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Vol. XXIV No. 12 THIRTY-TWO PAGES AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, DECEMBER 18, 1943 ISSUED MONTHLY—$2.00 A YEAR
Published by the
Catholic Lay
men’s Association
of Georgia
“To Bring About
a Friendlier
Feeling Among
Neighbors Irre
spective of Creed”
COME LET US ADORE HIM!
Bulletins
Screen Premier of “Song of Bernadette”
Scheduled for Christmas Day in Los Angeles
RESPONDING to the request
of the Holy Father in his letter
to His Eminence Luigi Cardinal
Maglione,. Papal. Secretary, of
State, that public prayers be said
throughout the world on Decem
ber 8, Feast of the Immaculate
Conception, for a peace based on
“law, on truth, on justice and
fraternal charity,” special prayers
for this intention were recited in
Catholic Churches throughout the
United States.
WHEN THE Marines attacked
Tarawa Island in “the toughest
battle of their history,” four Cath
olic priest chaplains went ashore
with the first assault wave and re
mained throughout the entire en
gagement. None of them was in
jured.
They are the Rev. Francis W. Kel
ly, of Philadelphia; the Rev. Wil
liam O’Neill, of New York, the Rev.
Joseph Weiber, Lansing, Mich.,
and the Rev. John Loughran,
Rochester.
A STRING ATTACHED offer
of German occupation authorities
to grant the Most Rev. Ron.-ialio
Jalbrzywokski;-Archbishop of it li
no, his release from prison, has
been refused by the aged prelate,
who asserted he will remain in
prison as long as the Germans con
tinue to hold a single priest of his
Archdiocese.. The string attached
in the German offer involved his
willingness to institute an anti-
Soviet campaign in eastern Poland*
FIFTY PRINTS of a film strip
e n t i 11 e d, “Catholic Schools and
the War” have been sent out
by the U. S. Treasury Department
to diocesan superintendents of
schools, from whom schools de
airing to exhibit the film may
obtain it on loan. The film is
the first which the Treasury De
partment has produced to show
the activities of any schools in the
nation.
“The Song of Bernadette” will be
shown publicly for the first time
on Christmas Day in Los Angeles.
The film produced by William
Perlberg, for 20th Century Fox,
and directed by Henry King, is
based upon Franz Werfel’s best
seller which, according to the
author, was written on fulfillment
of a vow he made while visiting
the famous Shrine at Lourdes.
Caught, as were thousands of
others, in the deluge of Nazi hate
which flooded Europe, Franz Wer-
fel took refuge in France, just
ahead of the approaching German
armies.
Although a Jew, he felt moved as
he stood before the Shrine at
Lourdes, to offer prayers to Al
mighty God for deliverance from
the enemy.
As Franz Werfel tells his story
it was after kneeling in prayer, he
fell to contemplating the suffer
ing and persecution which, as his
tory proves, once became the - lot
of the poor little peasant girl,
Bernadette Soubirous.
BERNADETTE’S EXAMPLE
Somehow her example of cour
age touched him, giving him new
hope and he prayed again, this
time offering a promise that if it
were the Will of God that he be de
livered. his first act of gratitude
would be the writing of Berna
dette's story. He gathered together
all the authentic material he could
and later, spent.long months in
research, with the object of ful
filling the promise.
For he was spared ana with re
newed faith, completed the book
which was to become, among Cath
olics and non-Catholics alike, a
literary work of tremendous and
widespread interest and import
ance.
$83,000 FOR FILM RIGHTS
Throughout the whole effort,
Franz Werfel maintains that his
primary objective was to tell the
story to as many people as possi
ble. regardless of the material re
ward which might naturally come
to him as to any author fortunate
enough to produce a “best-seller.”
That he genuinely was thus mo
tivated is borne out, at least in part,
by the facts, for whether Mr. Wer
fel knew it, or not, 20th Century
Fox were prepared to pay as much
as $300,000 if necessary for the
screen rights to “The Song of
Bernadette.” The final purchase
price was $85,000. out of which the
author had to pay agency commis
sions and numerous expenses.
Had he bargained in the usual
Hollywood fashion he could have
received as least twice or three
times the amount for the film
rights.
Twentieth Century-Fox, once in
possession of the rights, spent ap
proximately $2,000,000 in filming
the story, with Jennifer Jones as
Bernadette, Ann Revere as Mrs.
Soubirous, her mother; Roman
Bohnen, as Francois Soubirous, her
father; Charles Bickford as Dean
Perymale, William Eyghe, a screen
newcomer, as her friend Antoin
Nicolau; Mary Anderson as her
girlhood friend, Jeanne Abadie,
and Gladys Cooper, as Sister Maria
Therese Vanzous.
ROTA ISSUES DECREES
OF NULLITY IN ONLY
FORTY MARRIAGE CASES
(Radio, N. C. W. C. News Service)
VATICAN CITY—Decrees of
nullity were issued in only 40 of
the 76 cases involving the mar
riage bond which came before the
Sacred Tribunal of the Rota dur
ing the juridical year 1342-43. it
is show,, by a report on that
period.
The Tribunal of the^Rota issued
a total of 104 decisions in the
course of the judical year. Of
these. 21 were concerned only with
incidental question. Of the 83 that
were of a definite nature, 76
were marriage cases. In these lat
ter. the Tribunal issued 40 de
crees of nullity and 36 negative
, decisions.
Christmas Message of the
Bishop of Savannah-Atlanta
Bishop’s House
• Savannah, Georgia
It is a pleasure to make use of the pages of the official organ
of the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia to extend to the
Priests, Religious and Laity of the Diocese my heartfelt best
wishes for an exceedingly happy Christmas and a New Year laden
with God’s rich blessings for soul and body. We pray that the
new year will find the banners of war furled, and the peace of
Christ reigning over the world.
Our hearts go out to those who have loved ones far from home
in distant Military Camps, at Naval Stations, on the high seas, in
the Air Corps or in far off combat zones. We realize the anguish
of their hearts. We appreciate their anxiety and their loneliness.
Many that were with us last Christmas, and the Christmas before,
are now in the service of their country. Their's is a life of many
sacrifices and of great hardships. We pray that the day may soon
dawn when they will come back home aghin safe and sound.
Whilst we dare not indulge in over-confidence because the
way to victory may still be long and difficult, the increasing fre
quency of international conferences held by leading statesmen
and heads of Governments prompt us to cherish the hope that the
day is not too far off when we will be able to sing the hymn of
victory. Statements of the highest consequence have been issued
after these meetings. The Atlantic Charter and the declaration
made at Teheran give a rather clear idea of the New Order that
men hope to see prevail in the world after the guns of war will
have been silenced. These declarations hold a particular interest
for the members of the Catholic Church, because we see reflectd
in thein the peace proposals that have been made by His Holiness,
Pope Pius XII on several occasions, notedly in his Christmas ad
dresses of 1939, 1940, 1941 and 1942. At Christmastime 1939, seven
months before the Atlantic Charter was written, the reigning Pon
tiff suggested five peace points which were substantially incorpor
ated in the Atlantic Charter, and which received an indirect con
firmation in the declarations of Teheran.
Whether, as members of the Catholic Church, we acknowledge
the supreme spiritual authority of the head of our Church, or, as
non-Catholics the high position that he holds as chief shepherd
of a world-wide flock is recognized, it can hardly be disputed that
his voice is a potent force in world affairs. Having dealt with
Governments in a diplomatic capacity for the major part of his
life, Pius XII can be ranked among the world's leading Statesmen.
It was, indeed, a pity that his voice was not heeded at a time
when he was striving to avert the war. I think that it can be
safely said that those who were responsible for naving plunged
the world into the horrors of war now keenly regret that they
did not listen to the representative of the Prince of Peace when
he was pleading with them to adjust their grievances, real or sup-
posd, without recourse to arms.
It was inevitable that Pope Pius XII should have been drawn
into the present conHict, not, of course, as a belligerent, since he
is the Vicar on earth of the Prince of Peace. However, he could
not remain indifferent to those crimes that tore asunder the en
tire human race. The difficulty of his position can be well
imagined. Every nation at war has vast numbers of its citizens
who recognize his spiritual authority, and yet the Holy Father
has preserved throughout a rigid impartiality and a strict, neu
trality. This, however, has not prevented him from denouncing
certain great evils that every decent man must condemn. In no
uncertain terms he has fought the spread of Totalitarianism in
Governments. Before all the world he has protested against the
persecution of religion, and the outrages committed against minor
ity groups. As for anti-Semitism, the Popes, particularly Pius
XI and Pius XII in our own day, have been forthright and out
spoken in condemning this barbaric and thoroughly unchristian
movement.
Speaking to a group of Belgium pilgrims on July 30th, 1938,
Pius XI said, “Abraham is called our Patriarch, our ancestor. Antj-
Semitism is not compatible with the sublime realization of that
text. It is a movement which we Christians cannot share . . . no,
it is not possible for Christians to take part in anti-Semitism for
we are Semites spiritually.” When anti-Semitism showed itself in
Italy, many departments in Italian Universities were presided
over by Jews, and when the head of the Italian State, yielding
to Hitler’s demands, discharged these professors, they were picked
up one by one by Pope Pius XII to fill positions in Catfiolic Uni
versities. The Holy Father protested to the Vichy Government
against the evacuation of the Jews on orders from Hitler for the
purpose of making them work in German war industries.
Prior to September 1st. 1939. the present Pontiff labored day
and night to avert the impending catastrophe. The world knew
something of his efforts through the public Press but very few have
any idea of the intense activity, through Papal diplomatic chan
nels, to bring tly: heads of Governments to their senses so that
the calamity of war might be averted. Since the outbreak of hos
tilities, our Holy Father has striven to alleviate, so far as po:si-
bic. the sufferings caused by the war Not the least of his char
itable works in this regard is the Vatican Information Bureau,
s through which prisoners of war have been enabled to communi
cate with their families at home. Here in Georgia many messages
concerning the ’^hereabouts and the health of prisoners of war
have been received through the medium of the Vatican. Very few
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