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FEBRUARY 23, 194 6
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
THREE
News Review of the Catholic World
Letter From Missionary in South Pacific
Tells of Experience and Death of Marist
Brother From Savannah in Jap Prison Camp
Accepts Chairmanship of Converts League
(Special to The Bulletin)
SAVANNAH. Ga. — Through
the Very Rev. William J. Loner-
gan, S. M„ formerly pastor of the
Sacred Heart Church in Atlanta,
now at St. Mary’s Manor, Lang-
horne, Pa., relatives here have re
ceived word of the experiences of
Brother Joseph Redmon, S. M.,
who was killed in the Solomon Is
lands two years ago when the Jap
anese concentration camp in which
he was a prisoner was bombed by
American airmen.
Brother Joseph was a native of
Savannah, he was a graduate of
(lie Marist School here, and was a
member of Savannah Council,
Knights of Columbus. Before en
tering the novitiate, he made his
home with his aunt, the late Mrs.
Thomas Cooley. Another aunt.
Mrs. J. R. McDonough, and a num
ber of cousins of Brother Redman,
live in Savannah.
Here follows the story of Broth
er Joseph Redman’s experiences
and death as told in a letter which
Father Lonergan received from
the Itev. Joseph Lamarre, S. M.,
a Marist missionary in the North
Solomon Islands:
“It is my duty to inform Broth
er Joseph Redman’s relatives con
cerning his last year on the mis
sions and his death. Brother Jo
seph had no immediate family
alive, but only cousins: these I do
not know how to reach. But I re
member Brother telling me that
you were acquainted with many of
them. So I write these lines know
ing that you will notify them as to
how he died.
“Shortly before the arrival of
the Japanese in Buka. March 1942,
Brother was transferred from Tim-
buts in Bougainville to Buka. He
was with Father Montouban when
the Japanese marines invaded
Buka. For five months, till Au
gust 26, 1942, he with four Marist
Fathers were treated with respect,
and given considerable freedom.
The capture of Guadalcanal by the
Americans changed the whole sit
uation. We were all imprisoned at
Soliana, a small island near Buka,
and though the French Fathers
were permitted to return to their
station after a while. Brother and
I. Americans, were kept prisoners
there for a year and a day.
“On August 27. 1943, Brother
and 1 were sent to Rabaul. There
we remained for five months in a
military prison camp. From No
vember 1943, till the end of Janu
ary 1944, were obliged to work at
hard labor, on half a pound of rice
per day. There is no need to tell
ing you how we fared on that. By
that time Brother suffered from
stomach trouble and beri beri. He
weighed 103 pounds, and was prac
tically blind, and almost unable to
stand. My condition was not much
better.
“Happily we'met a kind Japa
nese officer, and lie managed to
have us transferred to the Mission
Concentration Camp of the Sacred
Heart Fathers of Vunopope, on
January 29. 1944 There we re
ceived proper medical attention
and found good food. We were
improving very rapidly, until the
American air power struck the
Mission Camp. Brother Joseph
was the first victim. Being kept
in the hospital, he had no time to
seek shelter. When the American
dive-bombers visited our locality.
February 11, 1944, Brother Joseph
was killed instantly. We found his
body under the debris of the hos
pital. Father Maurice Bocli, S. M.;
performed the funeral services,
and now Brother Joseph lies bur
ied in the cemetery of the Mis
sionaries of the Sacred Heart at
Vunopope.
“For an entire year, 1 was Broth
er’s only companion. During those
twelve long months of imprison
ment at Soliana, Brother Joseph
led a sincere and faithful Marist
life. He performed every one of
his spiritual exercises with the fer
vor of a novice. Remarkable was
his devotion to our Blessed Moth
er. Many of the Missionaries had
commented on Brother’s devotion
to Mary. I had ample opportunity
to observe it. He was a true ser
vant of Mary. His rosary never
seemed to leave his hand. While in
the Rabaul camp, under adverse
conditions, he continued his spiri
tual exercises, and the recitation
of his rosary. He made his con
fession regularly, and he receiv
ed Holy Communion, the last thii^
teen days of his life, daily. Wc
were not surprised that our Bless
ed Mother came for him on her
Feast Day. Brother Joseph re
mains an inspiration to us. Em
ployed in humble duties, he found
happiness in living his Marist life
sincerely.
“We in the North Solomons feel
that we have lost a gbod confrere.
I, who knew him so intimately
during seventeen months of prison
life, feel that 1 have lost a Buddy,
one who shared hardship and dan
ger with me; .one who will be an
inspiration to me for the rest of
my life because of his great devo
tion to Mary.
“I hope that his life and death
will be an incentive to our Ameri
can Brothers, to come to the Mis
sion Field, and pick up the torch
that dropped from his dying
hands. We need more like him—
Brothers who know how to obey,
who labor as requested, who live
a sincere Religious life, and who
are true Marists to the end.”
Father Lemarre added that he
and Brother Joseph and a number
of Fathers and Sisters were not,
at first bothered by the Japanese.
Before the invasion they had been
given an opportunity to leave, but
that would have spelled disaster to
any further missionary activity
among the natives, he said. “As a
result of the heroic stand of the
missionaries, the whole native pop
ulation lias been won over to the
side of the Church, and now. it
only remains to get more workers
to gather the harvest,” he con
cluded.
Mt. St. Mary’s College
Launches Building Program
I EMMITSBURG, Md., —(NC) —
I Mount St. Mary’s College, one of
j the oldest Catholic Colleges in
i the United States, has begun an
| extensive building program to
I cope with the increasing enroll-
: merit of veterans, college authori-
j lies have announced.
Among the projects contem
plated for the immediate future
are a new science building, an in
firmary, a library, a gymnasium,
a golf course and extensive im
provements to (lie grounds. The
gymnasium will be dedicated to'
the College graduates who gave
their lives in this war.
The college is' entering its 14t)(li
year of sendee in Christian edu
cation.
THE CONGRESSIONAL MRD-
) AL, awarded posthumously to Pfc.
I Manuel Perez, was presented to
I his father. Manuel Perez, Sr., of
] Laredo, Texas, by General Jona-
I than Wainwrlght. Private Perez,
i a former member of St. Francis
j of Assisi parish. Chicago, was giv-
i cn Hie nation’s highest honor for
heroism displayed during the re
capture of Luzon. The young
soldier belonged to a parachute
regiment pinned down by heavy
enemy fire. In all he is reported
to have knocked out twelve pill
boxes and killed 7f> Japanese sol
diers in a heroic drive to save his
comrades. One month later lie
was killed by a sniper's bullet.
Catholic Committee of the South
to Convene in New Orleans in May
(Special to The Bulletin)
BILOXI, Miss.,-—The executive
board of the Catholic Committee
of the South, in session at the
lidgewater Gulf Hotel here, an
nounced the acceptance of tile
invitation extended by the Most
Rev. Joseph F. Rtimmel, S. T. D.,
LL. D.. Archbishop of New Or
leans, to hold its annual con
vention in that city, and a pro
gram is now being arranged for
the convention, which will be held
in New Orleans in May.
In attendance at the meeting
were the Rev. Thomas E. O’Con
nell. of Richmond, Va., chairman;
Hugh Kinchley, Augusta, Ga.,
vice-chairman; A. J Cummings,
New Orleans, executive secretary;
the Right Rev. Msgr. T. .fames
McNamara, Savannah, Ga.; the
Right Rev. Msgr. Leo M. Byrnes,
Mobile. Ala.; the Very Rev. Msgr.
Geoffrey O’Connell. Ph. D.. Biloxi;
the Rev. William J. Cartel. New
Orleans; t lie Rev. George Lewis
Smith, Aiken. S. C.; the Rev.
Frank Giri, Mobile; the Rev.
Joseph Durick, Birmingham; the
Rev. Chester P. Michael. Rich
mond, Va.: the Rev. Edward C.
Elliott. Nashville, Tenn., the Rev.
William E. Barclay, Memphis,
Tenn.. the Rev. Henry C. Bezou,
New Orleans, the Rev. Jerome A.
Drotel New Orleans i he flcv.
Vincent O’Connell, S. M., New
Orleans; Dr. A. L. Stabler, K. S.
G.. Birmingham, and Paul Wil
liams, Richmond, Va.
The Catholic Committee of the
South is a non-profit organization,
dedicated to the application of
Christian principles to the eco
nomic, industrial, rural civic and
social welfare of all people ot the
Southern States. It was organ
ized in Atlanta in 1940, with the
Most Rev. Gerald P. O'Hara, D. D..
J. U. D!, Bishop of Savannah-
Atlanta, as Episcopal Chairman.
Other conventions of the Cath
olic Committee of the South have
been held in Birmingham, Rich
mond, Biloxi, and Memphis. The
1945 convention, scheduled to be
held in Charlotte, N. C., was call
ed off on account of wartime con
ditions.
MOST REV. VINCENT S. WATERS, D. I).
BISHOP OF RALEIGH
Hts Excellency the Most Reverend Vincent, S. Waters, D.
Bishop of Raleigh, has accepted the Episcopal Chairmanship of the
Converts League of the Catholic Daughters of America, and addressed
a meeting of the natioi.a. officers of the Catholic Daughters of
America held in New York February 20-21.—(NC Photos).
Catholic Lay Association Being
Organized in Diocese of Raleigh
Bishop Waters Outlines Plans for Formation of an As
sociation of the Catholic Laity of North Carolina Be
fore Leaders of Catholic Men’s Club in Charlotte—
Temporary Officers Elected Include Edward Mac-
Clements, President; Fred C. Ray, Secretary-Treas-
urer
MORE Til \N $12,000,000 will
be needed for Jesuit relief and
the rehabilitation of Jesuit insti
tutions destroyed in Europe dur-
l>:,! ing World War It. the Rev. Ber
nard R. i-lubbard, S. J.. the ''Gla
cier priest," back from a survey of
war torn Europe, reported at a
national conference of the Ameri
can Jesuit provinces in Chicago.
The Jesuits were l'carcd and hated
by Hitler, the priest-explorer said.
They were sought nut and dis
honorably discharged from the
Nazi army because they won
youth away from totalitarian phil
osophy. lie said
>50.000 REPRINTS of a story
which appeared in the Catholic
“comic” magazine. Timeless Topix,
are being distributed by the Na
tional Conference of Christians
and Jews. The story tells of the
friendship of three young Amer
icans who played football together
at a Massachusetts high school and
then .vent t give their lives in the
war. The boys were Blaine Kchoe,
a Catholic, George Fostc . a Prol-
ai ' and Gershott Ross, a Jew.
(Special to The Bulletin)
CHARLOTTE, N. C.— Plans for
the formation of an association of
the Catholic laity of the Diocese
of Raleigh, men and women, were
placed before a group of members
of St. Peter’s and St. Patrick’s
parishes in Charlotte by the Most
Rev. Vincent S. Waters, D. D.,
Bishop of Raleigh, at a meeting
held on January 30 at the rectory
of St. Patrick’s Church.
The purpose of the organization
would be to make the Catholic
Church better known and better
understood in North Carolina and
to continue to promote the good
relations now existing between
Catholics and non-Catholies in this
state.
It was decided at the meeting
to proceed" with the organization
of the laymen’s association im
mediately, and temporary officers
were elected, Edward MacClem- j
cuts being chosen president and '
Fred C. Ray, secretary-treasurer.
• The new organization will be ,
called the North Carolina Catholic j
Lay Association and it is the j
intention of its founders to secure ;
the services of a qualified execu- j
live secretary, whose duties, j
among others, would be the edit- j
ing and publishing of a news
paper and flte promotion of its j
circulation throughout the parish
es of the Diocese of Raleigh.
It was poin' d out at tlie meet
ing that Charlotte is being chosen
as a starting point for similar
associations in other places in
North Carolina. The Catholic
Men’s Chih of Charlotte is lend
ing its wholehearted support to
t lie movement.
Attending the meeting, in ad
dition to Bishop Waters, were
the Right Rev. Msgr. Arthur R.
Freeman, P. A., Vicar General of
I lie Diocese of Raleigh, and pas
tor of St. Patrick’s Church here;
the Rev. Maurice McDonnell, O.
S. B.. pastor of St. Peter’s Church:
the Rev. Fred A. Koch and the
Rev. Patrick N. Gallagher, as
sistant pastors ot St. Patricks
Church, who were present in an
advisory capacity, and the fol
lowing local Catholic laymen. Ed
ward MacCleoienU, Fred C. Ray,
George J. Falla. Colonel Francis
J. Beatty. William J. Spain,
George T. Carey. Joseph It.
Angel, Dennis J. Dunn and
Nicholas Stafford.
WASHINGTON’S BIRTHDAY
MARKED BY 4TII DEGREE
1\. OF C. IN SAVANNAH
SAVANNAH, Ga.—The Right
Rev. Msgr. T. James McNamara, 1 ,.,,
rector of the Cathedral oi St John ! c
tile Baptist, and State Senator-Guy
O. Stone, of Glenwood. wove the
speakers at the annual Washing
ton’s Birthday dinner of the local
Fourth Degree Assembly of the
Knights of Columbus, bald at t lie
Hotel Savannah. Edward I’. Daly,
faithful navigator of Savannah As
sembly. presided.
DOCUMENTARY EV1DENCE
ltu ; become available in Washing
ton to coni :rm and enlarge pre
vious reports, published in this
country last December through
NCWC lews Service, that high
Nazi official- in 1941 proposed to
hang Cardinal Count Clemens Au
gust von Galen. Bishop of Muen-
sler in Germany in retaliation
fo his public denunciation of
Nazi “mcrcy-killmgs."'
CATHOLICS IN GREECE have
emerged with added prestige front
(lie war according to Apologcti-
sche Blacttcr. Swiss Catholic Ac
tion organ published in Zurich.
paper quotes Kadozntir, Cath
olic newspaper of Athens, saying
that all the Catholic Bishops and
priests of Greece were found free
of any taint of collaboration wilti
the Nazi or Fascist invaders. *
ATOM TEACHER
BISHOP JOSEPH P. HURLEY,
or St. Augustine, lias arrived safe
ly in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, to
take up his special duties ns Reg
ent ad interim at the Apostolic
Nunciature. Upon Itis arrival in
fSblgrade. Bishop Hurley was met
by the Archbishop of Belgrade, a
delegation of clergy and the chief
ot protocol of Hie Yugoslavian
foreign office.
A NEW VATICAN organization,
; Documentazionc Cimematogia-
! Cizlio Vaticane, filmed the cere-
j monies of the consistory in Vati-
i can City. Filming was under the
I direction of Count Guleazzi and
i Monsignor Pi into. Principe of the
! Vatican Governatoralo. This
organization had exclusive rights
to handle the filming inside the
Vatican.
Dr. Lisa Meitner woman scien-
" who has been appointed to
the faculty of Catholic University
of A terica. She is noted for Iter
studies on atomic energy Which
pointed the way for the history-
making atom bomb.—(NC PUo'.oss.' embrace Christianity.
AN ASTRONOMER of the Pa-
! , Observatory in Home has dis-
I covered a nee or returning comet
i in the I,co Minor constellation
m ar Ursa Major (Big Dipper), it
lias oeen announced. The path of
lb comet has not yet been deter
mined but it is moving about one
degree each day across Hie north
ern sky.
I)R. SHIGERU NAMBARA,
president of the Imperial Univer
sity of Tokyo, in an interview
with the correspondent of NCWC
News Service disavowed the state
ment attributed to him that 1 lie
emperor of Japan together with
his household was preparing to