph W. Mallette, of Tarboro;
Thomas F. Mellette, of Washington,
D. C., and James P. Mallette, of Ra
leigh; a brother, James G. Mehegan,
of Wake Forest, and four grandchil
dren.
Funeral services, with a Requiem
Mass, were held from St. Catherine’s
Church, Tarboro.
ANTHONY J. RUSSELL,
OF RALEIGH, IS DEAD
RALEIGH, N. C.—Funeral services
for Anthony J. Russell, of New
Bern, who died April 7, were con
ducted by the Rev. Father Frazier,
of Morehead City.
Mr. Russell was a native of Craven i
Miss Jean Fraser Presides at
Second Annual Session.
Monsignor O’Brien Ad
dresses Meeting
(Special to Hie Bulletin)
CHARLESTON, S. C.—The second
annual convention of the Catholic
Youth Council o f the Diocese of
Charleston was held here on March
30 and 31, convention headquarters
being at St. Patrick School hall.
Established last year at th4 request
of the Most Rev. Emmet M. W’alsh,
D. D., Bishop of Charleston, and
sponsored by the National Council of
Catholic Women, the Catholic Youth
Council held its 1939 meeting in
Greenville.
The program of the organization
js national in scope, diocesan in au
thority, and parochial in function. It
has a national program definite
enough to aid, yet flexible enough
to serve local conditions, and is appli
cable to three age levels juniors, high
school, and out-cf-school groups. The
organization is active in five general
directions, religious, cultural, voca
tional, recreational and service.
Miss Jean Fraser, Greenville, heads
the Catholic Youth Council of the
Diocese of Charleston, which em
braces the State o' South Carolina,
the other officers being, Mrs. G. P.
League. Greenville, first vice-presi
dent; Miss Eleanor Bultman. Colum
bia, second vice-president; Miss Bar
bara Condon, Charleston, third vice-
president; Miss Cornelia Duffy, Char
leston, secretary; Miss Marian
Sbiely, Charleston, treasurer. Miss
Bultman, historian. Miss Kathryn
Riddock is Diocesan Youth Chairman.
Speaking to the conference at its
opening session, the Flight Rev. Mon
signor Joseph L. O’Brien. S. T. D.,
LL.D., pastor of St. Patrick’s Church,
Charleston, and diocesan director of
the Council outlined the purpose of
the organization as being "To enroll
every high school and every young
woman out of high school, up to
twenty-five or thirty years o f age, in
every parish and mission of this Dio
cese in the Youth Movement. The
stirring up of this interest must be
the work of you delegates here today.
You must start that work immediate
ly upon your return to your respec
tive parishes.
“In every parish, wherever it is
possible, there will be two groups of
young women pledged to the spread
of the Youth Movement, the in-
schcol girls and the out-of-school
group of young women.
“I suggest.” Monsignor O'Brien
continued, “that you call on your
Reverend Pastors, and discuss with
(hem the results of this convention
in relation to your local conditions.
Moreover, I suggest that at your first
meeting after you return home, you
get to that meeting as many girls
and young women as you can pre
vail to attend and do all you can to
enlist their ethusiastic support and
active cooperation in the spread of
this Youth Movement. This move
ment is for all and all can be reused
if we go about it in the right way. ’
At the opening session Miss Jean
Fraser, who presided, spoke on
“What the Youth Council hopes to
accomplish in the lives of its mem
bers.” Miss Dixie Lewis spoke on
"What members of the Youth Council
can contribute to the development
of Catholic Life .in South Carolina.”
and discussions on these topics were
led bv Miss Cornelia Duffy and Miss
Miegel.
Delegates to the Catholic Youth
Council attended the Fontifical
High Moss celebrated at the Cathe
dral of St. John the Baptist, in con
nection with the conference of the
National Council of Catholic Wo
men. and participated in the social
affairs incident to the meeting of that
organization, and were also guests at
a dance given at St. Patrick’s School
hall.
Mr. Arnold Benedetto, S. J.,
Lectures at Spring Hill
(Special (o The Bulletin)
MOBILE, Ala. — Mr. Arnold Bene
detto. S. J., formerly of Macon. Ga.,
associate professor of Classical Lan
guages at St. Charles College, an in
corporate college of Loyola Univer
sity. at New Orleans, and a recog
nized Vergilian scholar, was guest
lecturer to the Latin poetry class, of
Spring Hill College, on March 26.
Mr. Benedetto, who has a brother
who is a member of the Senior Class,
at Spring Hill, spoke on “Vergil and
His Place in World Literature,” com
paring him with other classical poets,
especially with Homer and Horace.
The lecture was amply illustrated
with charts showing the family con
nections between prominent Romans
of the Augustan era.
County, the son of the late George
A. and Annie B. Russell. He is sur
vived by his widow, Mrs. Missouri
Geneva Russell; and two daughters,
Verna Francis and Veda Kathleen
Russell; and Mrs. Helen B. Blalock,
of Raleigh, Mrs. Madge Wetherington,
"’"rry Feint, -m-’ "r. s . T.illipn
( Tracier, oi Havelock, sisters.
National Attention Attract
ed to Commemoration of
Early American Cathdlic
History
(By N. C. W. C. News Service)
ST- AUGUSTINE. Fla.—The annual
pilgrimage to the Shrine of Nuestra
Senora de la Leche, of Puen Parto,
March 31, attracted national attention.
Pilgrims came from virtually every
State in the Union to participate in
the ceremonies commemorating the
earliest days of the Church in this
country. The Most Rev. Patrick
Barry, Bishop of St. Augustine, pre
sided and celebrated the opening Mass
at the outdoor altar- A public proces
sion of the Blessed Sacrament was
held in the afternoon.
Taking part Were local and visiting
prelates and clergy, Religious, stu
dents and thousands of the laity.
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
followed the procession.
Preparations were made by the
Cathedral clergy, directed by the
Rt. Rev- Msgr. P. J. McGill, pastor and
Chancellor of the Diocese.
The story of the shrine begins with
the founding of the city of St. Augus
tine, which will celebrate its 375th an
niversary this year. On September
8, 1565, Pedro Menendez de Aviles
landed on the site of the shrine to
claim the land for Spain. Among
those who greeted him .was Father
Mendoza Grajales.
Menendez and his men knelt be
fore a cross held by Father Mendoza
as an act of homage to God. The
first Mass was then celebrated and
“Te Deum” chanted. Early in the
17th century a replica of a famous
statue was brought from Spain and
placed in a chapel which was named
Nuestra Senora de la Leche Buen
Parto-
The pilgrimages to the shrine were
begun 10 years ago.
Charleston Deanery
NCCW Names Officers
(Special to Tlie Bulletin)
SUMMERVILLE, S- C.— At the
annual meeting of the Charleston
Deanery of the National Council of
Catholic Women held here. Mrs. J. C.
Molony, of Charleston, was elected
president, succeeding Mrs. Frank B.
Schachte-
Other officers fleeted were: Mrs.
Loo Hennesey, vice-president: Mrs.
Joseph Hanley, secretary; and Mrs.
George Gibbs, treasurer-
After reports had been submitted
by various committee chairmen, the
Rev. J. T. McElroy, pastor of St.
John’s Church. Summerville, address
ed the members.
Belmont Commencement
Speaker is Announced
(Special to The Bulletin)
BELMONT, N. C. — Announce
ment has been made by (he Office of
the Rector of Belmont Abbey Col
lege, that the Rev. Joseph A. Schrei
ner, pastor of the Church of the As
sumption, Brooklyn, N. Y., will be
one of (he speakers at the commence
ment exercises which will be held
in June.
It was also announced that Gil
bert J. Farley, of Philadelphia, hon
or student in the senior class, and
editor of The Contact, the Abbey
College publication, will be the val
edictorian this year.
Missionary Sisters
Take Parish Census
Statistics of Cathedral
Parish in Savannah Are
Being Gathered by Nuns
(Special to The Bulletin)
SAVANNAH, Ga.—Two members
of the Order of the Missionary Ser
vants of the Most Blessed Trinity are
taking a census of the parish of 'he
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.
The purpose of the census, which is
being taken by Sister Angel Guard
ian and Sister Grace Angelica, is to
supply the pastor, (he Right Rev.
Monsgnor T. James McNamara with
a complete synopsis of every detail
of his parish.
The Missionary Sisters of the Most
Blessed Trinity were founded in 1917
at Holy Trinity, Georgia, near Co
lumbus, to combat religious prejudice
fomented by the K. K. K. The Rev.
Thomas A. Judge, of Germantown,
Pa., was the founder. Today there
are seme three hundred sisters in the
order, in addition to hundreds of
priests anud brothers in a companion
order.
Dress of Sisters is aimed to be in
conspicuous. It consists of a black
garb, white collars and cuffs, and a
plain felt hat. On the garb are seven
groups of three buttons each, repre
senting the seven gifts of the Holy
Ghost and the grouping is symbolic
of the Trinity. An oval pin is also
worn by the Sisters to signify their
special devotion to the Trinity. Un
like the other local communities of
nuns, the Missionary Sisters are per-
i nutted to drive automobiles. —i |