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SIXTEEN
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
Bishop Gerald O’Hara Appointed
Regent of Nunciature in Rumania
JANUARY 25, 1947
Continued from Page One)
in Green Ridge, the future Bish
op spent his first school year at
St. Cecilias Academy in Scran
ton. and when he was six years
old the family moved to West
Philadelphia where he attended
the parish school of Our Mother
of Sorrows Church. Later he at
tended St. Joseph’s High School
conducted by the Jesuit Fathers
graduating in 1911.
In the -fall of that year he en
tered the seminary of the Arch
diocese of Philadelphia. St.
Charles Borromeo, Overbrook,
Where he completed the four-
year preparatory course in three
years. After a two-year philo
sophical course and two years of
his theological course, his splen
did scholastic record led to his
being selected to go to Rome to
complete his course in theology.
In Rome, he studied theology
for three years at the Pontifical
Roman Major Seminary, being
ordained before the end of his
course, on April 3. 1920, by His
Eminence Basilio Cardinal Pom-,
pili. Cardinal Vicar of Rome.
The following year he was
awarded the degree of Doctor of
Divinity, and he then entered the
Law School of the Major Roman
Seminary. At the end of another
three years of study, he received
the degree of J. U. D., doctor of
both Canon and Civil Law, a rare
distinction.
He returned in August, 1924, to
take his place among the clergy
of the Archdiocese of Philadel
phia, but his scholastic attain
ments in Rome had attracted the
attention of His Eminence Den
nis Cardinal Dougherty, Arch
bishop of Philadelphia, who nam
ed him his secretary.
His duties in that capacity were
performed with such thorough
ness that new and greater respon
sibilities were placed on him. He
was named a judge of the matri
monial court. He was an authority
of note on ceremony and rituai
and his facility as a speaker in
English, French and Italian, and
his convincing eloquence made
made him in demand for solemn
occasions.
Five years after his return to
Philadelphia, he was named Titu
lar Bishop of Heliopolis and Aux
iliary Bishop of Philadelphia. At
the lime of his consecration he
was I he youngest Bishop in the
United States, and perhaps in the
world.
He was appointed pastor of the
Church of the Nativity of the
Blessed Virgin, a parish with over
ten thousand parishioners, four
assistants, and a school with two
thousand pupils. He was named a
Synodical Examiner, a Diocesan
consul tor. and then Vicar Gen
eral of the great Archdiocese of
Philadelphia, with its nearly a
million souls.
In November, 1935, he was ap
pointed Bishop of Savannah, and
in January, 193(i. was consecrated
Bishop of that Diocese, which is
now the Diocese of Savannah-
Atluola. by His Eminence Car
dinal Dougherty, at the Cathedral
of St. John the Baptist in Savan
nah.
In the eleven years which have
passed since he came to Savan
nah, there has been phenomenal
progress in the Diocese. A new
Cathedral, new churches, new
hospitals, new schools, and other-
institutions have been erected,
while the spiritual welfare of the
Catholic Church in Georgia has
kept pace with, and even surpass
ed. the material advancement.
district, wherein he must reside;
Iris mission is general, embracing
all the interests of the Holy See;
his office is permanent, requiring
the appointment of a successor
when one incumbent is recalled,
and his mission includes both
diplomatic and ecclesiastical pow
ers.
Nuncios, in the strict sense of
the word, first appear in the six
teenth century. The office, how
ever, was not created at any def
inite moment or by any one Pa
pal ordinance, but. gradually de
veloped under the influence of
various historical factors into the
form in which it was found in the
sixteenth century, when with pre
vious forms of Papal representa
tion as a precedent and modelled
upon the permanent diplomatic
legations of temporal soverigns,
there arose the permanent Nun
ciatures of the Holy Sec.
The powers of Papal Nuncios
correspond to the two-fold char-
cter of their mission. As the
diplomatic representatives of the
Pope, they treat with sovereigns
or the heads of republics to whom
they are accredited. They enjoy
the same privileges as ambassa
dors. Their appearances in public
are regulated in conformity with
general diplomatic customs. They
also have certain distinctions, es
pecially that of being ex-officio
dean of the entire diplomatic
body, within their Nunciature,
and therefore on public occasions
lake precedence of all diplomatic
representatives. This privilege of
Papal Envoys was expressly rec
ognized by the Congress of Vi
enna in 1815 and is generally ob
served.
In addition to their diplomatic
position Nuncios have an eccle
siastical mission and possess or
dinary ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
’They are the representatives of
the Pope, and as such they are
the delegates through which he
exercises his ordinary and imme
diate supreme jurisdiction. It is
their special duty to supervise
ecclesiastical administration and
in special cases they are delegat
ed for the settlement of important
ecclesiastical affairs.
It is understood that the status
of Bishop O’Hara, in Romania, is
similar to that of another Ameri
can Prelate. Bishop Joseph P
Hurley of St. Augustine, Florida,
who was appointed Regent Ad In
terim of the Apostolic Nunciature
in Belgrade, Jugoslavia. some
thing over a year ago.
Goes to Rumania
Monsignor Edward Dodwell
Invested as Domestic Prelate
at Ceremony in Savannah
Bishop O’Hara Taking Over
Duties of Apostolic Nuncio
According to the dispatch from
Vatican City which appears above,
Bishop O’Hara, upon his arrival in
Bucharest, is taking over the '‘du
ties which Archbishop Andrew
Cassulo, Apostolic Nuncio, rclin-
_quishcd when he was forced to
"withdraw because' of reasons of
health."
The importance of Bishop
O’Hara’s assigvment as Regent of
the Nunciature in Rumania is ap
parent. A Nuncio is an ordinary
and permanent representative of
the Pope, vested with both eccle
siastical and political powers,, ac
credited to the court of a sover
eign or the government of a na
tion kith the duty of safeguarding
tlie interests of the Holy See.
The special character of a Nun-
eio. as distinguished from other
Papal Envoys, such as Legates,
who arc appointed to serve for
some special purpose or on some
particular occasion, consists in
that his office is specifically de
fined and limited to a definite
Christianity Introduced
Into Rumania by Romans
Christianity was introduced in
Rumania, one of the Balkan na
tions, by the Romans, who used
he Latin rite and liturgy. An
Episcopal See existed in Tomi,
nine Bishops of which, in the
fourth and fifth centuries, are on
record. During the Bulgar domi
nation in the ninth century, the
ancient Catholic Church of Ru
mania disappeared and the people
placed themselves under the
Greek Patriarch of Constantino
ple and were thus drawn into the
Greek Schism.
The greatest enemy in these
early times was the Turk, but by
their zealous defense of their re
ligion the ancestors of the present
Rumanians upheld the culture
and civilization of the Christian
West from the onslaught of Islam.
The earliest evidence of the
modern Catholic Church in Ru
mania appeared in the thirteenth
and fourteenth centuries, as a re
sult of Hungarian and Polish im
migrations. Several Catholic Dio
ceses were erected in the Middle
Ages, In the sixteenth century,
the majority of the Catholics sid
ed either with the Greek schis
matics or the Protestants. Immi
grations from Austria and Hun-
bary in the nineteenth century
increased the number of Catho
lics, and a reorganization of the
Catholic Church in Rumania was
necessary.
In 1929. when a concordat with
the Holy See was concluded, Ru
mania included the following ec
clesiastical divisions: the Arch
diocese of Bucharest and the Dio
ceses of Jassy, Osanad, Oradea,
Salumare and Transylvania, of_
the Latin Rite, with the Arch-"
diocese of Alba Julia, and the Dio
ceses of Gherla, Lugoj, and Ora
dea Mare, of the Rumanian Rite.
Latest available statistics give
the number of Catholics in Ru
mania as 1,200,000, in a national
population of approximately 17,-
000,000. • '
The Rumanian Constitution,
adopted in 1938, accorded ail
citizens equal standing before the
MONSIGNOR KIRK
As secretary to the Most Rev.
Gerald P. O’Hara, D. D., J. U. D„
who has been appointed Regent of
the Apostolic Nunciature in Bucha
rest, Rumania, Mongignor John C.
Kirk is accompanying Bishop
O’Hara on his mission for the Holy
Monsignor Kirk was born in At
hens, Georgia, the son of Mr. and
Mrs. E. C. Kirk. Terl years ago
he resigned his position as secre
tary of the postmaster in Atlanta
to begin his study for the priest
hood.
After attending St- Charles Col
lege Catonsville, Maryland, and St.
Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore, he
was ordained in February, 1944.
He served as assistant pastor at St.
Joseph’s Church, Athens, and at
the Blessed Sacrament Church, Sa
vannah. and as assistant rector of
the Cathedral in Savannah. He'had
been serving as Bishop O’Hara’s
secretary for about a year when he
went to 'Rome with His Excellency
last May. Some weeks ago he re
turned to this country with Bishop
O'Hara, but sailed again for Eu
rope within five days. He was,
however, able to make a hurried
visit with his family in Athens
during that time.
In June of last year, while in
Rome, he was elevated by His Hol
iness Pope Pius XII to the dignity
of a Papa) Chamberlain, with the
title of Veiy Reverend Monsignor.
law, regardless of racial origin or
religion. The national church of
Rumania is the Orthodox Church,
but freedom of worship, provided
its practice is not contrary to pub
lic order, was recognized by the
constitution. In 1938 there were
about 13.200,000 members of the
Orthodox Church, 1,426,000 Greek
Orthodox, 1.200.000 Catholics,
720,000 Reformists, 400,000 Lu
therans, 75,000 Unitarians, 1,500
Jews, 260,000 Moslems, and 140,-
000 others.
(Special to The Bulletin)
SAVANNAH, Ga.—The Right
Reverend Monsignor Edward J.
Dodwell, officialis of the Diocese
of Savannah-Atlantat was for
mally invested as a Domestic
Prelate of the Papal Household,
by. Monsignor Joseph E. Moylan,
Vicar General of the Diocese, on
January 5, at a Mass celebrated
in the Cathedral of St. John the
.Baptist. Monsignor Moylan of
ficiated in the absence of Bishop
Gerald P. O’Hara, D. D„ J. U. D„
of Savannah-Atlanta.
Following the Mass, Monsignor
Dodwell was the guest of honor
at a luncheon given at the Hotel
De Solo by Monsignor T. James-
McNamara, rector of the Cathe
dral. Other guests were Monsignor
Moylan, priests of the city, and
Miss Catherine Dodwell. jf Phila
delphia, a sister of Father Dod
well, who came to Savannah for
his investiture.
Monsignor Dodwell is the son
of Mrs. Katherine Dodwell and (he
late John J. Dodwell, of Phila
delphia. His study for the priest
hood. was made at St. Charles
Seminary, Overbrook, Pa., the
North American College, in Rome
Italy, and at St. Mary’s Seminary,
Baltimore. He was ordained io
the priesthood, in June, 1939, by
His Eminence Dennis Cardinal
Dougherty, Archbishop of Phila
delphia, at the Cathedral of Saints
Peter and Paul in that city.
His first assignment as a priest
of the Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta
was as assistant pastor of St.
Mary's-on-The-Hill Church m
Augusta.
After serving some months in
Augusta, Monsignor Dodwell en
tered the School of Canon Law
at the Catholic University of
MONSIGNOR DODWELL
America, in Washington, D. C„
and returning to the Diocese in
1942 after having, received his
doctorate degree.
He served as assistant pastor of
the Blessed Sacrament Church,
Savannah; as assistant rector of
the Cathedral of Christ the King,
Atlanta: as pastor of St. Michael’s
Church, Gainesville, and as pas
tor of Our Lady of Lourdes
Church, Port Wentworth.
In February of last year. Mon
signor Dodwell was relieved of
his duty as pastor of the parish
in Poll Wentworth so that hi:
could devote his entire time to his
work as Officialis of the Diocese,
a post he has held for the last four
years.
The Episcopal head of the
Catholics of Latin Rite, compris
ing approximately one-half of the
faithful under His Holiness Pope
Pius XII in Rumania, is Arch
bishop Alexander Cisar. The By-
santine Rite group, constituting
the other half, has had no Episco
pal leader for the past two years,
although the Holy Father has
named three during that period,
it is reported.
It is mandatory in Rumania that
an Episcopal appointment by the
Holy See must received the ap
probation of the government be-
lore the dignitary elect assumes
his new office, and it- is reported
I hat numerous other restrictions
placed upon the Church by the
government put obstacles in the
path of both clergy and laity.
Secular press dispatches say
that "according to Vatican cir
cles, Bishop O'Hara’s appointment
indicates a ‘welcomed improve
ment' in Vatican-Rumanian rela
tions.’’
The kingdom of Rumania, prior
to its dismemberment in 1940, lay
in the southeast of central Eu
rope, and was bounded east by
the Black Sea and Soviet Russia,
by Bulgaria on the south, by Jugo
slavia on the west, and by Hun
gary. Poland and Russia on the
north.
As a result of the addition of
territory after World War I, the
area of the country was 113,884
square miles. In 1940, as internal
disorders grew in Rumania, and
as the European War moved to
ward the Balkans, Rumania was
forced to relinquish some of its
provinces, entirely or in part, to
the nations from which they had
been taken, thus Rumania’s total
area in 1941 was 94,284 square
miles, yith an estimated popula
tion of around 17.000,000.
King Carol 11 fled into exile in
September, 1940. after surrender
ing his power to General Ion An-
tonescu, and Rumania thereby
became a pro-Fascist military die
tatorship, with only insignificant
authority vested in King Michael,
the son and nominal successor of
King Carol. The Constitution of
1938 was abolished and Rumania
was proclaimed a “National Le
gionary State.” Increased resist
ance to the course taken by An-
tonescu in allying Rumania with
Nazi Germany was shown by the
Rumanian people thereafter. Sab
otage mounted steadily; and up
risings early in 1943 followed
the announcement that there had
been 400,000 casualties among
Rumanian troops fighting in Rus
sia.
In August, of that year, Amer
ican bombers raided the oil fields
at Ploesti. which had been supply
ing German forces on the Italian
and Eastern fronts, cutting the
production ninety per cent.
The Russian army offensive in
Rumania in the summer of 1944
forced King Michael to inform
I he Allies of his decision to quit
I he Axis camp and become a co-
belligerent. Like Italy, Rumania
first hoped to terminate its alli
ance with Germany peaceably,
but the Nazis bombed Bucharest.
Rumania then declared war on
Germany and was accepted by the
Allies as a co-belligerent on the
same footing as Italy. In Septem
ber, 1944. an armistice signed at
the Kremlin, took Rumania out
of her war against the Allies and
into an approved war against
Germany and Hungary. Among
the conditions of the armistice
was a provision that Rumania
would permit a* Russian-managed
Allied Control Commission to su
pervise the government and press
until a peace treaty was signed.
RELIGIOUS IN ATLANTA
ARE GUESTS AT DINNER
(Special to The Bulletin)
ATLANTA, Ga.—Members of
the several communities of Reli
gious in Atlanta were guests of
Monsignor Joseph F. Croke, pas
tor of St. Anthony’s Church, at a
dinner served in the cafeteria of
St. Ahthony's School, during the
holidays.
The tables were attractively dec
orated with "silver leaves, poin-
settia, roses, small Christmas trees
and lighted red candles.
Guests at the dinner included the
Sisters of Mercy from St. Joseph's
Infirmary; Sisters of St. Joseph
of Carondelet from the Sacred
Heart School; Grey Nuns of the
Sacred Hear t from Christ the
King School: Sisters of Mercy
from the Immaculate Conception
School; Medical Mission Sisters
from the Catholic Colored Clinic,
and Sisters of St. Joseph, from
St. Anthony’s School, Atlanta, and
Sisters of St. Dominic, from Rome.
The tables were decorated and
the dinner was served by Mrs,
Raoul Patron. Mrs. Edward M.
Iloctor, Mrs. John L. Ryan, Mrs.
C. C. Stretch and Mrs. A. F.
Campbell.
Rumania possesses considerable
mineral wealth:- rock-salt abounds
in the vicinity of the Carpathian
mountains; petroleum and as
phalt are abundant; sulphur is
found in limited quantity; copper
has been worked to some extent;
gold is washed from the sands of
several streams. About one-sixth
of the surface is covered with for
ests of oak, fir, beach and other
valuable timber trees. The fauna
includes stags, bears, wolves,
foxes, wild boars, hares and mar
tens, while fish abound in the
rivers. The climate is subject to
greater extremes than at the
same latitude in other parts of
Europe.
The summer js hot and rain
less; the winter severe, the Dan
ube and its tributaries lining froz
en for about six weeks; there is
no spring, but the autumn is long
and pleasant.
Rumania is essentially an agri
cultural and pastoral state, fully
70 per cent of the inhabitants
being directly engaged in hus
bandry. The chief cereal crops are
maize, wheat, barley, rye and
oats. Tobacco, hemp and flax are
also grown, and wine is produced.
Cattle, sheep and horses are rear
ed in large numbers.
Trade is fairly active, but is
almost entirely in the hands of
foreigners. Some progress has
been made in manufactures,
chiefly along the line of domestic
commodities. The chief exports
are grain, cattle, timber and l'ruit.
The chief imports, manufactured
goods and coal.
The principal railways are state-
owned and hud a mileage of 9,505
in 1940. There is a national high
way systepi and telegraph and
telephone service has been ex
tended consideAbly in recent
yea*\s.
SENATOR GEORGE D. AIKEN
of Vermont has introduced into
the 80th Congress a bill authoriz
ing a $60,000,000 federal grant to
help non-public schools finance
their essential school services
such as “necessary transporta
tion, non-religious instructional
supplies and books, health exami
nations and services.”