Newspaper Page Text
TWELVE
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
MARCH 27. 1943
THE BULLETIN
The Official Organ of the Catholic Laymen’s
Association of Georgia. Incorporated.
HUGH KINCHLEY, Editor
216-217 Southern Finance Building, Augusta, Ga.
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS FOR 1942-1943
BERNARD J. KANE, Atlanta President
MARTIN J. CALLAGHAN, Macon, 1st Vice-Pres.
J. B. McCALLUM, Atlanta Secretary
HUGH GRADY, Savannah Treasurer
HUGH KINCHLEY, Augusta.. Executive Secretary
MISS CECILE FERRY, Augusta, Asst Exec. Secty.
A. M. McAULIFFE. Augusta Auditor
Vol. XXIV March 27, 1943 No. 3
Entered as second class mattef June 15, 1921, at the Post
Office at Augusta. Ga_ under act of March, 1879. Ac
cepted for mailing at special rate of postage provided for
in Section 1103. Act of October 3. 1917. authorized Sept.
1. 1921
Member of N. C. W. C. News Service the Catholic Press
Association of the United States, the Georgia Press Asso-
ciation and the National Editorial Association.
Published monthly by the Publicity Department with the
Approbation of the Most Reverend Bishops of Raleigh,
Charleston, and Savannah-Atlanta, and of the Right Rev-
erend Abbot Ordinary of Belmont.
Religion in Russia Today
All credit and the deepest gratitude of every
American is extended to the brave soldiers of Soviet
Russia, who once fighting on the side of Nazi Ger
many, are now heroically battling against our com
mon enemy.
Early this month, a columnist in The Atlanta Con
stitution devoted his column on two successive days
to a review of an article in the March issue of The
Christian Herald, entitled “The Retreat of the God
less,” Dr. Basil Joseph Mathews, writer of the arti
cle was quoted as declaring that “The Union of the
Militant Godless is beating a steady _ retreat and
gradually giving up its war on religion,” and that
“The -church in Russia in the year 1943 is a stronger
Christian community than it has been at any time in
the last thousand years of its history.”
About the same time, through the N. C. W. C.
News Service, The Bulletin received a dispach from
Portugal which stated that an elaborately prepared
Soviet volume—to be circulated strictly for propa
ganda purposes outside Russia—in which an attempt
is made to justify the religious situation in Russia—
was asserted to be a collosal offense against truth
in a remarkable document that has come to light
in Lisbon. —
It may be possible tha the U. S. S. R. has chang
ed its attitude toward religion, but just the same,
the following editorial on “Religion in the Soviet”,
quoted from The Catholic News, of New York, makes
interesting and timely reading:
“There are few examples of duplicity in history
deserving to rank with the brazen effort of the
Nazis, with their - record of diabolical persecution
of religion, to assume the role of crusaders against
the anti-religions Communists. But the Commun
ists arc equaling if not outclassing Hitler and his
cohorts in effrontery by their campaign to wipe
from the minds of men the memory of their mur
derous persecution of Christianiy.
“This effort has resulted in a book, “The Truth
Concerning Religion in Russia,’ with a preface by
the Russian Orthodox Patriarch seeking to deny
that there was religious persecution in Russia. In
the light of facts, the perfidy of the Patriarch,
whether because of intimidation, self-interest or
other considerations, and the impudent audacity of
the Stalinists are obvious.
“In 1917 there were 43,000 organized Orthodox
parishes in Russia. Now in the entire territory of
the Soviet Republic there were, at the latest re
port, not more than 200 churches open for divine
worship. The prelates, priests and Religious who.
served these numerous parishes, tw’ice as many as
there are Catholic parishes and missions in the
United States, have been scattered, imprisoned, shot
or driven to the wilds of the steppes.
“The seminaries of the Soviet Union have been
closed for more than a score of years. Thousands of
monasteries, churches, cathedrals and shrines, have
been transformed into clubs, apartments, ware
houses and even anti-religious museums: all church
property has been seized by the government. A
series of metropolitans: including predecessors of
the Patriarch of Moscow, has disappeared; many
Bishops are known to have been murdered. The
Catholic Bishops and priests of Russia have been
eliminated, to be succeeded by a single one, Father
Braun of Moscow-, who ministers to the foreign
Catholics there under diplomatic auspices with the
reluctant permission of the Soviet authorities.
“There is no indication, therefore, that the hope
of a changed attitude toward religion by the Stalin
government is being realized, a fact confirmed by
local evidence. The Communist Party in the United
States is as vocal in its hostility toward religion as
at any time in its history; if Moscow had changed its
policy .the Communist Party in this country would
have altered its attitude as promptly as when it
reversed itself overnight on war and the Nazis. We
distinguish between the brave Russian people fight
ing and dying to protect their homes from the bar
barious invader, and the Soviet Government, which
insults our intelligence when it believes it can make
us believe that the bl&ek of murderous persecution
is the white of benevolent tolerance.”
Father Keenan
M ANY fide phrases might be written in tribute
to Father Keenan, pastor of Saint Patrick's
Church in Augusta, who was laid to rest last week,
for in him Were found those attributes of priestly
character that enshrine him lastingly in the
memory of those who had known him through his
pastoral ministrations or as one whose friendship
was cherished.
For Faith and Charity
O N Laetare Sunday, two years ago, the Catholic
Charities of the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta
was established, and by their generous re
sponse to its appeal the Catholics of Georgia once
more showed themselves to be exemplars of Catho
lic Action, giving their Most Reverent Bishop the
encouragement and support to envision the Catho
lic Charities of the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta as
a permanent institution.
Again this year, Bishop O'Hara makes an appeal
on behalf of the Catholic Charities of the Diocese,
and inspired by what has been accomplished in
the past through this medium, it can be expected
that the Catholics of Georgia will make what sacri
fice that may be necessary in order that the record
of achievement attained thus far through their con
tributions, may be maintained, and the advance
ment of the religious, education and charitable work
in Georgia, for which it has been responsible, will
be continued and increased.
In the year 1941-1942 the amount of $37,336.10
was raised through Catholic Charities, but during
the year 1942-1943 there was a falling off of close
to $15,000.00 in the contributions. It is hoped that
this difference will be more than made up in the
current year.
It has been eustojnary in other years for Catho
lic Charities to is.sue a publication to illustrate what
had been accomplished in the Diocese through Cath
olic Charities during the twelve month period that
was ending. This year, however, in order to con
serve paper and to reduce expenses, the usual
publication is not being issued, but in its place,
Bishop O'Hara has given a word picture of what
has been done through the medium of the Catholic
Charities of the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta in
the year that has elapsed since the campaign for the
fund was announced in 1942.
During the year from March 1942 to Msreh 1943,
thanks to Catholic Charities, it was possible to make
a considerable reduction of the debts that had to
be contracted in order to build new churches in
the rural sections of Georgia.
Thanks to Catholic Charities, the mission work
of the priests in the outlaying districts continued
with unabated zeal and with increasing good re
sults. Every Sunday of the year, priests in many
parts of the State of Georgia are traveling from
mission to mission in order to bring the blessing of
assisting at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the
consolations of religion to their scattered flocks
By special Indult of the Holy See, a number of these
priests are offering three masses on every Sunday
and each Holy Day of Obligation.
Thanks to Catholic Charities, the correspondence
school of religious instruction continues to bear
abundant fruit among the young generation in the
remote areas of the Diocese. Those living in the
larger cities of the state, where children have the
opportunity of attending Catholic schools, should
appreciate what a privilege and pleasure it is for
the parents of children in towns where there are no
Catholic, schools and no resident priest, to have
their children provided with a correspondence
course in their religion.
Thanks to Catholic Charities, ti»e Catholic Evi
dence Guild maintains an active correspondence
with hundreds of non-Catholics who have come to
know and love the Catholic Church through their
contacts with the Guild. More than fifteen hundred
earnest inquirers have had their questions in re
gard to Catholic teaching and practice answered.
Over thirty thousand pieces of Catholic literature
have been mailed to persons in Georgia who de
sired to know more about the Catholie Church. It
is definitely known that at least one hundred con
verts have been received into the Church through
this Guild.
Thanks to Catholic Charities, several priests in
Georgia have received funds which enabled them
to purchase automobiles so necessary in carrying
on their far-flung apostolic missions.
Thanks to Catholic Charities, the Catholie Mis
sion and Clinic for Colored people continues to.
render splendid service in Fulton County.
Thanks to Catholic Charities, more than seven
hundred of the Catholic boys and girls from Geor
gia, who are now serving in the Armed Forces of
their country, have been enrolled in the Pontifical
Society of the Propagation of the Faith, thereby
sharing in the thousands of Masses offered by the
Missionaries of the Society and In their spiritual
works.
This list of a few of the things which have been
made possible through the Catholic Charities of
the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta is far from com
plete, in fact, it is merely a hint*of much more and
greater good that has been accomplished lor re
ligion, education and charity in Georgia.
Georgia has a Catholic history that reaches back
beyond four hundred years. Its pages recount many
trials of the Faith in our state, but its pages are
also embellished with many triumphs. The most
glorious pages of the history of the Catholic Church
in the Stale of Georgia are yet to be written.
The Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Sa
vannah-Atlanta provides an instrumentality which
has done great things to further the propagation
and preservation of the Faith in Georgia.
The campaign which has been inaugurated to
carry on the work of Catholic Charities for another
year is not an end. but a means. One of its results
will be to speed the day when some of the most
brilliant pages of Georgia’s Catholic history may be
written. Its greatest fruit is not the sums of money
which were generously contributed, and will be con
tributed to the Catholic Charities of the Diocese of
Savannah-Atlanta, but the enlivening spirit of sacri
fice and devotion which cannot fail to bring the
blessing of God upon Our Bishop, who was its in
spiration. on all who are participating, on our
Diocese and on our State.
Dixie Musings
An esteemed contemporary of
The Bulletin, St. Anthony’s Cath
olic News, published by St. An
thony’s Parish, in Atlanta, is this
month issuing its eleventh anni
versary edition, which dedicates its
front page to Charles H. Meyer,
its Associate Editor.
Thomas J. O’Keefe, Editor of
St. Anthony’s Catholic News, states
in the dedication that the work of
his associate has not been given
the publicity that his efforts de
serve.
Mr. Meyer is from Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, where he was work
ing for the Pittsburgh Newspaper
Union- when, shortly after his mar
riage to Miss Nora Silar, he was
sent to Atlanta as foreman of the
press room for that publishing
house. Afterwards it was the At
lanta Newspaper Union and later
the Western Newspaper Union,
with Mr. Meyer remaining as fore
man of the press room.
He had been an active member
of St. Anthony's Conference of the
Society of St. Vincent de Paul for
a number of years. He is also £f
member of St. Anthony's Nocturn
al Adoration Society. When the
Holy Name Society was organized
Mr. Meyer was elected president
of St. Anthony's Branch, at that
time the only Holy Name Society
in Atlanta. He was one of those
who is responsible for making it
an outstanding organization.
Mr. Meyer inaugurated the an
nual “watermelon cuttings” that
were for many years a feature of
the social activity of the parish.
When St. Anthony's Parish News
made its debut in 1932, Mr. Meyer
volunteered his cooperation. He
first suggested the use of pictures
and is primarily responsible for
the excellent make-up of the paper
and an improved mailing system,
and for many other improvements
in the development of the publi
cation.
The only daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Meyer is Sister Mary Mar
cella, of the Sisters of St. Joseph
of Carondelet, well known t'ot
her educational work, especially in
Savannah. Their two sons are in
the armed forces. Sergeant C. H.
Meyer, Jr., of the U. S. Army,
is an instructor at Mississippi State
College, and Bernard P. Meyer, of
the U. S. Navy, is stationed at the
Naval Air Technical Training
School, Memphis, Tennessee.
St. Anthony's Catholie News
should be proud of its record and
progress during the past eleven
years, and proud also of its edi
torial staff and their co-workers.
The recent, death of J. Pierpont
Morgan, financiaer and philan
thropist, in Florida, recalls that he
was the recipient of the Grand
Cross of the Order of St. Gregory
the Great from the late Pope Pius
XI in 1938. Mr. Morgan carried on
the work started by his father,
which led to the restoration and
translation of the famous Coptic
manuscripts written in the period
between 823 and 914 A. D., and
containing certain parts of the
Sacred Scriptures, lives of the
Saints and homilies. Mr. Morgan,
who was not a Catholic, presented
Pope Pius XI with the first volume
of the restored famous work and
spent considerable time in a priv
ate audience with the Holy Father
in discussing the celebrated manu
scripts, which were discovered
about 1910 by a party of Arabs lr.
upper Egypt. The Arabs sold the
priceless manuscripts to a mer
chant who took them to Paris
where they were sold to the elder
Mr. Morgan.
The Rev. Hamilton West, pastor
of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, in
Augusta, graciously relinquished
the time usually devoted to a
broadcast of services from St.
Paul’s each Sunday morning, , in
order that listeners to. Station
WGAC in Augusta might hear the
radio address of Archbishop Spell
man from Algiers on March 14.
A recent and welcome visitor to
Augusta was the Rev. Alfred M.
Laube, S. M. A., for many years
pastor of the Immaculate Concep
tion Church here. Father Laube
is now stationed at St. Rose’s
Church, Lima, Ohi*.
Mrs. Ted Minahan, of Atlanta,
has recently received some most
interesting letters from her daugh
ter, Sister M. Canisius, who is a
Holy Cross Nun L. India.
Sister Canisius attended the
Sacred Heart School in Atlanta,
graduated from Mount de Sales
Academy, in Macon, and later
graduated from St. Mary's College,
Notre Dame, Ind.
She writes that it is almost im
possible to get sugar, and that
coal can not be secured so the
Sisters are cutting down their
trees for fuel. The oil supply she
says is low, as she imagines it is
here. “Many U. S. planes fly over
us,” she continues, and as evidence
that she still keeps in touch with
her home in Georgia, wants to
know how the Talmadge-Arnall
campaign for governor came out.
Some time ago, Sister Canisius
writes, she walked several miles
to a sugar mill near the convent
so that her pupils could see it
function and profit regardless of
its primitive condition. To her
amazement, she found a concrete
building, with modern equipment,
and the manager an Indian who
held a degree from Stanford Uni
versity in California.
This month, about the time that
newspapers were publishing that
the joint commission on holy mat
rimony of the Episcopal Church
proposed to relax the provisions
of the canons of that church re
stricting the remarriage of di
vorced persons, the Rev. Thomas
M. Elliott, whose column “Riding
the Circuit All Over Georgia”, ap
pears each Sunday in The Atlanta
Constitution, expressed a dissent
ing opinion in regard to remarry
ing persons who have been grant
ed divorces.
What Dr. Elliot said in his col
umn was: “Dear brethren and fel
low sinners, when a Methodist
preacher loses $50 it is something
to write about. But that is just
what happened to the Rev. J. R.
Turner, popular pastor of the At
lanta Kirkwood Methodist Church.
However, he hasn't regretted the
loss for a minute and has been
able ever since to look himself
squarely in the eye without shame.
“Here’s the story: Before com
ing to Kirkwood. Turner was pas
tor of a Methodist Church in a
county seat town. There came to
him a couple desiring to be mar
ried, and they informed the min
ister they were a divorced pair.
He informed the couple he could
not perform the ceremony for
them. They went to a neighbor
preacher of another denomination,
and that neighbor preacher mar
ried the divorced couple in one-
third of a jiffy, and gobbled up the
$50 wedding fee like Judas Iscariot
taking the 30 pieces of silver or a
Muscovy duck taking on a june-
bug.
“Hats off to Brother Turner.
It’s mighty fine to find a man loy
al to the teachings of Jesus Christ,
whether it involves per cent zero,
or 50 per cent, or _ss.”
“The Shamrock is Forbid by
Law"—According to an Associat
ed Press dispatch from London,
there were no shamrocks from
Ireland for St. Patrick's Day cele
brants in Great Britain, the t re-
foliate plant .emblem of Erin, be
ing included in the ban on the
transportation of flowers.
Just the same, though his sup-
uly was rationed, Charles Mc-
Brearty. in Macon, managed to get
a few shamrocks which he was
able to distribute to his friends
on a basis of one to each, instead
of generously as he had done dur
ing more peaceful years.
“Condemned to Hang by Fred
erick the Great” is the title of a
pamphlet by the Rt. Rev. Nich
olas Pfeil, D. D.. which has just
been issued by the Central Bu
reau Press, St. Louis.
This interesting little pamphlet
should enjoy a wide circulation. It
will make a fine gift for a mem
ber of the armed forces as it will
strengthen the soldier’s estimate
of his chaplain and- explain once
again the stuff of which heroes are
made. H. K.
* 1.*»G