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JUNE 25, 1955.
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
FIVE
i =-
Jottings ..
(By BARBARA C. JENCKS)
There is something terribly
awesome at writing the first col
umn of a series especially to an
unseen and unknown audience.
So much must be met and held
in a first column. It should set
the tempo for all the other col
umns that are to come. It is like
wandering down a strange new
road, making the first imprints
in new fallen snow or bringing
the first bold streak of paint to
an empty canvas.
There is an unmistakable bond,
however, between the reader and
the writer whether or not we
ever meet. The hopes and dis
appointments; the successes and
failures; the pleasures and pains;
the joys and sorrows that fill
our days- and years cannot help
but spill into our columns oc-
cassionally. There the reader
recognizes his owh feelings given
voice.
The primary purpose of this
column is not a popular or clever
one. There are all too many high
ly paid columnists who attempt
to solve the problems of the
world unsuccesfully as they
spout sophisticated phrases at
another’s expense. This column
was born first to elevate and
inspire. If it entertains and
amuses readers as well, that is
good:.
I happen to take the business
of writing a Catholic column
seriously. I do not think one
column should be wasted. Car
dinal Pole at that historic Coun
cil of Trent is quoted as saying
for all posterity; “We are respon
sible for those words, we ought
to have said and did not; for the
things we ought to have done
and did not do; for the things
which we ought to have uproot
ed and let grow; for the things
which we ought to have planted
and did not plant. If this is true
for the individual Catholic, it is
doubly true for the Catholic
press at his disposal.
Columnist Tom Sullivan once
wrote his feelings at being a
Catholic writer which certainly
sum up my attitudes. He wrote;
“You pray that you don’t sound
like a phony. And that you don’t
disgust people with religion or
religious people. And ask that
you be sincere in all that you
say. You beg God to stay your
hand from offending readers
with a holier-than-thou attitude.
And that you are constantly
aware of everyone of your sins
with every breath you take.” I
say a hearty “Amen” to all this.
The title Jottings” gives room
for much scope. As this Cath
olic laywoman attempts to write
of the Catholic world and its
people and places, I will temper
the serious with the lighter sub
jects. One week, my column may
be concerned with the need of
more frequent reception of Holy
Communion in this age of ma
terialism while another I will at
tempt to transport the reader to
a quiet villiage in County Gal
way, Ireland, or a Papal Audi
ence at Rome. There will be the
big and the little problems which
will find themselves worked-over
on this typewriter. Do let me
know what you like as well as
what you do not like.
Thus, “Jottings” is launched
in the diocese of Savannah-At
lanta. I count heavily on your
prayers as I begin an association
which I hope will be both pleas
ant and profitable.
Never go into details of “your”
apostolate unless it be for some
one else’s benefit.
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511 — 11 f-h Street —Columbus, Ga.
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Bank, Store and Office Fixtures
930 10th Avenue • Telephone 3-3500
COLUMBUS, GA.
BACKDROP—
(Continued from Page Four)
Western European alliance form
ed to prevent possible Commu
nist domination of the whole
European continent.
He has called the Southeast
Asian Anti-Communist defense
treaty an “unfortunate” devel
opment. _
He has favored admission of
the Chinese Communists into
the United Nations.
He has criticized those who
say they genuinely want peace,
for making preparations for war,
unwilling to accept the proposi
tion that only by remaining
strong militarily has the free
world any hope of withstanding
the inevitable aggressive expan
sionism that is part of commu
nism.
At the recent Bandung con
ference he bid for the role of
Asian-African leader, favoring a
soft co-existence with Commu
nism in what seemed to some to
be a Chou-Nehru attempt to iso
late the United States. This one
he lost.
LOT OF ANSWERING
CALLED FOR
Repeatedly over the years the
statesmen at New Delhi have
been critical and sarcastic about
the course being advocated in
Washington. Often they have
seemed to lean heavily toward
the Chinese Communist side. It
may or may not be significant
that never have the leaders in
Moscow given so extravagant a
welcome to any state visitor
from abroad as was given re
cently to Pandit Nehru.
It cannot be doubted that Neh
ru is one of the world’s most
important leaders. This former
Cambridge University student
and eminently shrewd politician
may indeed see himself as the
catalyst which somehow blends
east and west in a more peace
ful world. Nobody can question
India’s own right of decision.
But Congressman Jackson’s
question as to how anyone’s
neutralism can confuse systems'
of human freedom and human
slavery takes a lot of answering.:
Joint Meeting
(Continued from Page One)
that good-will is manifest and
sincere inquiry is in evidence,
the Georgia Catholic layman and
laywoman of today, if they are to
carry on the splendid traditions
of the Georgia Catholic laity of
the past, find it necessary to pre
pare themselves to have a more
active part in the teaching office
of the Churcl;. The Confraterni
ty of Christian Doctrine in its
program is the answer to the 1
Catholic Laymen’s Association’s,
need to implement its objectives
so that those objectives might,
continue to serve Georgia use-'
fully and profitably.
Seldom has so important an
assemblage been brought togeth
er in the Diocese of Savannah-
Atlanta; rarely have our devoted
Georgian Laity been enabled to
accumulate so much by way of
preparation for the days ahead
in so little time. Reservations
should be made as soon as pos
sible by addressing Monsignor
McNamara, Chairman, 222 East
Harris Street Savannah, Geor
gia.
It is not wise to so desire . . .
more worth than you can use . . .
to live contentedly, and leave . . .
no room for base abuse . . . dis
tribute cheerfully and live . , .
with open heart and hand . . .
and work yourself a golden rule
. . . and good’s at your com,
mand. — Katherine French Fedi-
gan.
YOU CAN WIN CONVERTS
Teen-Agers Win Souls
By REV. JOHN A. O'BRIEN
(University of
The Catholic Digest survey
disclosed the strange reticence of
Catholic lay people in regard to
their faith, and the failure of
the vast majority to make any
effort to share their preci
ous treasure with their church
less neighbors. Protestants are
rpore than tw
ice as active as
Catholics in this:
regard: 58 per
cent of them
seek to win ad
herents, as com
pared with a
mere 28 per
cent of Cath
olics.
The place where we should be
gin to teach Catholics that Christ
Himself command them to con
fess Him and His teachings be
fore men is in our schools. We
should begin that instruction in
the upper grades and continue it
in the high school and college.
We should teach them not only
duty of sharing their faith but
also the methods of doing this.
Then we would have reason to
expect that every product of our
Catholic schools would be alert
to seize every opportunity of in
teresting a - churchless friend
in his holy faith. It’s a mistake
to assume that grown-ups will
be zealous spreaders of the faith
if they receive no training along
those lines in the school.
I spoke to the students of the
Academy of Notre Dame of
Providence and of LaSalette
Academy of Covington, Ken
tucky, to enlist their aid in the
Crusade for Souls which Bishop
Mulloy was launching through
out the diocese. At the end of the
talk I asked if any of them had
helped to lead a friend into the
Church. About a half dozen at
each academy reported that they
had.
“Tell us,” I said to Miss Nan
cy Tieves, a senior at the Notre
Dame Academy, “how you help
ed to lead a soul into the fold.”
“It wasn’t especially hard,”
said Nancy. “I went out on dates
with Ronald Dawn and occasion
ally the subject of religion would
come up. I answered his ques
tions about the Catholic faith
and he became |more interested.”
“What doctrines was Ronald
particularly interested in?” I in
quired.
“In the Holy Euharist, devo
tion 1 to the Blessed Virgin and
especially in confession. Ron
couldn’t understand how human
beings could forgive sins. I ex
plained to him/ that priests act
ed as ambassadors of God when
they forgave sins.
Noire
“Christ conferred that power
upon His bishops and priests,”
I explained, “when He said:
‘Whose sins you shall forgive
they are forgiven them; and
whose sins you shall retain, they
are retained.’ Hence the power
really comes from God but it is
channeled through His priests. . ”
“Splendid, Nancy!” I broke in.
“You hit the nail right on the
head. What were the develop
ments?”
“I suggested that he come to
Mass with me on Sundays and
he did so. He was greatly im
pressed , by the deep reverence
of the congregation and by the
large number approaching Holy
Communion. I would pass on to
Ron my copy of our diocesan
paper, the Messenger, which al
ways explains some of the teach
ings of our faith. Then I took
him to Father Lalley who con
ducts the Days of Recollection
at the academy. Father
gave him a complete, course of
instruction and baptized him on
September 25, 1954 and gave him
his Fir-st Holy Communion the
following morning. Ron is now
very happy in the practice of his
new faith.”
Similar is the stpry which Ni
na Delaney of LaSalette told:
“Mr. and Mrs. Murphy live
near us. When I returned from
Mass on Ash Wednesday I
brought them some blessed ashes.
Mr. Murphy was a fallen-away
Catholic and his wife was a
non-Catholic. So I explained to
her the significance of the ashes
and the ceremony of placing the
ashes on a person’s forehead. I
did the same on Palm Sunday.
“This led to her asking a num
ber of questions about our faith.
I answered them and passed on
to her copies of our Messenger.
She got so interested that she
joined the instruction class at
the Basilica and three months
later was received into the
Church. Her husband joined her
at the Communion rail and both
are now fervent Catholics.”
Thus did two teen-agers help
in leading souls into the fold.
Opportunities surround us on ev
ery side. What Nancy Tieves
and Nina Dalaney did, every
Catholic boy and girl—yes, every
man and woman too—can do if
they will but try.
Readers who know of any lay
person who 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.
Compliments
BILL FORTSON
INSURANCE AGENCY
'WE INSURE ANYTHING BUT THE HEREAFTER"
COLUMBUS, Ga.