Newspaper Page Text
Published by the
Catholic Lay
men’s Associatidh
of Georgia
Vol. XXVIII, No. 1
TWENTY PAGES AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, JANUARY 25, 1947
ISSUED MONTHLY—$2.00 A YEAR
Bishop Gerald P. O’Hara Appointed Regent of
Apostolic Nunciature at Bucharest, Rumania
Bishop of Savannah-Atlanta #
Named to Diplomatic Post by
His Holiness Pope Pius XII
VATICAN CITY, Jan. 11—(Radio NC)—Bishop Gerald
P. O’Hara of Savannah-Atlanta, has left Rome to assume the
duties of Regent of the Apostolic Nunciature at Bucharest,
Rumania. His appointment to that post by His Holiness Pope
Pius XII has been announced here.
In Bucharest, Bishop O’Hara will take over the duties
which Archbishop Andrea Cassulo, Apostolic Nuncio, re
linquished when he was forced to withdraw because of reasons
of health.
With the exception of a recent few days visit to the United
States. Bishop O’Hara has been in Rome since last May. Hq
left this country with his secretary, Father John C. Kirk, at a
time when unconfirmed reports stated he was in line to be
named Regent of the Apostolic Delegation at Scutari, Albania.
These reports dwindled to the doubtful class when later advices
told of “strained relations” between the Holy See and the
present Albanian regime.
As early as last July reports began reaching this country
that Bishop O’Hara was under consideration for a post in
Rumania. These reports became stronger last November when
advices reached this country that the Holy See had applied
to Rumanian authorities for a visa to enable the Bishop to
enter that country.
SAVANNAH, Ga. — At the
Masses celebrated in the Cathe
dral of St. John the,Baptist and
in other Catholic churches in Sa-
vananh on January 1, the Feast of
the Circumcision, New Year's
greetings from His Excellency
the Most Rev. Gerald P. O’Hara,
D. D., J. XJ. D„ Bishop of Savan-
nah-Atlanta, were read to the con
gregations.
Bishop O’Hara, wijo had been
abroad since last May, sailed from
a European port around the mid
dle of December and had expect
ed to be in Savannah in time to
offer a Solemn Pontifical Mass in
the Cathedral here at Christmas.
However, upon arrival in New
York, on December 22, Bishop
O’Hara received word through the
Apostolic Delegation in Wash
ington that he was to return to
Vatican City as soon as possible,
and he immediately made ar
rangements to recross the Atlan
tic on the return voyage of the
“America,” the ship on which he
had just come from Europe.
Because of illness, and the im
possibility of securing plane res
ervations during the busy holiday
season, Bishop O’Hara was not
able to come to Savannah during
the few days that he had in this
country.
At the time of Bishop O’Hara’s
departure from this country, for
Rome last May, unconfirmed
press reports from Vatican City
stated that he would be appoint
ed Regent of the Apostolic Dele
gation in Scutari, Albania. Later
reports, also completely uncon
firmed, asserted that the appoint
ment of Bishop O’Hara to that
diplomatic post appeared doubt
ful in view of the “strained rela
tions” between the Holy See and
the Albanian government.
It was then reported that the
Holy See was making efforts to
send Bishop O’Hara to Romania,
in a similar capacity, but as no
reply had been made by the gov
ernment of Romania to the Vat
ican’s application for a visa
which would enable him to enter
that country, some weeks ago it
became known that Bishop O'Hara
was to leave Rome and return to
his Diocese.
At that time, early in Decem
ber, a United Press dispatch from
Rome quoted “A Vatican source”
as saying that “It may be regard
ed as certain that Bishop O’Hara
will be asked again by the Holy
See lor his services on delicate
missions. He is very well liked
and enjoyed a great reputation
among the Prelates of the Cu
ria, with many of whom he had
studied in Rome.”
John P. McKnight, Associated
Press correspondent in Rome, in
a dispatch ■ dated January 11,
which was published in The Sa
vannah Morning News, stated
that Bishop O’Hai i. “who travel
ed 10.000 miles over the holidays
and still never reached his des
tination at Savannah,” planned to
leave Rome on January 14 for
Romania where he would take
over as Regent of the Nunciature
in Bucharest, leaving Rome Jan
uary 14, flying to Vienna on an
RAF plane, and would then pro
ceed to Romania, where he was
expected to take over as Regent
of the Nunciature on January 18.
Continuing, the Associated
Press corerspondent reported as
follows:
“Bishop O’Hara waited for
months in Rome for the entry
permit to Romania. Earlier he
liad been denied permission to
enter Albania as Pope Pius’ rep
resentative there.
“Finally the Vatican Secreta
rial of State decided that the en
try permit never would be forth
coming and told the Prelate to re
turn to his Diocese.
“He arrived in New York De
cember 22, aboard the liner
America, and found out that the
permit at last had arrived and
(hat he was to return to Rome as
soon as possible. The America
was to sail again December 27, so
he had five days to go to Savan
nah.
“Hte got as far as Philadelphia
where he spent two days in bed
because of illness. Planes were so
jammed over the holidays that
he could never get reservations.
“So, reluctantly, he returned to
New York and boarded the
America again.
“ ‘There has been so much to
do that 1 haven't been able to
sleep,’ he said.
“The Bishop explained that his
personal secretary, Monsignor
John C. Kirk, of Athens, Ga., was
‘somewhere between Cherbourg
and Rome’ with their automobile
and most of- their baggage.
“He said that Monsignor Kirk
would sail with the car aboard
the Romanian steamer Transyl
vania, arriving in Bucharest late
this month.”
Bishop O’Hara was born in
Green Ridge, near Scranton,
Pennsylvania, May 4, 1895, the eld
est son of Dr. Patrick James
O'Hara, a dental surgeon, and
Mrs. Margaret Carney O’Hara.
Baptized at St. Paul’s Church
(Continued on Page Sixteen!
To Represent the Vatican in Rumania
MOST REVEREND GERALD P. O’lIARA, D. D„ J.U.D.
Bishop of Savannah-Atlanta
Drive for Catholic Charities
To Be Held Next Month in
Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta
(Special to The Bulletin)
SAVANNAH. Ga. — Monsignor
Joseph E. Moylan. Vicar General
of the Diocese of Savannah-Atlan
ta, has announced that the annual
campaign on behalf of the Cath
olic Charities of the Diocese of
Savannah-Atlanta, will be launch
ed in all churches of the Dioceses
on Sunday, February 23.
Describing the Catholic Chari
ties drive as the “most essential”,
appeal to be issued in the Diocese
during the year, Monsignor Moy
lan asked for it the wholehearted
and generous effort and support
of the clergy and laity in Georgia.
Inaugurated in 1941, the Cath
olic Charities of the Diocese of
Savannah-Atlanta took the place
of the Bishop’s Confraternity of
the Laity, which had been organ
ized in 1938 to put into effect the
program of the Most Rev. Gerald
P. O’Hara, D. D„ J. U. D„ Bishop
of Savannah-Atlanta. in the inter
est of the rural missions of the
Diocese, students of the .priest
hood, caring for the orphans,
maintaining religious vacation
camps for Catholic education, and
to promote in general the religious-
and charitable work of the Church
in Georgia.
The funds which have been
made available to Bishop O'Hara
through the contributions to Cath
olic Charities have made possible
the erection in the past few years
of not a few churches in Georgia
and have done much to spread
and preserve the Faith, particular
ly in the widespread mission ter
ritory of the state.
It has made possible the work
of the Catholic Evidence Guild
under the direction of the Rev.
Thomas L. Finn. Father Finn, at
the headquarters of the Guild at
the reclorv of the Cathedral of
Christ the King in Atlanta, has
received letters from all sections
of Georgia. These have come
from hundreds of earnest non-
Catholic people who seek infor
mation regarding the teachings
and practices of the Catholic
Church.
In the Catholic Charities cam
paign each wage earner, who can
afford it. is requested to pledge
a minimum of $12.00, payable over
the space of one year. To keep
down unnecessary bookkeeping
and the expense of mailing out
reminders from time to time, it
has been requested that every ef
fort should be made to pay the
amount of each pledge in full at
the start of the campaign. In
instances where this is not pos
sible, payment of pledges may be
made as is most convenient during
the year.
As in former years, deceased
relatives and friends may be en
rolled in Catholic Charities, and
share in the benefits of the Masses
which will be offered every day of
the year for living and deceased
members of Catholic Charities. .
Generous Donation
Made to St. Joseph s
Infirmary in Atlanta
ATLANTA, Ga.,—As a gesture
to his favorite physician, Eli Wilt,
of Tampa, Fla., regarded as the
South’s outstanding tobacco mer
chant, has sent a check for $40,-
000 to the St. Joseph’s Infirmary
Building Fund, in the name of Dr.
Mason Lowrance, chief of the
medical staff here, wh'o had at
tended him periodically in Tampa
for years.
Mr. Witt’s generous donation
has brought the total amount of
contributions to St. Joseph’s In
firmary Building Fund to more
than a million dollars. ,
Laymen’s Association '
of Georgia to Launch
Membership Campaign
ATLANTA, Ga. — Under the
leadership of Estes Doremus, who
was elected president of the
Catholic Laymen's Association of
Georgia, at the convention held in
Savannah in October, the local
branches of the Association, in
the various cities of Georgia,
launch a campaign on February
2, with the aim of enrolling every
adult member of the Catholie
Church in this state as a contrib
uting member of the Association.
Mr. Doremus said that there
should be no need to tell the
Catholics of Georgia about the
work of tli ir Laymen’s Associa
tion, which last year marked the
completion of three debacles of ef
fort to promote a better feeling
among Georgians, irrespective of
creed? through the removal of the
misunderstanding and misinfor
mation which foster anti-Catholic
prejudice. All Catholics in this
state should by this time know
what the Laymen’s Association
has done, is doing, and can do, he
added.
While attacks against the Cath
olic Church are so rare in Geor
gia at the present time to be ex
ceptional, there are forces abroad
in the world loday that are dedi
cated to the. destruction of all re’-
ligion, Mr. Doremus continued,
and there have been indications
that a revival of anti-Catholic
sentiment may occur in the near
future.
Mr. Doremus stated that at the
recent meeting of the Executive
Committee of the Laymen’s Asso
ciation held in Atlanta, it was the
unanimous opinion of those pres
ent that a determined effort
would be made during the com
ing campaign to increase substan
tially the number of members of
the Association.
Pledge cards will be distributed
in churches of the Diocese of Sa-
vananh-Atlanta on Sunday. Jan
uary 26. and will be collected at
the services on the following Sun
day.
Those who have not already re
newed their membership in the
Catholic Laymen’s Association of
Georgia this year, and Catholics
in this stale who may not be
members of the Association, are
being urged to sign the pledge
cards, hand them to members of
the local committee in their place
of residence, turn them over to
their pastors, or send them direct
to the headquarters of the Asso
ciation, 216 Southern Finance
Corporation Building, in Augusta.
Bulletins
AMONG THE BILLS introduc
ed in the opening session of the
80th Congress was a measure sub
mitted by Representative Richard
Welch of California “to assist til
reducing the inequalities of edu
cational opportunities in elemen
tary and secondary schools” au
thorizing federal funds for both
public and private schools.
DIVORCE was described as a
“cancer on our society” by Judge
Grover C. Anderson in his first
charge to a grand jury of Rich
mond County, Georgia. Judge An
derson condemned conditions
which ha\y: resulted in two out of
every five marriages ending in di
vorce. and laid blame for most
juvenile delinquency upon the "de
linquent parents.”
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