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SIXTEEN l'HE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA JUNE 2G, 1943 Knights of Columbus in Macon Pioneers in War Activity (Special to The Bulletin) • MACON, Ga.—Coincident with the second anniversary of the opening of the Catholic Club as a recreational center for soldiers stationed in the Macon area, various organizations of St. Jos eph's parish and other Catholic groups prepared reports review ing their activity in this field of war activity. One such report was submit ted for Macon Council, No. 925, Knights of Columbus/ by Fran cis T. Cassidy, grand knight, and that report, omitting recommen dations is such a splendid record that it is printed here. When the national crisis carneon 1940 Macon Knights of Columbus anticipated that again the Order would have the privilege and re sponsibility of caring for the recre ational needs of service men. look ed forward to an active participa tion in caring for the soldiers at nearby army camps. The parish of St. Joseph's already had in uni form and under arms three men in the navy and twelve in the fedeial- ized National Guard. We wc-re aware that additional men and women would be inducted, enlisted or commissioned as time went on. All were determined to keep spir its and efforts at a level second to none. Charles LeHardy Adams, Sr-, was our Grand Knight. Members of the council wrote to the su preme knight, supreme advocate and supreme secretary, giving no tice of our desire to serve as a useful link of a mighty chain binding our efforts and our pray ers into a cohesive organization for the common good. •We were informed that the Knights of Columbus would not lead the way and the work as it had in the soul-stirring days of 1917- F918. It appeared that each coun ted and each parish should be self- integrated and have no responsibil ity to any other. Assistance, finan cial or otherwise was not to be available from the Supreme Council. We were assured that our record of achievements in the previous war, and the continued presence in our midst of several who had rendered valiant service at the previous time, offered suf ficient guarantee that the work of Macon Council No. 925 would again be outstanding and properly appreciated. Accordingly, the Knights cf Co lumbus subordinated their corpo rate identity to whatever organiza tion might later be chosen to give expression to the aims and aspira tions of the congregation at large. Our pastor and chaplain, the Rev- Peter McDonnell, S. J.. called a meeting of parish members at the Catholic Club House for the nigh: of Wednesday, February 12, 1941. A number of leading mem bers of the parish accepted the invitation. Wililam H. Mitchell, a past state deputy of Georgia and past grand knight of our council, was chosen chairman of the meet ing. A general discussion was had, alt pledged cooperation to the ex tent of ability, and consented to serve in whatever capacity might be assigned. The body voted to conduct its activities under the name "The Catholic Club.” Inclu sive of the entire parish. Various persons offered suggestions: Fast Grand Knight John J. McCreary proposed that each soldier visiting the club be requested to register and give the name and address of the nearest of kin or closest friend, to whom the club would send a message of greeting, good cheer and assurances of a welcome of the soldier. This proposal was adopted and made a part of the club's pro gram. The following Sunday, the first draft of soldiers having arrived at Camp Wheeler, the club was open all day. Committees of men and women were on duty to welcome the visitors then and on success ive weefeends- Of the 32 men and 44 women receiving and discharg ing duty assignments on tile va rious committees, 20 men were knights and 29 women were wives, mothers, sisters or daughters of members of the Order. This pro portion of workers has been main tained until this date. Early in the Spring (1941) w-e participated in the city-wide pro gram of carrying the soldiers on a tour of the peach orchards then in full bloom. Nine-tenths of the sol diers were from New England, some from the boundary of Can ada; the pink peach blossoms en tranced and enchanted them. Dances were held on Saturday nights at the Club House and open house entertainment offered all day Sunday and Sunday evening. Letters from the “nearest rela tives and closest friends” were be ing received; experssions of appre- j ciation. praise and commendation came in encouraging and gratify ing ntffnbers. Other recreational groups, at first locally and later nationally, adopted the Catholic Club’s notification program. It was soon realized that the Catholic Club House was not nearly spacious enough to accom modate the crowds. Floor space was not sufficient to enable a rea sonable number to dance. St. Jos eph's Hall, in the church basement, would admirably serve our needs: Father McDonnell applied to our Most Reverend Bishop for permis sion to use it for entertainments and dances, and the desired per mission was readily and theerlully granted “for the duration, plus six months.” To make the necessary repairs mid install needed equip ment, including the replacii^J of the wooden floor with a durable concrete foundation and cement surface- Father McDonnell - re quested and obtained authority to expend 53,000 of church money. All this was completed by about April. 1941. and St. Joseph’s Halt became the scene and center of the Catholic Club's activities. . — Meanwhile, the Council contin ued to hold its semi-monthly meet ings and welcomed the soldier- knights who visited us. All these visitors expxessed sincere appre ciation of the cordiality of the re ception accorded them by the peo ple of our community. Quaint ideas about Southern people, im planted in childhood, began to un dergo changes to our advantage. Soldiers began to vie with one an other in acquiring our pronuncia tion and colloquialisms; “you all” became part of many vocabularies. The three degrees were confer red July 13. 1941, upon a class of candidates from the“ councils in the Second Georgia District (At lanta, Columbus and Macon) of whom a majority were soldiers in cluding four of this council's four teen candidates, one being an army chaplain. During Christinas w'eek of 1941 the Council sponsored a bingo par ty for soldiers and for civilian men of the parish providing prizes for players and refreshments for members and guests- Members of the Council have adopted “pen-pals” among the sol diers and are waiting letters to them. Reply letters from soldiers in distant camps, some from the other side of the globe, are read at council meetings. We assisted the Rev. Cajetan R. Sullivar. C. P.. chaplain at Camp Wheeler, and Henry J. Laker, a newly initiated soldier, in the sponsoring of a mammoth Holy Name demonstration on Sunday, September 14, 1941, in which 700 officers'and men attended a pon tifical low Mass, received Holy Communion, made the first parade of soldiers after the arrival of troops at Camp Wheeler, and were reviewed by Bishop O’Hara, Gen. John H. Hester, commanding gen eral at the camp, - and enjoyed a communion breakfast at Hotel Dempsey. We properly publicized the event, awarded a distinguished .service citation to Brother Laker, and reported the facts to the Su preme Office. Priests from St. Joseph’s cared for the spiritual needs of soldiers at Cochran Flying Field, Herbert Smart Airport and Warner Robins Army Air Depot until military chaplains of our faith were assign ed to duty there- Members ot our council brought to the attention of the Military Ordinariate the need for military chaplains and believe that their influence was partially responsible for the furnishing of these needed chaplains. Members of the council dissem inate information to the soldiers about local civic activities and co operate with the several military chaplains in their own activities. Two Tield Classes have been of fered at Camp Wheeler (the most recent having been on Easter Sun day. 1943) and one at Cochran Field is being planned by the Rev. John T. Higgins, chaplain there. In all of these enterprises the Knights afforded a full measure of cooper ation. Plans for corporate communions and communion breakfasts exclu sively for soldiers are now being made, it being contemplated that each of the camps and fields will perhaps be extended separate in vitations. Exemption from payment of dues and usual and ordinary per capita taxes have been voted mem bers of our council in military or naval service. The number bene- fitted, including a few not yet re ported to Supreme Council, is po tentially 19. An Honor Roll is in preparation and a service flag will Mount de Sales Academy * • < s Mount de Sales Academy, Macon. Georgia, has been conducted by the Sisters of Mercy, who first came to Macon in 1871. In addition to conducting Mount de Sales Academy, the Sisters of Mercy also teach at St. Joseph’s Parochial School, in Macon. be mounted when the correct num ber is determined. Our Council’s War Activities Historian is compiling the records, .both personal and service, of the 115 or more members of St. Jos eph's parish, prepared the Parish Honor Roll, and- keeps it in cur rent standing. Since January, 1943. the Coun cil promotes a series of Apprecia tion Programs honoring active members of the council- When the subject of the eulogy is a soldier not present at the meeting, phono graph records of the tribute are made and forwarded to the mem ber’s family. THE USO-NCCS Let it not be assumed that throughout this time these activi ties were entirely without outside financial aid even thougli the Knights of Columbus was not priv ileged to function in the same ca pacity in which it served during World War I. The Archbishops and and Bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States at their 1940 General Meeting desig nated the National Catholic Com munity Service as the official Catholic agency to meet the spir itual and recreational needs grow ing cut of the then rapidly expand ing military and industrial mobili zation foe national defense. Su preme Knight Francis P. Mathews became chairman of the NCCS Ex ecutive Committee and Supreme Advocate I.uke E. Hart was a com mittee member. The knights loyal ly followed the example of their leaders. The NCCS was affiliated with the YMCA, YWCA. JWB, TA and SA, alt composing the United Ser vice Organizations. Effective as of June 1, 1941. or threabouts, the ac tivities and facilities of the Catho lic Club were taken over by the USO operated by the NCCS Club of Macon. W. H. Mitchell was re tained in charge as director, and assistants later added were Mrs- Edna Hutlmance Sheridan and Frank L. McDonough, of this council. Volunteer workers from the parish, and indeed from the city at large, continued to assist the staff. Most, of the men giving spare time to the cause were ac tive and valued members of our council, and many of the ladies as sisting were the knights’ wives, mothers, sisters and daughters. The previous' wartime slogan of “Everybody Welcome—Everything Free 1 ’ was supplanted by “Your Home Away From Home.” Individuals may have honest dif ferences of opinion as to the ex tent of credit which the Knights of Columbus may properly claim to the results, to the friends who have been made, to the homes which have been cheered, to the hearts wiiich have been lifted and the bodies which have been nour ished. Without solicitation on our part, and strictly as a routine • re port. as we understand it, an ac knowledgment of the assistance of the Knights of Columbus was written by the staff of the USO operated by the NCCS and fer- w'arded to its headquarters on April 24, 1943, from which we are privileged to quote; “Prior to operation of the club by USO-NCCS the Knights of Co lumbus of Mat-on. as a council, were instrumental in organizing the Catholic Club for service men. with Rev. Peter McDonnell and members of the clergy of St. Jos eph’s Parish, the Knights of Co lumbus jointly operated the club under the direction of Mr. W. H- Mitchell, the present director. The Knights of Columbus, at all times, has been fully cooperative- In ad dition to actual events in which the council has participated there has been a comforting feeling in know ing that, at any time, the Macon Council stands ready beside USO and NCCS in providing comfort, relief and recreation for those in the armed services and war workers alike. “The Council Grand Knight. F. T. Cassidy, officers and members are on record to this effect and have substantiated this readiness by action on all occasions. “Grand Knight F. T. Cassidy has acted as chairman of the, manage ment committee. “Every committee on club ac tivities lias one or more members of Macon Council 925. “The Council rooms are avail able at all times, when not used by K. of C. for USO activities. “Outstanding as events was a se ries of open meeting held at the club during the annual convention of the Georgia Catholic Laymen’s Association. Duri ffg the conven tion. His Excellency, Bishop Gerald P- O’Hara of Savannah-Atlanta Diocese, addressed the largest as sembly of service men and civil ians at the club, in its history to date. “The club in joint sponsorship with Knights of Columbus arrang ed a series of radio broadcasts over Macon radio stations and also lectures before Lions, Civitan and Kiwanis clubs, at open meetings. A capacity audience of service men and war workers were in attend ance at another lecture in the club. All of these broadcasts and lec tures were made by Father Victor J. Dossogne, S. J., Loyola Universi ty of the South, a former chap lain in the Belgian armed forces. “Jointly sponsored. Macon Council 925 K. of C., held an open reception and entertainment for all service men at the club. “Each year, during Lenten pe riod. Easter time. Christmas and New year seasons. K. of C. coopera tion in all activities has been greatly appreciated- “Numbers of the K. of C. have joined with us continually in aid ing Chaplains in their many spe cial preparations for services in Army chapels during periods of special devotion. “Knights of Columbus and their families have assisted with us at Field Masses for the armed forces. “Relation of actual events dees not fully portray the measure of assistance rendered by the local Knights of Columbus. The Council and members are always on hand, ready and useful, to further the interests and benefits accomplish ed by USO-NCCS action. They are always accomplishing deeds signif icant of the work in which wc are engaged. “William H. Mitchell, director of this club, is Past Grand Knight of Macon Council 925 and has been honored by the council in every .possible way. The Knights of Co lumbus Chamber in Macon has been officially designated in his honor as Mitchell Hall. STATION WMAZ, MACON, BROADCASTING NOTED SACRED HEART PROGRAM MACON, Ga. — Radio Station WMAZ in Macon is now broad casting regularly, Friday through Monday of each week, the noted Sacred Heart Program, produced under the direction of the Rev- Eu gene P. Murphy, S. J„ by the Jes uit Fathers at St. Louis University, a program that is heard daily by millions in all parts of the United States and Canada. The program is heard over WMAZ from 6:30 to 6:45 a. m. Arrangements for the presenta tion of the Sacred Heart Program through- the facilities of Station WMAZ were made by the Rev. Harold Gaudin, S. J., pastor of St. Joseph’s Church, with the assist ance of Mrs. Edward Sheridan Father Gaudin is writing letters to the pastor of every Catholic Church in Georgia, requesting them to call the attention of their parisioners to the (broadcast, and asking that those who hear the pro gram send a card to the station ex pressing their appreciation. All of the announcers at Station WMAZ, no one of whom is a Catholic, are giving their services without charge. Women 9 s Division of USO-NCCS Formally Launched in Macon (Special to The Bulletin) MACON, Ga. — Formal inaugur ation of the newly organized wo men’s division of the National Catholic Community Service, a member group of the United Ser vice Organizations, was held in the form of an open house on June 10 at the USO-NCCS Club here. W ith Mrs. Jack Cutler, as di rector, a wide range of new activi ties for women will be sponsored by the U. C. C. S. in Macon, under the supervision of Miss Charlotte Ford, of Atlanta, regional director. Mrs. Cutler has prepared a pro gram of activity that will embrace both practical and recreational interests of girls and women. Quarters of the women’s division are being set up at the USO-NCCS Club on New Street, with possible expansion later as the project glows. Activities are to include re creation, sewing,/pressing, cooking, with equipment and instruction, available for the last named three. There will also be physical Titness classes, hobby gioups' and a club room for the use of either indivi duals or groups, every day and evening. The purpose of the plan is to till the lacks existing in new. en vironments, to offer new interests and possibility of new friendship, and to keep the girls and women so vitally affected by the war as hap py and efficient as possible. William H. Mitchell, local di rector for the USO-NCCS, stated that the^organization of a women's division of the NCCS here will af ford the club greater faciity to be of service to women working in war production, women employed at local Army camps as stenogra phers, clerks and nurses, women relatives of soldiers and defense workers, and members of the WAACS. WAVES, SPARS and Wo men’s Reserve of the Marine Corps. Foliowing the open house, a variety show, featuring the camp production. “Red. White and Khadi.” was presented under the direction of Capt. Wayne Scriven er. Thf club room, which will be open every day and evening, is most attractive with a southeast exposure and a bay window. The walls are tinted cream. Cream and peach colored J'lowered chintz cov ers a sofa and occasional chairs are upholstered in blue. Two desks, back to back, placed by a window, and a piano, contribute to the atmosphere of comfort and re laxation. At the tea, which formally open ed the club. Miss Mona McGold- rick and Miss Chlotilde Miller poured tea and served punch, while Miss Barbara Richardson and Miss Peggy MeGoldrick were in charge of legistrations- Mrs. Cutler plans to have a vol unteer hostess on duty at all times. Those who have^already offered to serve in this capacity are Mrs. Lawrence Bernd. Mrs. Frederick Williams. Mrs. Louis How, and Miss Helen Stacy. Augusta Deanery, NCCW, Sponsors Essay Contest AUGUSTA, Ga. — The Commit tee on Extension of Religious Edu cation. of the Augusta Deanery of the National Council of Catholic Women, recently sponsored an essay contest in which students at tending Catholic schools in Augus ta participated. T he subject of the essay was the motion picture. “Through the Centuries”, which was exhibited at each of the local Catholic schools, white and colored. Contestants were allowed forty-five minutes af ter the -picture had been shown to "rite their impressions of it. Separate prizes of $5 in War Savings Stamps were awarded each of the winners from the high school and grade school groups. In the opinion of the judges, Mary Van Sant, of Mount St. Joseph’s Academy, submitted the best essay in the high school class ification. while Marie Bolder, al so of Mount St. Joseph's, submit ted the best essay from the gram mar schools. Helen Hammond, of the high school, and Cleo Brown, of the grammar school, were judged win ners at the Immaculate Conception School which serves the colored Catholics of Augusta. Arrangements for the contest were made by Miss Anita Yar borough. Deanery chairman of the Committee on the Extension of Religious Education, with Miss May Mahoney. Miss Mary Sullivan, Miss Jane Cosgrove, and Mrs. Ed ward Schweers assisting in con ducting the contest. The picture was exhibited with Christopher Baynes as the operator. Judges of the contest were Mrs. Cecile Durban Fielder. Alfred M. Battey and Hugh Kinchley.