Newspaper Page Text
EIGHT
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
AUGUST fi. 1955.
CATHOLIC 'I/Mman ’A, PAGE
EDITED BY MRS. JOHN RHENEY
SAVANNAH-ATLAN7A DIOCESAN COUNCIL OF CATHOLIC WOMEN
POPE EXHORTS YOUNG CATHOLIC
WOMEN TO PREPARE THEMSELVES
AS GUARDIANS OF THE HOME
PLAN N. C. C. W. INSTITUTE
Training the average Catholic woman for leadership and to help her in the formation of a
Christian personality is the purpose of the N.C.C.W. Institutes conducted throughout the country
by staff members of the National Council of Catholic Women. Picture before their departure for
sessions in Memphis, Tenn.; Madison, Wis.; Omaha, Nebr.; Spokane, Wash., and Belmont, Calif.,
are Margaret Mealey, Washington, D. C., executive secretary, N.C.C.W., formerly of Oakland,
Calif.; Catherine Jarboe, National Committee secretary; Mary Donohoe, Organization Secretary;
Irma Piepho, Administrative Assistant, N.C.C.W., and Nora LeTourneau, Field Secretary, N.C.C.W.
—(NC Photos).
The N.C.C.S.,
Member Agency U.S.O.
(Radio, N.C.W. C.
News Service)
VATICAN CITY — Catholic
young women have been urged
by His Holiness Pope Pius XII
to prepare themselves for their
duties as guardians of the home
“against invading external and
•' often tyrannical influences.”
Addressing members of the
Belgian Independent Catholic
Young Women’s Organization
(Jeunesse Independante Catho-
lique Feminine), the Pope ex
horted them to develop in them
selves a “Christian personality
fully capable of assuming the
task of educating” families
which will be exposed to such
influences.
Echoing "the thoughts ex
pressed in the recent letter sent
by the Holy See to the French
Social Week, the Holy Father
described the tremendous pres
sures brought to bear on all
minds by modern communication
methods, such as the press, radio
and television. Many persons, he
pointed out, are unable to defend
themselves properly against such
pressures.
“How can a Christian mother
preserve in her home and instill
in her chldren those Christian at
titudes that bear witness ... to
Christian truths?” he asked. “Is
it perhaps not necessary that she
herself possess solid and genu
inely Christian convictions, feel
ings and reflexes?
“Every moment he must be
able to discern among the count
less infuences reaching her and
affecting her family those which
respect and favor Christian val
ues. Others she must know how
to prevent, avoid and counter
balance through the fervor of an
interior life that is spontaneous
ly reflected, by her words, ges
tures and whole bearing.”
In order to master this “dif
ficult art” the Pope counseled
individuals and groups to study
their environment, the teachings
of the Church and, above all, to
live a life close to the Sacra
ments.
He warned against yielding to
the temptations of a “materialis
tic civilization that wants to es
tablish a false paradise on earth
and risks lulling the purest spi
ritual energies through ease, lux
ury and comfort.”
Message From Your
National President
In urgent and challenging
tones, our Holy Father has called
upon Catholic women to be on
guard and in action whenever
through education the soul of
a people is being forged. Our
days are such days. And we are
those to whom the Holy Father
speaks. We must hear we must
act.
We are united in the NCCW to
bring the stabilizing influence of
our Catholic principles into the
life around us. But to do so we
must be prepared. And so we
seize each opportunity presented
to us to prepare ourselves and
to give our knowledge to the
memberships of our organiza
tions. We are indeed fortunate
that not only does N.C.C.W. open
to each Catholic woman wider
avenues of service but at the
same time it prepares her to ful
fill these duties. Those of us who
have worked in the Council over
the years can look back to our
early days and see how far we
have come personally in the great
knowledge of Catholic teaching,
in the ability to stand forth and
be counted in the defense of
moral principles.
So I am pleased that again this
year N.C.C.F. offers us training
institutes so located across the
country that they are accessible
to large numbers of Council
workers. The five August insti
tutes, are still opened for regis
tration. I urge you to come, and
encourage other members of
your organizations to come also.
I shall be at each institute and
shall be so happy to meet you
there. Do send your reservation
to national headquarters prompt
ly-
For you who will come to the
institutes and also for you who
cannot come, there will be pro
vided again this year $1 kits con
taining the new committee pro-
N.C.C.S. means the NATION
AL CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
SERVICE. NCCS was establish
ed by the Catholic Bishops of the
United States on November 13,
1940, as the official agency of the
Catholic Church ... to aid in the
defense program of the United
States by serving the religious,
spiritual, welfare, and education
al needs of the men and the
women in the armed forces and
defense industries of the United
States.
To contribute to the mainten
ance of national morale by pro
moting spiritual and material
welfare work.
To promote the cooperation of
all Catholic or other individuals,
groups, associations, and organi
zations desiring to aid in the ac
complishment of these objectives.
NCCS serves men and women
of the armed forces of the United
States, principally as a member
gram suggestions and other help
ful material to assist you as you
plan your winter’s work. Anoth
er aid is the volume of the pro
ceedings of our great Boston con
vention, which will be ready in
July. If your order for this has
not been sent to headquarters
already, be sure to writy for it.
It will prove a veritable gold
mine of information and ideas
and you will feel its $5 cost well
spent, I know.
So we start another year—-a
few short months of leisure to
learn and plan, then the. busy
season of activities.
In Our Lady,
Claire Desch (Mrs. August G.),
President.
agency of United Service Orga
nizations (USO), a group of sev
en welfare agencies, five of
which are agencies representa
tive of the three major faiths.
Established on February 4, 1941,
USO through its member agen
cies, individually and jointly, en
deavors to meet the religious,
spiritual, social, welfare and
educational needs of all men and
women in the armed forces of
the United States.
NCCS service to the military is
needed now more than ever—
about 3,000,000 young Americans,
including roughly a million Cath
olics, are still in the uniform of
our country. About half of these
persons are stationed overseas.
A large portion of these persons
have dependents, including
young children. Most of these
persons are youngsters who for
the first time inHheir lives are
far away from home—far from
the restraining and stabilizing
influences of family, long-term
friends, schools..... parish Church,
familiar community, ar.d so on.
These young people do not have
the idealistic Inspiration which
military service during wartime
often stimulates. Civilians in
general do nol show the same
friendly attitude they do dur
ing wartime. Organized as well
as unorganized vice makes its
wares tempting: to these young
persons; the forces of morality
and faith mujst not only make
opportunities fbr proper leisure
time pursuits ^available but also
make the alternatives to im
morality more attractive than
the deliberately planned tempta
tions of evil.
NCCS belives that the prima
ry and ultimate purpose of every
action of man is or should be the
salvation of his immortal soul,
that everything he does or ex
periences may play a part in de
termining his ultimate destiny.
Directly or indirectly,, therefore,
the religious motivation of NCCS
colors every aspect of its pro
gram.
NCCS supplements the work of
mliitary chaplains. To achieve
this end most effectively, it
works closely not only witK the
individual base chaplains but al
so with the Military Ordinariate
and the NCCS Chaplains Com
mittee on Religious Program.
NCCS clubs and other local
units all have Priest Moderators
appointed by the Ordinary of the
Diocese where each unit is.locat-
ed. The Priest Moderator advises
the staff with respect to club
program and in particular is
available to counsel with mem
bers of the armed forces on any
matter. they ma/ bring to his
attention.
NCCS as a member of the
NCWC Family, draws freely
from the vast resources of the
Welfare Conference and relies
largely upon the National Coun
cil of Catholic Women, the Na
tional Council of Catholic Men,
and their affiliate^ for volunteer
support and interpretation.
NCCS is primarily an organi
zation of volunteers; well-quali
fied, highly trained workers pro
vide professional, full-time co
ordination but their efforts and
effectiveness are enlarged hun
dreds and hundreds of times ov
er by the skills, connections, in
fluence, knowledge, wisdom,
guidance, and service brought to
the program by many thousands
of persons who generously donate
their time and effect to the at-
(Continued on Page Eighteen)
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