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Quality Not Quantity Goal of
Sodalities, Holy Father Tells
First International Congress
By Msgr. Joseph J. Sullivan
(Radio. N.C.W.C. News Service)
VATICAN CITY—His Holiness
Pope Pius XII has called for a
spiritual renewal of sodalities
throughout the world strictly on
N. T. Stafford
Heads Fourth
Degree K. C,
N. T. STAFFORD
SAVANNAH, Ga.—Nicholas T.
Stafford Sr., has been reappoint
ed Master of the District of Geor
gia, De Soto Province, Fourth
Degree Assembly, Knights of Co
lumbus.
Mr. Stafford has held member
ship in the K. C. since May, 1914.
During 1924-25 he served as
faithful Navigator of the local
assembly and during the period
1927-29, he served as Grand
Knight of Savannah Council 631.
He served as state deputy from
1929 to 1930. He was first ap
pointed master of the Georgia
District on Sept. 1, 1950.
Mission Of Saint
Clare Now Parish
ALBANY, Ga.—Bishop Hyland
has recently announced the ele
vation of the Mission of St. Clare
in Albany to the status of a can
onical parish. The area of the
new parish is Dougherty County.
The parish is confined to the care
of the Friars Minor of the Prov
ince of the Holy Name of Jesus
and will be administered by the
Friars of St. Mary’s Church,
Americus.
At the same time. Bishop Hy
land announced the appointment
of Father Philip Kennedy, O. F.
M., as pastor of the parish of St.
Clare and of Father Brendan
Pyle, O. F. M., Sunday Mass was
of the same.
The Mission of St. Clare was
begun several years ago princi
pally for the benefit of the Negro
Catholic people of Dougherty
County by the Rev. Brendan
Pyle, O. F. M. Sunday Mass was
first offered in a funeral parlor;
later a store was rented and con
verted into a temporary chapel.
At the beginning of the present
year, through the generosity of
the Friars Minor, a beautiful
combination building was erect
ed. The building includes a, cha
pel, parish hall and an apart
ment for the priest in charge.
When the Mission of St. Clare
was started several years ago it
served only a handful of Cath
olics. At the beginning of the
present year the number of Cath
olics totaled 45, and sixteen peo
ple are under instruction to en
ter the Church,
lines of quality, not quantity.
This was the keynote of an ad
dress he gave to more than 10,-
000 sodalists from 60 countries
who had come to Rome for the
first international .Congress of
World Marian Congregations
which opened on the Feast of the
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
The Holy Father spoke to the
delegates at an evening audience
in St. Peter’s Basilica. The audi
ence was attended also by sever
al hundred delegates to the
World Congress on Population
and the Third International Po
liomyelitis Conference, and by
many thousands of tourists and
pilgrims. In all, probably 30,000
persons heard the Pope’s address
which was delivered in French.
Pope Pius, who looked better
and appeared more vigorous than
he has for more than a year and
a half, spoke to the sodalists for
more than 15 minutes. He re
minded them of the Apostolic
Constitution, “Bis Saeculari,”
which he issued in 1948, and said
it was a truly basic document in
tended to govern all Marian con
gregation activities.
The Pontiff praised the theme
of the International Congress of
Marian Congregations — . “The
Greater Glory of God through
Better Selection, Closer Unity
with the Hierarchy, and Greater
Collaboration with other Asso
ciations of the Apostolate.” He
said it included “in a few words
the principal points formulated by
us in the Apostolic Constitution.”
He said that a more careful se
lection of members is “essential
to guarantee the desired renewal
of Marian congregations which
are not simple pious associations
but schools of perfection and
apostolicity.”
Sodalists, or Marian congrega
tions, as the Bis Saeculari de
fines them, are, the Pope declar
ed, “among the most authentic
forms of Catholic Action . . . be
cause they strive purposely to
make their members feel with
the Church.” He said that such
a disposition is highly necessary
when it is a question of collabor
ating with the apostolate of the
Hierarchy.
True sodalites, the Holy Father
continued, do not keep them
selves apart or seek certain
spheres of activity exclusively,
but are ready to “work wherever
invited by the Hierarchy. They
serve the Church, not as if she
was a foreign force or even just a
human family, but as the Spouse
of Christ inspired and guided by
the Holy Spiirt Himself.”
Cooperation with other asso
ciations of the apostolate, Pope
Pius added, “is a clear sign of the
presence of Christ among those
who follow one inspiration
alone in action as well as in
prayer.”
American delegates to the so
dalists’ Congress — they num
bered 70—-were headed by Fa
ther Richard Rooney, S.J., na
tional director of the Sodality
of Our Lady with headquarters
in St. Louis, Mo. Assigned to
address the Congress on the
topic, “Selection of Members,”
he told the opening session that
greater care in the choice of
members had recently proven
its worth in sodality activities
in the United States.
“With us on all levels, from
high schools up through nurs
ing schols, colleges and univer
sities and out into the parishes
(Continued on Page Fourteen)
LOUIS BUDENZ WILL ADDRESS
39th CONVENTION OCT. 31st
PUBLISHED BY THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASS’N.
OF GEORGIA
MONROE, GA.
SATURDAY,
SEPT. 18, 1954
Vol. XXXV, No. 10
$3.00 A Year
10c Per Copy
Work Progressing On New Church
For Saint Mary’s Parish, Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga.—Work is rap
idly progressing on the New St.
Mary’s-on-the-Hill Church which
is now under construction on
Monte Sano Avenue.
Steel work is well along on the
800 seat edifice which will be
located on the lot adjacent to the
present church which was built
in 1919, and has a seating capa
city of approximately 350.
Architects are the firm of
Scoggs and Ewing, with J. C.
Stockton Son Contractors. Pres
ent plans call for completion in
early 1955 but every effort is
now being made to have the
building ready in time for Mid
night Mass which the Very Rev.
John J. Kennedy, V. F., pastor
hopes to celebrate in the new
church.
The plans of Scoggs and Ewing
call for soft textured brick to
be laid in attractive flemish bond.
Windows, doors and other parts
of the building will~lMfc*trimmed
or adorned with Indiana lime
stone. Windows will be glazed
with the glass set in the stone
except the openings sections
which will be steel sash.
Topping the church will be the
attractive Virginia slate shingles
and all gutter , downspouts will
be copper. Most of the interior
walls will be of special concrete
blocks laid in a bond o>’ pattern.
The high ceiling and roof will be
supported by exposed rigid steel
beams which will form a part of
the interior decoration in some
what the same manner as the old
building’s interior.
Carpets will be laid on the
floors and the ceiling and' other
portions of the interior will be
carefully treated to produce the
best possible acoustics.
Architects believe that St.
Mary’s will be the first church
to be completely air-conditioned
so as to provide maximum com
fort the year round.
St. Mary’s-on-the-Hill parish
was established in June of 1919
by his Excellency the most Rev
erend Benjamin J. Keiley, D. D.,
then Bishop of Savannah. The
Rev., later Monsignor James A.
AUGUSTA, Ga.—On the Feast
of Christ the King, Sunday Oc
tober 31st, Augusta will be host
to the 39th Annual Convention
of the Catholic Laymen’s Asso
ciation of Georgia. Convention
headquarters will be at the Bon
Air Hotel.
His Excellency the Most Rev
erend Francis E. Hyland, D.D.,
J.C.D., will honor by his attend
ance and participation the gath
ering which is expected to at
tract hundreds of the outstand
ing Catholic laymen and lay-
women from all parts of Georgia.
The Laymen’s Association will
proudly present as its guest
speaker this year, Mr. Louis F.
Budenz noted columnist and lec
turer.
Mr. Budenz was a member of
the Communist party in this
country for ten years. He was la
bor editor of the Daily Worker
from 1935 to 37 and managing
editor from 1940 until 1945, when
he was reecived back into the
church.
We are honored to have Mr.
Budenz with us this year and to
hear him speak as he is the ac
knowledged authority on com
munism in the United States
today.
J. P. Meyer, of Columbus,
president of the Catholic Lay
men’s Assocaition will preside at
the convention sessions. Annual
reports will be made by the of
ficers of the Association and by
the presidents of the various
local branches of the association
throughout Georgia.
Each diocesan, local and parish
organization of the laity in the
Diocese of Savannah-Atlanta is
entitled to official representation
at the Convention. Each parish is
entitled to two delegates a man
and a woman.
Make your plans now to at
tend the convention and to hear
the address of Mr. Budenz.
Reservations should be made
through the offices of the Cath
olic Laymen’s Association, 416
Eighth Street, Augusta.
Kane was appointed first pastor.
On September 7, 1919, the cor
nerstone of the church was bless
ed, and on the last Sunday in
November, of the same year, the
church was formally dedicated.
SAINT MARY'S CHURCH—The steel framework of the new St. Mary’s Church is well along
and gives indication of the size of the new church which will seat 800. The new church is being
erected under the leadership of the Very Rev. John J. Kennedy, V. F. pastor.—(Morgan Fitz Photo).