Newspaper Page Text
JUNE 11, 1955.
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
FIVE
YOU CAN WIN CONVERTS
A Nun's Prayers
By REV. JOHN A. O'BRIEN
— — (University of
There are .154,000 Sisters in
the United States, mostly engage
ea in teaching and hospital work.
They are doing a great and
necessary work, and they are
largely responsible for the vital i-
ty of the faith
in this country.
If, along with
their present
important work,
they could give
just an hour or
two a week to
the concert
apostolate and
average o n, 1 v
one convert a year, we would
more than double the present
. annual total.
How can this be done? Per
haps the experience of Mother
Mary Paula Williamson of the
Boston may show the way. The
• Sisters of the Cenacle sponsor
■ retreats for women and instruct
: children and adults in Christian
Doctrine.
“Years ago,” said Mother Wil
liamson, “Ronald Maugham was
; a student at a private academy
in Philadelphia. Through one of
the te'achers, Mr. Stone, I came
■ to know Ronald by correspond
ence. He was a gifted boy and
his reading of history opened his
eyes to the worldwide, universal
character of the Catholic Church.
“When he was only sixteen he
wrote a splendid paper on the
See of Peter, in which he con
trasted the antiquity of the
Catholic Church with the youth-
. fulness of the Protestant sects,
all of which came into being
within the last four centuries.
Ronald wanted no creed found
ed by men. He wanted the
Church founded by Christ.”
“His parents were dead,” con
tinued Mother Williamson, “and
the grandparents, in whose
charge Ronald was, were dead
set against his entering the Cath
olic Church. I corresponded with
him, sent him Catholic litera
ture and encouraged him to hold
fast to his convictions and to
pray that God would enable him
to find his way into the fold.
“His brother was then study
ing for the Episcopalian minis
try, and that made it all the
more difficult for Ronald. To
help rid him of his ‘Roman fev
er’ his grandfather sent him in
his senior year to an academy
in New York, which was a ‘Low
Church’ school. Here is a letter
in which Ronald describes his
experience there and his long
pilgrimage to the Church.” The
letter read:
“Religion there was taught as
one would teach manners to a
child! Much stress was laid upon
the social graces, school spirit,
and why all gentlemen are Epis
copalians. Little stress was laid
upon the salvation of the soul,
and our beloved Mother Mary
was never mentioned. It is too
Catholic sounding and gentlemen
are not Catholics.
“Upon leaving that academy I
felt a constant gnawing, an un
happiness and a sense of frustra
tion. I couldn’t turn to my rela
tives for help, for they were,
and still are, violently anti-Cath-
olic.
“In February of 1946 I en
tered the Navy and served as a
flyer. Every time I went up in
the air I found myself praying.
I knew that Rome was the only
answer to my spiritual needs but
I lacked the gumption to take
the step.
“Upon leaving the Navy in
3951 I went to California where
I met Marie Mitchell, a lovely
Catholic girl. I started going to
Noire
Mass with her and once again
the ‘Roman fever’ broke out all
over. I felt Marie was the answ
er to my prayers—and to yours,
too — that I might satisfy the
longing for union with the one
true Church of Jesus > Christ.
“Marie and I were married
in the Carmel Mission in May
1952 and I completed my in
structions and was received into
the Mystical Body of Christ.
Words capnot describe my hap
piness W,hen I made my First
Holy Communion.
“God has blessed us with a son
and we are striving to model our
home after that of the Holy
Family of Nazareth.
“I have never been so happy.
Our lovely Mother Mary means
more to me now than ever, and
daily I beg her to keep me close
to her divine Son and make me
a worthy member of His Mys
tical Body. I could cry when I
think of my procrastination, my
wasted, futile years. Why, I ask
myself, did I deprive myself of
this happiness so long? Thanks,
Mother Williamson, for all your
prayers, for you were praying
when I was not, and without
BACKDROP-
(Continued from Page Four)
ties when pornographic matter
is confiscated; stiffening postal
regulations and recommending
increased personnel in the cus
toms service to keep out filth
sent from overseas.
CONSTRUCTIVE EFFORT
MERITS SUPPORT
Catholics and Protestants
alike, psychiatrists, police offic
ers and others who have come
to grips with the problem testi
fied of the danger of the flood
of filth. It wasn’t as spectacular
as the crime hearings Mr. Ke-
fauver ran a few years back and
may not get him the public at-
prayer we never arrive.” -
Mother Williamson has never
seen her young friend. But
through the years she encourag
ed him by her letters and aided
him by her prayers to enter the
fold of Christ. She shows all of
us—Sisters, Brothers, priests and
lay people—how we too can help
guide the footsteps of people,
whom we may never see, to the
feet of Christ.
Readers who know of any lay
person w,ho has helped to win
two or more converts are kindly
requested to send the name and
address of such a person to Fath
er John A. O’Brien, Notre Dame,
Ind.
tention that makes a presidential
candidate. But this is a good and
constructive effort for which he
and his fellow senators deserve
solid credit.
They should have the support
from across the country that will
give their proposals some chance
of enactment. It’s a foregone-
conclusion that the people who
are making millions from this
trade, plus the so-called liberal
torch carriers, will be busy try
ing to stop them.
Miss Mullaney
Hies at Augusta
AUGUSTA, Ga.—Funeral serv
ices for Miss Elizabeth Mullaney
were held May 28th at the Sacred
Heart Church, Rev. Peter F.
O’Donnell, S. J., officiating.
Miss Mullaney, a native of
Manchester, England, had resided
most of her life in Augusta.
Survivors are seven nieces,
Miss Madeline Ludwig, Miss Hel
en Ludwig, Miss Mary E. Grogan,
Mrs. W. H. Oetjen, Mrs. C. C,
Dorn, Mrs. Charles Meyer and
Mrs. Mary O’Mahoney, all of Au
gusta; six nephews, James L. Gro
gan, Dennis S. Ludwig, James G.
Ludwig, and James Mura, all of
Augusta; Edward O. Ludwig of
Edgefield, S. C., and A. X. Lud
wig of Atlanta.
Silver Jubilee—
(Continued from Page One)
Our Lady of Lourdes, Port
Wentworth.
In February 1945, Father Shee
han was transferred to Decatur
as pastor of St. Thomas More’s
Church. At that time there was
no church building and mass and
other services' were held in the
public school auditorium. Under
Father Sheehan’s leadership, St,
Thomas More is now one of the
largest parishes in the state,
there now being the church
school, convent anu rectory.
Father Kennedy—
(Continued from Page One)
Kerry,, Ireland, Father will leave
for a visit home on August 2. He
will remain in Ireland until Sep
tember 2nd, when he will re
turn to Augusta.
Father is now busily engaged
with the supervision of the New
St. Mary’s Church on Monte
Sano Ave. It is hoped, that the
new 750 capacity edifice will ba
ready for use by early Fall.
Be not angry that you cannot
make others as you wish them to
be, since you cannot make your
self as you wish to be.—Thomas
a Kempis.
PLAN NOW TO ATTEND
NINTH REGIONAL CONGRESS
The Confraternity Of Christian Doctrine
and
FORTIETH ANNUAL MENTION
The Catholic Laymen's Association of Georgia
General Oglethorpe Hotel, Savannah
October 21, 22, 23, 1955
REGISTRATION AND RESERVATION
NINTH REGIONAL CONGRESS. CCD
FORTIETH ANNUAL CONVENTION. CLA OF GA.
General Oglethorpe Hotel, Savannah
October 21, 22. 23, 1955
Name: / . ; ; . :
4
Address:
/ ;
City & State: ~ *j,/
Please Reserve Room at Hotel Yes No
Note: Please enclose Registration Fee of $1.00 and mail to Mon Sign or
McNamara, 222 East Harris Street, Savannah, Georgia. (Brothers, Sisters
and Students 50c. Mail not later than October 5, 1955.)