Newspaper Page Text
FEBRUARY 28, 1948
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
THREE
News Review of the Catholic World
Campaign to Raise $5,000,000 for
Bishops’ Fund for Victims of War
to Be Launched on Laetare Sunday
(N. C. W. C. News Service)
WASHINGTON.—A nation-wide
$5,000,000 campaign to be known
as “The Bishops’ Fund For Vic
tims of War” will be conducted in
the form of a collection to be
taken up on Laetare Sunday,
March 7, it lias been announced by
Archbishop .Tohn T. McNicholas,
O. P„ of Cincinnali. chairman of
the Administrative Board of the
National Catholic Welfare Confer
ence.
The Archbishop also announced
that, following the custom estab
lished last year, .a children's col
lection will be taken up in the
parochial schools of the country
during the Lenten season.
Announcement of the campaign
was made in a letter sent lo all
members of (lie U. S. Hierarchy,
which pointed out that in some
dioceses it may not be feasible to
conduct the campaign on Laetare
Sunday and it may be undertaken
at a later date.
Archbishop McNicholas’ letter to
the mcmebrs of the Hierarchy
staled:
‘‘I express the grateful appre
ciation of the members of the
Administrative Board (Directors
of War Relief Services) for the
very extraordinary response of tiie
Bishops to the appeal made in
most dioceses on Laetare Sunday,
1947, and in a few dioceses at a
later date. The cooperation of the
Bishops and their priests, and the
generous response of Religious
communities and the faithful, have
written a marvelous chapter of
generosity and sacrifice in the
annals of (he Church in (he United
States.
‘‘The recent Thanksgiving Food
Collection has also surpassed our
expectations. We had hoped for
25,000,000 pounds of food; it will
probably reach 40,000,000 pounds.
Again, the Administrative Board
thanks the Bishops, priests and
people for their generous help.
‘‘At our November meeting, the
Bishops decided that we could-not
discontinue our help to the suffer
ing people who are the victims of
the war. The Administrative Board
recommended to the general body
of Bishop, the need of raising the
sum of $5.000 000. The Bishops,
without dissent, in general session
recognized the need and voted in
favor of the collection.
“This year Laetare Sunday
comes at an early- date—March 7.
I bring the earnest and cordial
recommendation of our Bishops’
meeting at Washington (hat we
continue our relief and charity to
the stricken victims of the war.
The letters received from the
Cardinals and Bishops of dioceses
that have been helped express
their very deep sense of gratitude
to the American Hierarchy, assur
ing its members that the Bishops’
relief, through our War Relief
Services, saved the lives of hun
dreds of thousands of persons, es
pecially little children, 'who were
starving and dying. The relief we
sent also strengthened the posi
tion of the Church in war-stricken
countries.
“The Bishops of the Administra
tive Board (who constitute tile Di
rectors of the War Relief Services)
and the members of the staff of
said Services will appreciate again
this year the appointment of. a
Diocesan Director, with whom our
National Director, Msgr. Edward
E. Swanstrom, can communicate.
Information and helpful leaflets
for publicity purposes will be
sent to local directors from Uie of
fice of War Relief Services. New
York . . . Little time remains for
our organized efforts.
“Last year during Lent the
children of our schools were asked
to make sacrifices for their hun
gry and suffering brothers and
sistprs in the war zones of the
world. This children’s Collection
in the schools was very successful:
it began on Ash Wednesday and
contiued during Lent. May we
hope again for approval for the
Children’s Collection during
Lent, from February 11, to March
28.”
HOLY FATHER BROADCASTS
NEW YORK—His Holiness
Pope Pius XII addressed a radio
broadcast to the parochial school
children of (he United States on
Ash Wednesday in behalf of the
Bishops’ Campaign for the Victims
of War.
It was announced that radio and
screen stars Don Ameche. Eddie
Cantor. Bob Hope. Lionel Barry
more, Fibber McGee and Molly
Knox Manning, Harlow Wilcox
and Truman Bradley had made
radio spot announcements for use
during the campaign.
PLANS FOR PARTICIPATION
IN CAMPAIGN DISCUSSED AT
CONFERENCE IN GREENVILLE
GREENVILLE, S. C.—Plans for
participation in the Bishops’ Re
lief Campaign were discussed at
Piedmont Deanery of the Diocese
of Charleston held at the Hotel
Greenville here on February 10.
Monsignor James J. May. Vicar
General of (lie Diocese of Charles
ton, and Diocesan director of (he
campaign, outlined t lie program to
priests serving the parishes in
Greenville, Aiken, Anderson,
Clemson, Greenwood and Spart
anburg.
Monsignor A. K. Gwynn, P. A.,
pastor of St. Mary's Church here,
and Vicar Forane of the Green
ville Deanery, announced that on
March 7, a collection on behalf of
the fund would be taken up in
the churches of Greenville Dean
ery and throughout (he Diocese of
Charleston.
A NUMBER of recent sessions
of the Virginia House of Delegates
and the Virginia Stale Senate
were opened in Richmond with
prayers by priests of that city.
Father Thomas E. O'Connell, of
St. Paul’s Church, and Monsignor
James A. Brennan, of St. Patrick’s
Church, gave the invocations.
Let's ALL Give!
BISHOPS' i
VICTIMS
WA R
New Archbishops
archbishop McIntyre
Most Rev. J. Francis McIntyre,
Coadjutor Archbishop of New
York, who has been appointed
Archbishop of Los Augeles, filling
the See made vacant by the death
of Archbishop John J. Cantwell
last October. (NC Phofbs)
ARCHBISHOP BEUGAN
Most Rev. Gerald T. Bergan,
Bishop of Des Moines, since 1934,
who has been named Archbishop
of Omaha, succeeding the late
James H. Ryan, who died last No
vember. Archbishop-elect Bergan
was born in Peoria, 111. (NC Pho
tos)
Advertising Plan of Knights of Columbus
Wins Widespread Attention and Approval
The program of the Supreme
Council of the Knights of Colum
bus for advertising Catholic be
liefs and practices in periodicals
of national circulation, which was
inaugurated last month, has al
ready brought encouraging expres
sions of interest and approval.
The first of the advertisements,
entitled “You Hear Strange Things
About Catholics,” appeared in The
American Weekly, January 25, and
in The Pathfinder, January 28.
These publications have a com
bined circulation of almost ten
million and an estimated 25,000,-
000 readers. Among the news
papers that distribute The Ameri
can Weekly as a Sunday supple
ment is The Atlanta Constitution.
The second in the series of six
paid ads sponsored by the K. of
C., for February publication, in
the same magazines, is headed
“Why Catholics ‘Keep Running lo
Church’.”
PROGRAM COMMENDED BY
MEMBERS OF HIERARCHY
NEW HAVEN, Conn.—(NC)-—
Commendations from mmbers of
the American Hierarchy for their
advertisements in national secular
publications explaining Catholic
teachings to non-Catholic readers
have been received here by the
Supreme Council of the Knights
of Columbus.
His Excellency, Archbishop
Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, Apos
tolic Delegate to the United States,
predicted in a letter to Supreme
Knight John E. Swift that the
campaign “will do untold good in
enlightening non-Catholics, and in
bringing many of them to the one
true Church of Christ. . . .”
Archbishop Joseph E. Rummel
of New Orleans, in praising the
Knights’ effort, suggested that
State Councils of the fraternal
order be asked to extend the ad
vertisements by local publications
of statewide circulation. Bishop
William T. Mulloy of Covington
and Bishop Vincent S. Waters of
Raleigh urged the extension of
(he campaign to rural weeklies.
Bishop Christopher E. Byrne of
Galveston wrote: “I am very glad
to see you taking up the circula
tion of correct information about
the Catholic Church and its teach
ings and discipline. And I hope
you will not tire of repeating, be
cause it is the long and often re
peated claumnies which have
brought so much misunderstand
ing about the Church."
Archbishop John T. McNicholas,
O. P„ of Cincinnati, in congratu
lating the Catholic Men’s organi
zation on its program, said tlxat
Ihe majority of Protestant people
“do not, if left to themselves,
show any hostility U) the Church
. . . and we calmly and kindly
urge them to investigate every
statement made against the Catho
lic Church.”
Others who commended the K.
of C. venture included his Emin
ence Samuel Cardinal Striteh,
Archbishop of St. Louis, Bishop
John F. Noll of. Fort Wayne, Bis
hop Charles F. Buddy of San
Diego. Bishop Vincent J. Ryan of
Bismarck. Bishop George I,. Leach
of Harrisburg and Bishop Thomas
F. Malloy of Brooklyn.
TIME NOTES CAMPAIGN
Time, the weekly news maga
zine. carried the following story
in its January 26 issue:
"You hear Strange Things About
Catholics. . . . You hear it said
that Catlioljcs believe all non-
Catholics are headed for Hell . . .
lhal they believe non-Catholic
marriages are invalid . . . that
they adore statues . . . are for
bidden to read the Bible . . . use
medals, candles and holy water
as sure-fire protection against the
loss of a job, lightning or being
run down by an automobile.
“With these words the new na
tional advertising campaign be
gins (his week. Its sponsors: the
Knights of Columbus. The idea
originated 3th years ago in Mis
souri when a small group of K. of
C. businessmen decided lo try
promoting the Roman Catholic
Church with modern sales tech
niques. They put 20 ads in Mis
souri papers. Results: hundreds
of non-Catholics applied lo priests
lor instruction, 730 people enroll
ed for instruction by mail.
“The present scries of six ads.
each offering free pamphlets;
will inn in the American Weekly
and the rural-circulation Path
finder. Other ad titles: “Why Cath
olics Keep Running to Church’;
‘Why Millions Call Him II*’*
Father.’
“Commenting on the campaign,
the aggressively Protestant Christ
ian Century editorialized this
week: "The Knights of Columbus
are lo be applauded for having
hired a hail in the advertising
columns and there submitting the
claims of their church to the test
of the open forum. If Protestant
ism is wise, it will hasten to sub
ject its faith to the same scrutiny.”
THE CHRISTIAN CENTURY
COMMENTS ON CAMPAIGN
The editorial to which Time re
fers appeared in tiie January 21
issue of the Christian Century
under the heading, “Knights of
Columbus to Advertise Catholic
ism.” The text follows:
“From ’Columbia’, official mag
azine of tiie Knights of Columbus,
we learn that a campaign to ad
vertise Roman Catholic doctrines
in secular magazines of national
circulation will be launched this
month. The first weeklies lo
carry these advertisements will be
Hearst’s American Weekly and
the Pathfinder. Later, it is ex
pected that the campaign will be
greatly extended. In general, the
copy will be much like that in
the Dispatch for the past three
years, Local K. of C. posts have
reproduced these St. Louis adver
tisements in other newspapers.
But the campaign now announced
1949 GENERAL CHAPTER
OF DOMINICANS TO BE
HELD IN UNITED STATES
WASHINGTON — (NC) — The
next General Chapter or world
meeting of the Dominicans will
be held in Washington in 1949, the
first such event lo be held in
North America, it was announced
by the Most Rev. Manuel Saurez,
O. P., Dominican Master General,
as he arrived here by air from
Lisbon, beginning a visitation of
his order’s installations in (he
United States, Canada and Mexi
co.
In his first action in this coun
try—it is his first time here—
Father Suarez officiated with Ilis
Excellency Archbishop Amleto
Giovanni Cicognani, Apostolic
Delegate to the United States, at
the conferring of a degree of Mas
ter of Sacred Theology upon the
Very Rev. Paul A. Skehan, O. P.,
of Providence, R. 1.. Procurator
General of the Dominicans. Scene
of the ceremony was the Domini
can House of Studies at Ihe Cath
olic University of America.
A REVIVAL of religious belief
and deep concern about spiritual
values is evident throughout Eng
land and Scotland and may be the
first evidence of the operation of
God’s grace in bringing the peo
ple of those lands back to tiie pre-
Refoimation faith of their ances
tors, Right Rev. Bom Wilfrid Up
son, Lord Abbot of Prinknash,
England, now visiting the United
States, declared in New York.
Abbot Wilfrid heads a commun-
ty of Benedictine monks among
whom arc several former Angli
can clergymen. The Abbot, him
self a convert, was a member of
a community of Anglican Bene
dictines at Caldey, off the coast of
Wales.
BISHOP BERNARD J. SIIEIL.
Auxiliary of Chicago, has been
named recipient of the 1947 cita
tion of the Decalogue Society, an
association of 1,500 Jewish law
yers in Chicago. The award was
presented on the basis of Bishop
Shell’s "militant fight against big
otry, reaction and partisanship
and foi- liis vigorous defense of
civil liberties, his devoted and hu
man labors on behalf of racial and
religious minorities, his stalwart
championing of a living democracy
in a free world with justice for
all nations and for all men.”
A DESIGN for a great cross to
mark (lie martyrdom of Father
Juan Padilla, first missionary to
die on the soil of what is now (lie
United States, is being selected by
executive officers of the Kansas
Stale Council, Knights of Colum
bus. Father Padilla accompanied
Coronado into what is now Kansas
in 1541. He returned a year later
and continued his missionary
work, until he was killed by In
dians, presumably on Christmas
"Day in 1542.
FATHER FRANCIS J. POWERS,
C. S. V., prolessor of political
science at Gannon College, Erie,
Pa., and a candidate for a doctor
ate in Sacred Jurisprudence at
the law school of the Catholic
University of America, has been
admitted to practice law before
(lie Supreme Court of the United
Slates. Father Powers is a mem
ber of the Massachusetts bar and
holds a Master’s degree in law
from the University of Michigan.
will be a national affair financed
by (lie national K. of C. organiza
tion. It is possible that some non-
Romanists may be tempted to ob
ject lo such a campaign, but if
they do llicy will make a mistake,
if the ads are competently written
and contain a dependable exposi
tion of Roman Catholic beliefs—
and Ihe hierarchy can be counted
on to see to that—it will be a
good thing to have them placed
before the American people. If it
is objected that untrained Protest
ants and members of tiie un
churched public will not be able
to discern debatable assumptions
a non sequiturs, and thus may fall
victims of their own ignorance,
that but indicates the need for
Protestantism to be doing adult
education of the same sort. The
Knights of Columbus are to be
applauded for having ’hired a hall’
in the advertising columns and
there submitting the claims of
their church to the test of the
open forum. If Protestantism is
wise, it will hasten lo subject its
faith to the same scrutiny.”