Newspaper Page Text
Official
Newspaper For
The Diocese Of
Savannah - Atlanta
PUBLISHED BY THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
“To Bring About
a Friendlier
Feeling Among
Neighbors Irre
spective of Creed”
Vol. XXXVI, No. 5.
MONROE, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1955.
10c Per Copy — $3 a Year
The American flag was in the forefront as pilgrims from the United States participated in the night sessions of the 36th World
Eucharistic Congress held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Left photo, His Eminence Samuel Cardinal Stritch of Chicago, accompanied by
his secretary, Very Rev. James C. Hardiman, wait for the final procession to start; right photo: His Eminence Francis Cardinal Spell
man of New York gives Holy Communion to one of the thousands at midnight Mass.—(NC Photos). .
CCD —The Means To The End
The Ninth Regional Congress
of the Confraternity of Christian
Doctrine will meet jointly with
the 40th Annual Convention of
the Catholic Laymen’s Associa
tion. The Congress with its 'em
phasis on the Lay Apostolate con
stitutes a program that meets
ideally the objectives of the Cath
olic Laymen's Association. This
article is one of a series.
(By Rev. Francis Donohue) ■
The past two articles of this se
ries have attempted to point up
the Church’s need for the active
and effective participation of the
laity in the all-important task of
bringing Christ to the world and
the world to Christ; and the duty
of every Catholic, as a soldier of
Christ, to help in the spread of
the knowledge, love and service
of God. The Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine provides the
framework within which this need
can be effectively met and the
duty of “Apostleship” discharged.
It is one thing to point out the
desperate need for Christ in the
world today; it is quite another
thing to point out a means where
by this need may be filled. The
CCD provides that means. The
Parish Confraternity Unit is com
posed of an Executive Board and
Six Divisions of Workers. This is
the “framework” mentioned
above.
The Executive board is made
up of the Parish Priest Director,
President, Vice-President, Treas
urer, Secretary, and the chairmen
of the six divisions of workers.
Each of these six divisions have
distinct and different duties, all
coordinated and directed by the
Executive board toward a specific
phase of the Parish Confraternity
Program. The over-all program of
the CCD is to bring Christ into
the home and the school, the heart
of society—to bring Christ into
the lives and activities pf Adults
as well as children, non-Catholics
as well as Catholics. In short, the
ultimate goal of the CCD is the
Christianization of society.
But no human endeavor can
achieve its aim without the eU
fective utilization of necessary
and adequate means to that end.
The Parish CCD unit has all the
necessary and adequate means to
achieve its goal, and the organi
zational ability to utilize those
means in a systematic manner.
The means are the activities of
the divisions of workers and the
prayers and material support' of
the Associate Members.
The Teachers have the duty to
assist the priests and religious in
the religious education in the
parish. The Home Visitors make
surveys of the parish to determine
the catechetical needs of the par
ish. They promote attendance at
instruction classes or enrollment
in the discussion or parent-edu
cator clubs. The Helpers fulfill
the title they bear by arranging
for the transportation of the chil
dren, assisting in the preparation
of the instructional materials, and
performing such other duties as
will promote the work of the Con
fraternity. Discussion Club Lead
ers and Members conduct or at
tend clubs for the direction and
discussion of some topic associ
ated with the religious and moral
life of the members. The Parent-
Educators co-operate in the pro
gram arranged for parents, to as
sist them in teaching religion in
the home. The Apostles of Good
Will contact non-Catholics, pro
mote inquiry classes for non-
Catholics, and assist in the work
of religious correspondence cours
es. The work of each particular
group differs from the activity of
each other group. But these varied
activities are not ends in them
selves. They are means to the
over-all end of the Parish CCD
And each group needs the help of
the other groups in enacting its
own particular phase of the CCD
program. This co-operation is
planned and directed in a system
atic and effective manner by the
Parish Executive Board, and
brought to fruition by the prayers
of both Active and Associate
members.
As each activity is undertaken,
whether it be the religious teach
ing program for public school
children, religious discussion
(Continued on Page Nineteen)
Monsignor Kirk
New Pastor Of
Atlanta Shrine
His Excellency. Archbishop
Gerald P. O’Hara, Bishop of
Savannah-Atlanta and Apostolic
Delegate to Great Britain, an
nounces the appointment of Rt.
Rev. Msgr. John C. Kirk as pas
tor of the Shrine of the Im
maculate Conception, Atlanta.
Monsignor Kirk, however, will
continue to retain the title and
the office of Delegate of the
Sacred Congregation for the
Oriental Church for the Rou
manian faithful living outside
Roumania.
* By Jaime Fonseca
N.C.W.C. News Service)
RIO DE JANEIRO — One of
the most memorable and drama
tic events of the 36th Interna
tional Eucharistic Congress took
place when great numbers of
the faithful joined in prayer for
the more than 60 million Cath
olics behind the Iron Curtain.
Climaxing an all-day religious
session devoted to the Church of
Silence was a Way of the Cross
in the vast Congress Square led
by refugee Bishop Vincent
Brizgys of Kaunas, Lithuania,
who now lives in Chicago.
Taking part in the event were
more than 200,000 pilgrims, who
prayed before 14 black crosses
erected in front of the monumen
tal altar. At each cross was a
delegation in regional costumes,
representing one of the follow
ing countries where the Church
had suffered oppression at Red
hands:
Albania, East Germany Bul
garia, China, Yugoslavia, Hun
gary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland,
Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Russia,
Ukraine and North Vietnam.
The Way of the Cross took
place in darkness, except for a
spotlight that moved from sta
tion to station as the multitude
re-lived Christ’s journey to Cal
vary. At each cross, a member of
the delegation read off a list of
the crimes the Church and the
faithful had experienced at com
munist hands in the particular
country represented there.
“The martyrs in communist
prisons and concentration camps
are not, and never will be, for
gotten,” Bishop Brizgys told the
assembly. He called the cere
mony “a symbol of the spiritual
unity of free Catholics with their
enslaved brothers.”
In the morning, the sufferings
of the Church of Silence had
been eloquently recalled when a
(Continued on Page Five)
DeSOTO PROVINCE MASTERS—Thomas E. Mallem of Jacksonville, center, vice supreme
master of the Fourth Degree, ~ Knights of Columbus, is shown with masters from the Georgia and
Florida districts set a two day masters meeting held at Savannah. At left is N. T. Stafford, Sr.,
Savannah, master of the Georgia District, and Joseph Sweeny, Miami, Florida District master.
Sweeny is a native Savannahian.—(Photo by Jim Bisson, courtesy Savannah Morning News).
U. S. CARDINALS LEAD PILGRIMS AT WORLD CONGRESS
Way Of The Cross
Dramatic, Moving
Congress Feature