Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

SIXTEEN THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA AUGUST 30. 1952 EDITOR SUCCEEDS FORMER EDITOR—An editor suceeded a former editor when the Most Rev. Robert J. Dwyer was consecrated Bishop of Reno, at the Cathedral of Salt Lake City, suceeding to the former See of Bishop Thomas K. Gorman, now Coadjutor of Dallas and a former editor of The Tidings of Los Angeles. Bishop Dwyer edited The Intermountain Register of Salt Lake City. Pictured at the consecration ceremony are, left to right: Bishop Gorman, Archbishop John J. Mitty of San Francisco, Bishop Dwyer and Bishop J. Lennox Federal, Auxiliary of Salt Lake City. —(NC Photos'. Three Converts Instructed by Monsignor Mitchell Give Church A Foothold in Tennessee Area DUNLAP, Tenn. (NC) — “I’m wanting to live to be 100,” James O. Mahoney mused, “so that I can see a Catholic church here in Dunlap.” Sixtv-nine and the father of nine children, Mr. Mahoney was sharing his’ dream with three young trailer missionaries. A con vert of two years standing, Mr. Mahoney has already seen two grown sons come into the church. His boys, the old man hopes, will be the backbone of a Catholic set tlement in what was formerly a Ku Klux Klan stronghold in Ten nessee. And they may well be, for as Monsignor Joseph Mitchell who was instructed the Mahoney fam ily insists: “The Holy Spirit has been around these parts, and He has settled down on Dunlap. It is ripe for the harvest.” Chaplain to the Alexian Broth ers on Signal Mountain, 30 miles from Dunlap, the Monsignor now has Mrs. James Mahoney and her daughter-in-law under instruction. Monsignor Mitchell, himself a convert, believes that more will be “coming up the hill” for in structions soon. It was because of this manifest religious interest that the Paulist Fathers decided to give a mission in this remote outpost of their 6,000-square mile parish. Situated 35 miles north of Chattanooga in the picturesque Sequatchie Valley, this little county seat of 925 people is some 80 miles from Winchester, the parish church and mission house of the Paulists in Father Warren Seedorf, C. S. P„ formerly of New York, and two subdeacons from the Paulist House of Studies in Washington— Kevin Lynch, C. S. P., of Lowell, Mass., and Alvin Illig, C. S. P., of Los Angeles, Calif., brought one of the Paulist League's mission trailers into the farming commun ity for a week. More than 150 non-Catholics attended the hour and a half programs. Each pro gram consisted of a Bible talk, question box period, a sermon, and a section of the movie "The King of Kings.” "1 have seen men here,” Mr. Mahoney confided to the mission- erf,. “who never go near any of the meetings up this way, and they like what you boys have to say.” As the week progressed the mother of a large family gave her name for a course of instructions by mail. She sent one of her teen- aged sons to make the arrange ments. On the last night of the mission a well dressed, middle aged busi ness man sat waiting for the crowd to leave, then got out of bis ear to approach one of the missionei's. “J was only able to get here tour of the five nights,” he said, “but in these four nights you men have given me an entirely new view of the Catholic Church. I would like to receive the free cor respondence course.” Mr. Mahoney passed out a handful of pamphlets to friends. “This mission sure has caused a lot of interest here in Dunlap, and you can be plumb sure they’ll be asking me all about the Church during the winter," he said. Mr. Mahoney’s first favorable contact with the Church came three years ago when a Marine son returned home. The Marine, Sergeant John C. Mahoney, first became interested in the Church while in the South Pacific. The clean lives of Catholic buddies had won his admiration. But what fascinated him most was the uni versality of the Church’s teach ing. He had always felt that the truth must be the same the world over. The Sergeant took a course of instructions from one chaplain, and then another course .from a j second chaplain to see if the two I Catholic chaplains contradicted j one another. Finding only har- ] mony, the young Marine finally | told the chaplain, “I'm going j home to Tennessee, and when I ! get home I’m going to get ahold of a priest somewhere. If he j teaches the same truths in Ten- I nessee as you teach out here on | the islands, I’ll know that you people teach the universal Gospel of Jesus.” Shortly after he returned home, a bitter week-long debate shook | Dunlap. The debate, held in the I school auditorium, was between | the local Church of Christ and the i Baptist Church. The elder Ma- ! honey and another son belonged to the Church of Christ. | Hearing of the Catholic Church from his Marine son, Mr. Ma- i honey’s first question was: “But | did Jesus Christ establish that | Church?” In his search for this j answer, Mr. Mahoney brought the | Church of Christ preacher to din ner one evening, and across the dinner table asked the preacher | point blank: “Which is the Church [ which goes back to the time of | Jesus Christ?” The preacher an- | swered, “Why everyone knows ! from history that it is the Cath olic Church, but ...” “That’s all I’m wanting to know” the white-haired mill own er said. The historical fact of the ] Church’s foundation by Christ | brought Mr. Mahoney back to the j Church from which his grandfath- j er had slipped when there were i no priests in the isolated parts of : Tennessee. One week after Ser- j geant Mahoney was baptized, he | stood by as Monsignor Mitchell | baptized his father and his broth er. I Early on a Friday morning, the j last day of the trailer mission, Mass was offered from the back 1 of the trailer, perhaps the first : Mass ever offered in Dunlap, j Three converts knelt devoutly in the dust of the big dirt lot. Among | the intentions in the Holy Sacri fice was that the old man will j live to see his dream of a Cath- ; olic Church in Dunlap come true, | and that the farm folk in Tenr.es- | see's Sequatchie Valley will re- | turn M the Faith of their hath ! ers. Louise Loodhoit Y or borough Rowland Insurance & Real Estate Agency, Inc. 18 Eost Bryan Street Phone 3-1151 SAVANNAH, GEORGIA JAMES II. McKENNA THE PROMPT SHIPPERS Wholesale Plumbing and Hearing Supplies 25-27 York Street, West Savannah, Georgia Established 1881 FIRE Palmer & Cay, Inc. INSURANCE BROKERS CASUALTY AGENTS OF INSURANCE COMPANIES MARINE SURETY REAL ESTATE LOANS ESTABLISHED 1915 ONE BULL STREET P. 0. BOX 427 SAVANNAH, GEORGIA D. L. Henderson Company DISTRIBUTOR Cigarettes — Cigars — Tobacco Soda Fountain Supplies 225 EAST BAY STREET SAVANNAH, GA. MERCER REALTY CO. Real Estate • Insurance * 7 EAST BAY STREET SAVANNAH, GEORGIA THE WARMEST OF WISHES from < Where Fashions Make Their Debut In Savannah