Newspaper Page Text
MARCH 27, 1948.
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
THREE
News Review of the Catholic World
U. S. Supreme Court Rules in
Favor of Atheist in Illinois
Released-Time Case
WASHINGTON.— (NC) —The
Champaign, Illinois, released-time
plan of religious education, in
which Catholic. Protestant and
Jewish clergymen conducted re
ligious classes in public schools,
has been ruled unconstitutional
here by the United States Supreme
Court. Justice Stanley O. Iteed
was tii e lone dissenter to the
court’s opinion.
Speaking for the majority, Just
ice Hugo Black declared the first
Amendment rests upon the prem
ise that both religion and govern
ment can best work to achieve
their lofty aims if each is left
free from the other within its
respective sphere.”
“Here,” he said, “not only are
the state’s tax-supported public
school buildings used for the dis
semination of religious doctrines.
The State also affords sectarian
groups an invaluable aid in that
it helps to provide pupils for
their religious classes through the
ligious Education. They obtained
permission from the Board of Edu
cation to conduct religious educa
tion classes for public school pu
pils of the fourth to ninth grades.
Written sanction from parents was
required of the children who at
tended: instructors fry m the vari
ous faiths were furnished with
out expense to the schools; classes
were conducted in the regular
school classrooms; students who
did not attend the religion classes j
were required to do other work j
within flic school.
It is estimated that about 2,000,- j
000 public school students across \
the nation are presently enrolled
in programs similar to that spon
sored by the Champaign Gouncil.
The majority opinion made re
peated reference to the Everson
or New Jersey School Transporta
tion case decided last February,
in which payments by the State
of New Jersey to the parents of
parochial school pupils for trans
use of the state’s compulsory pub- j POJ’tation were declared to be con-
lic school machinery. This is not L st ^"V„ 0, lVLP y ,* th . C „
separation of Church and Slate.”
In his dissent, Justice Heed
laid emphasis upon a number of
traditional practices in the Unit
ed States which would seem to
indicate government aid to relig
ion; the provision for chaplains
in Congress and the Armed Forces,
compulsory chapel attendance at
Annapolis and West Point, and
provision in the GI Bill for train- , . , . „ ... ,
ing of veterans in seminaries and!*™? 8 , f,° fa ‘ t , h ;
This time it was held that “the
operation of (lie state's compul
sory education system as
sists and is integrated with the
program of religious instruction
carried on by separate religious
sects” and that “beyond all ques
tion” the released-time plan was
Holy Father Elevates
Four American Priests
to Posts in Hierarchy
WASHINGTON.— (NCI —His
Holiness Pope Pius XII has ele
vated four American prelates to
the episcopacy through appoint
ments announced here by His Ex
cellency Archbishop Amlelo Gio
vanni Cicignani, Apostolic Dele
gate to the United States.
The episcopal appointments are:
Father Edward C. Daly. O. P., a
secretary at the Apostolic Dele
gation since 1923, is named Bishop
of Des Moines.
Father Leo Fabian Fahey, pas
tor of Sacred Heart Church, Hat
tiesburg, Miss., is named Titular
Bishop of Ipsus and Coadjutor
with right of succession to Bishop
l Joseph F. McGrath of Baker City,
j Oregon.
| Father John Francis. Dearden,
j rector of St. Mary's Seminary,
Cleveland, is named Titular Bishop
of Stropta and Coadjutor with
right of succession to Bishop Hugh
C. Boyle, of Pittsburgh.
Father Leo John Steek, pastor
of St. Gabriel the Archangel
Church, St. Louis, is named Tit
ular Bishop of Ilium and Aux
iliary to the Most Hev. Duane G.
Hunt, Bishop of Salt Lake^ Utah.
DISCUSS FAR EAST AFFAIRS—Father Edmund A. Walsh, S.J.,
dean of the foreign service school of Georgetown University, is pictur-
“a utilization of the tax— estab- , <>d with General Douglas MacArthur as they left the General’s liead-
lislied and tax-supported public ^ quarters in Tokyo following a conference. F’ather Walsh is a con-
school system to aid religious sultant on foreign relations lor the United States State Department.
(INP—NC Photos)
schools for the ministry
“When actual church services
have always been permitted 'on
government property,” he contin
ued, "the mere use of the school
buildings by a non-sectarian group
for religious education ought not
to be condemned as an establish
ment of religion. For a non-sec
tarian organization to give the
type of instruction here offered
cannot be said to violate our rule
as to the establishment of religion
by the state. The prohibition of
enactments respecting the estab
lishment of religion does not bar
every friendly gesture Between
church and state.”
“Devotion to the great princi
ple of religious liberty should not
lead us into a rigid interpretation
of the constitutional guarantee
that conflicts with the accepted
habits of our people.” Justicfi lleed
concluded. “This is an instance
where for me. the history of past
practices is determinative of the
meaning of a constitutional clause
It falls squarely under the ban
of the First Amendment . . as
we interpreted it in Everson v.
Board of Education. There we
said: “Neither state nor the Fed
eral Government can set up a
church. Neither can pass laws
which aid one religion, aid all
religious, or prefer one religion
over another. . In the words
of Jefferson, the clause against
establishment of religion by law
was intended to erect a ‘wall of
separation between church and
state.”
In a separate opinion. Justice
Felix Frankfurter declared the
Champaign plan unconstitutional
but intimated that other released-
time plans might be found accept
able by the high court. He wrote,
however, that it was the court's
duty to enforce a complete sep
aration between church and state.
In another opinion, Justice Rob
ert 11. Jackson also held the
Champaign plan unconstitutional
but questioned the court juris-
! diction in the case and expressed
Thousands of Requests for
Pamphlets Already Follow
K. of C. Advertising Program
MACON. Ga.—John J. Mc
Creary, state deputy of the
Knights of Columbus in Georgia,
has been advised by Father L. J.
Fallon, C. M., of the Religious
Information Bureau of the Su
preme Council of flic K. of C.,
in St. Louis, that the current
of this month 1,525 persons had
enrolled for religious instruction
by mail.
In the first tabulation of re
sponse to the advertisements,
made some weeks ago, there were
210 inquirers writing from Geor
gia, 41 from South Carolina, 71
not a decorous introduction to the j fear, that if everything is removed
study of its text.” from America’s public school ettr-
The case was brought to the rictlla which might he objection
high court by Mrs.Vashti McCol
lum, self-styled atheist wife of a
program on national advertising | from North Carolina, and 688 from
The Pathfinder magazine, and The j Florida.
American Weekly is receiving It is expected that the nura-
splendid response. | her of inquiries from Georgia arrd
Father Fallon reports that of i South Carolina have materially
the more than 20,000 inquiries re- increased since the figures given
ceivcd resulting from the first above wore recorded as Green-
two advertisements 19.428 per- ville Council, in Greenville, S. C.,
■ons had requested that pamph
lets offered in the advertisements
be mailed to them; 533 persons
had requested a complete set c-f
University of Illinois professor,
who said tile Champaign released-
time program was unconstitutional
and was a source of embrassment
to her grade-school son. Terry,
who did not attend any of flic re
ligious classes offered under it
and was, she declared, ridiculed
by his classmates. She lost her
suits in the Champaign County
Circuit Court and Illinoisc State
Supreme Court to have the pro
gram voided.
The Champaign program was in
augurated in 1940 by a Jewish-
Catliolic -Protestant group known
as the Champaign Council on Re-
'I
New Coadjutor
‘ II •• IV. II . — - - . . . , • - -V.V V-
able to the 256 separate religious 1 pamphlets: 523 persons had writ-
bodies in the country, “we will ten special letters asking for in
leave public education in shreds.” formation, and that by the first
“The fact is,” he warned, “that, —
for good or for ill, nearlj every-1
thing in our culture worth trans
milling, everything which gives
meaning to life, is saturated with
religious influences, derived from
paganism, Judaism. Christianity- -
both Catholic and Protestant—and
other faiths accepted by a large
part of the world’s peoples. One
can hardly respect a system of ed
ucation that would leave the stu
dent wholly ignorant of the cur
rents of religious thought that
move the world society for a part
in which lie is being prepared.”
Expect to Exceed Goai of $5,000,000
in Bishops 7 Fund for Victims of War
WASHINGTON.—( NC)
spirit eg' true charity is exempli
fied in the Bishops’ Laelare Sun
day collection for the starving
people of Europe and the Far
East,” Archbishop John T. Mc-
Nicliolas, O. P., of Cincinnati,
chairman of the Administrative
Board of the National Catholic
Welfare Conference, stated as
first reports received from the
various dioceses indicate that the
goal of $5,000,000 will be sur
passed.
“The monies collected,’ ’ the
Archbishop said, “will serve to
alleviate the intense suffering of
countless men, women and chil
dren overseas, particularly the
children who have been robbed
of their right to a happy child
hood, They are still suffering
from the effects of flic dark days
of the war. The dread spectre of
‘The, hunger and starvation lias spread
it? grim shadow across their lit
tle faces.”
Recalling the words of His Holi
ness Pope Pius XII: “Bread in
the literal sense of the word, is
needed by entire populations who,
because of its lack, are becoming
weak, worn, out, enervated, the
prey of disease and pains,” Arch
bishop McNichoias emphasized
that a continuous flow of food,
clothing and medicine will he
sent overseas by the Bishops of
flic United States to help those
who are weakened by hunger, ex
posure and illness.
THE PALACE of Prince Kuni,
father of flic present Empress of
Japan, will soon house Japan’s
first l'ull-X’ledged Catholic college
for girls. The palace lias already
been acquired by the Religious of
the Sacred Heart
Most Rev. Thomas A. Connolly,
Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco
since 1939, who has been named
Coadjutor with the right of suc-
csesion to Bishop Gerald Sliaugh-
nessy, S. M., ot Seatlle. Bishop
Connolly was the first native of
California elevated to the Episco
pacy.—(NC Photos) -
and Patrick Walsh Council, in
Augusta, Ga.. are reproducing the
Advertisements in their local pa
pers. Savannah Council, in Sa
vannah, Ga., is also preparing to
reproduce tile advertisements in
tile Sunday newspapers of that
city.
The decision of the Knights
of Columbus to expand the ad
vertisements to new audiences was
based on the satisfactory results
from file first four messages of
the series, they said. Requests
for booklets offered in these ad
vertisements had totaled 25,712
by mid-March. Even more im
pressive was Hie application of 1,-
647 readers for Catholic instruc
tions by mail These reports in
dicated tjiat one out of every 16
requesting a booklet is enrolling
for religious instruction.
A Californian who reported
himself ‘still in the dark” after
attending numerous other church
es, expressed a desire to embrace
the Catholic faith but said he
didn’t know how to go about it.
“I have no Catholic friends to
tell me” he wrote, “so I am mak
ing my plea to you.”
A professional man in a small
town reported that if lie called on
the local parish priest it “would
lead to difficulties and much mis
understanding.” He is, however,
interested in Catholicism, he re
lated, and wants assistance- by
mail. Many letters from people
ol' other denominations slated
that, while they do not contem
plate becoming Catholics, they did
want to know more about the
Church and its teachings.
OTHER P UBLICATIONS
TO CARRY ADVERTISEMENS
The Supreme Council of the K.
of C.. lias announced ttiat. in May
the series of advertisements will
start in Household Magazine which
is published in Topeka, Kansas,
and which has a circulation of
TWO NATIVE KOREAN NUNS,
Sister Nicholas, a graduate nurse,
and Sister Honorina, a pre-med
ical student, have arrived at
Mount Carmel Hospital, Colum
bus, Ohio, for a year’s study of
nursing and hospital technique.
The Sisters are members of the
Congregation of St. Paul of Char
tres, which lias some 400 Sisters
in Korea. They come to this coun
try on complete scholarships made
available by the Holy Cross Sis
ters, who conduct the Columbus
hospital.
FATHER HERBERT HARKINS,
pastor of St. Anthony's Church,
Finchurst, N. C., was recently the
guest speaker at a meeting of St,
Ann’s Guild of the Emmanuel
Episcopal Church in Pinehurst.
the Liturgy, witli an explanation
ol’ (lie Mass and the vestments
used by the celebrant, and fol
lowing the address Father Harkins
answered questions from the audi
ence regarding Catholic doctrines
and practices. The Rev. Craighill
Brown, rector of Enimanugl
Church, introduced Father Ilar-
l kins to his audience.
NEARLY 2,000 STORES, of
fices and plants in Buffalo, N. Y.,
arc giving employes time off on
Good Friday to attend church ser
vices.
At the request for the Commit
tee for the More Reverent Ob
servance of Good Friday, started
four years ago by Catholic and
Protestant clergymen anu laymen,
many business places will close
during the three-hour period of
Christ’s Passion.
HIS HOLINESS POPE PIUS
XII has granted a special Plenary
Indulgence, applicable only to the
souls of the faithful who'died as
a consequence of flic recent war,
which can be gained under the
following conditions: Confession
and reception ol’ Holy Communion
between Palm Sunday and Low
Sunday, and prayers for the in
tention of the Holy Father.
THE MASS, Ite, Ilocete,” com
posed in the Chinese style ot mu
sic, was sung for the first time in
China at Our Lady of Mount Car
mel Church, Peiping, to climax the
Church Unity Octave celebration
requested by His Eminence Thom
as Cardinal Tien, S. V- D.. Arch
bishop of Peiping. Using the tra
ditional Chinese five-note scale,
tlie music corresponds to that of
China’s classic age from the lOlii
to (he 13th century.
2,030,515, including 14,600 in the
South Atlantic States.
The advertisements will also
start in June in Liberty, which
has a total circulation of 1,507,-
000, with 163,000 in the South
Atlantic Slates.
In ever increasing number, sub
ordinate councils ol’ the K. of C.
throughout the country are re
questing tlie advertisements in
matrix form for insertion in local
newspapers.