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. 6.
MONROE, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 1955
10c Per Copy — $3 a Year
‘PILGRIM VIRGIN’ CRUSADE FOR PEACE
The famed “Pilgrim Virgin” statue of Our Lady of Fatima is escorted by more than 500 religious'
in a welcoming demonstration with huge banners in Olean, New York, for the Marian Celebration
there. _The event was sponsored by the. Sisters of St. Francis as part of a Crusade for Peace,
(NC Photos)
WHY MEET COMSURRENTLY!
(Rev. Francis Donohue)
The coming ninth Regional
congress of the Confraternity
Doctrine is to be held jointly
with the annual convention of
the Catholic Laymen’s Associa
tion of Georgia. Ordinarily the
Laymen’s Convention is held on
the weekend of the feast of
Christ the King. However, with
the past brilliant record of the
Catholic Laymen’s Association
and the Apostolic zeal of its
members in mind, His Excellen
cy, Bishop Hyland asked that the
CCD Congress and the fortieth
Annual Convention of the Cath
olic Laymen’s Association of
Georgia be held in conjunction
with each other. For without
the active help of Georgia’s most
ardent Lay Apostles, the outlook
for the Confraternity Program in
our diocese would be dark, in
deed. If the Confraternity, which
is a lay organization, is to func
tion effeciently and achieve its
goal, then it must make use of
the talents and experience of
those who have a deep love for
the Faith, couple with the desire
to see it known and loved by
all.
The present record and truly
heroic past accomplishments of
the Catholic Laymen’s Associa
tion of Georgia are, or certainly
should be, known by all. But in
case they are not, then- a brief
recapitulation of the history of
the Association may inspire yet
more men and women to enroll in
this historic Catholic organiza
tion, and to work with it for the
spread of the Faith in Georgia,
through the Confraternity Pro
gram.
Today the Catholic Church is
well known in Georgia and
equally well respected. Political
discrimination against Catholics
is almost entirely a thing of the
past. No longer are the Church
Priests, and Sisters the subject
of vilification and misrepresen
tation. But many there are
throughout the State of Georgia
who remember other days. Thir
ty years ago times were hard
for the Church and her people in
Georgia. Catholic institutions
were constantly misrepresented
by a hostile press. Even the loyal
ty of Catholics to their state and
their country was called into
question. For, a people who
knew nothing of the Catholic
Church or her teachings could
not distinguish between the spi
ritual allegiance which every
Catholic owes to Christ, through
His Vicar on earth, and the
temporal allegiance which Cath
olics as wbll as others owe to the
duly constituted authorities of
the country. There were some
who would have disfranchised
Catholics because of this alleged
“Dual allegiance.” The honor of
our Sisters and the sanctity of
their convents were openly cal
led into question by otherwise
prudent and respectable men.
The Sisters, and through them
the Church and Catholics
throughout the State were humi
liated by the passage of the
“Convent Inspection Bill”,
known today as the “Veasey
Act.” The Bishop who rose to
voice the Church’s potest against
what could only have seemed
a gross and monumental in
justice became the object of a
series of diatribes in the legis
lative halls of the State he had
served so loyally as a citizen,
a soldier, and a Churchman.
It is difficult for us who did
not live through those trying
days to appreciate the plight
of the Catholic Church in Geor
gia thirty short years ago. And
without the zeal, talent, tact and
the determined and persevering
action and prayer of the little
group of men who, under the
direction of their Bishop, first
formed the Catholic Laymen’s
Association of Georgia, those
dark days might never have
been shortened.
In their zeal they wanted the
Church of Christ to be known
as it really is and loved for
what it is. They were tactful men
who reasoned that such a wide
spread misconception of the na
ture of the Church and such a
violent hatred for it could not be
the result of malicious intent,
but rather of ignorance and mis
information. They pooled their
talents to devise ways and means
to inform the people of Georgia
as to the true teachings and
practices of the Church; and they
gave unstintingly of their time,
efforts and financial resources,
to bring about “A friendlier feel
ing among Georgians irrespec
tive of Creed.”
The esteem and respect for the
Church and Catliolics in Georgia,
today, attests most ele-
oquently to the success of the
Catholic Laymen’s Association
in their progress toward their
goal. Thanks be to God, the
lean days are over, and while the
“Convent Inspection Bill” re
mains in existence as an unfor
tunate blot upon the legislation
of the State of Georgia, the bit
terness and misunderstanding
that gave it birth have, for the
most part, dissipated before, the
light enkindled by the Catholic
Laymen’s Association of Georgia.
Today, the Church in Georgia
can breathe and grow, but even
the most optimistic of us would
not claim that all ignorance and
misunderstanding has disappear
ed from the scene. There is much
work yet to be done. The gains
which the Church has made in
Georgia must be consolidated by
a strong and vigorous Catholic
(Continued on Page Two)
Archbishop O’Hara
Addresses Congress
(N.C.W.C. News Service)
NOTTINGHAM, England, Aug.
18—A worldwide questionnarie
on university education and its
meaning for Catholics forms the
basis for this year’s Pax Roma-
na Congress at Nottingham Uni
versity here.
Archbishop Gerald P. O’Hara,
Apostolic Delegate to Great Bri
tain and Bishop of Savannah-
Atlanta, set the theme for the
congress—“From University 'to
Life” — when he preached the
sermon at the opening Mass,
celebrated in Nottingham Ca
thedral by Bishop Andrew Beck
of Brentwood.
Opening address of the con
gress, “The Culture of the Uni
versity Graduate,” was to be de
livered by Sir Hugh Taylor,
Princeton University professor
and president of the Council of
the International Movement for
Intellectual and Cultural Affairs.
In a symposium four univer
sity leaders from different parts
of the world are scheduled to
present reports on what the
modern student expects from the
university and how the universi
ty fulfils these expectations. The
reports are based on the Pax
Romana questionnaire. One of
the four to present these reports
is Dr. Richard Pattee, a contri
butor to the N.C.W.C. News
Service. Others are Dr. Joseph
Kuriacos of India, joint presi
dent of the congress along with
Sir Hugh Taylor and president
of the International Movement
of Catholic Students; Dr. F.
Kluber of Muenster University,
Germany, and Mr. K. McDon
nell of Queen Mary College,
London.
Other American professors
taking part in the congress in
clude Father Robert F. Drinan,
S.J., of Boston, Father Patrick
H. Yancey, S.J., of Mobile, Ala.,
Father William Rooney of
Washington and Dr. Pick of
Marquette University in Mil
waukee.
Argentine Catholics Are Blamed
For Attacks Made By Paid Ruffians
BUENOUS AIRES (Radio NC)
—Mystery attacks made on
guards placed at churches here
were carried out by paid terrior-
ists, it has been revealed by an
investigaton. Catholcs were pur
posefully blamed for these at
tacks, it was also revealed.
These important disclosures
came to light as new govern
ment charges of an attempt on
the life of President Juan D.
Peron, and other instances, have
brought a new phase to the un
settled situation in Argentina.
The regime’s police announced
that they had arrested more than
200 persons as a result of the
discovery of an armed plot on
the life of President Peron. They
identified only two of the per
sons charged, but the prisoners
ranged from communists to
members of the Catholic Auction
Group.
Observers remarked upon the
starnge coalation of conspirators
reported by the police. They
noted, however, that all were
members of the opposition.
Heretofore, announcements of
the discovery of plots against
the Peron Regime have inverib-
ly proceeded the regimes against
opponents.
Meanwhile, the Churche’s po
sition is restated as follows;
1. Ecclesiastical Authorities
have banned Catholics from par
ticipating in meetings and de
monstrations which are called
Religious but which are not ec
clesiastically approved.
2. The Ban does not apply to
free participation by Catholics
in civic demonstrations and the
exercise of their civil rights.
3. Whenever civil adthorities
find it necessery to curb demon
strators, this should be accom
plished within the framework of
respect for the freedom and dig
nity of a human-person.
The official statement of the
Churche’s position, first made
public late in July, stressed that
the church is not responsible for
Civic demonstrations, since it
leaves absolute freedom to the
faithful.
Charges made by the police
that the weapons and ammuni
tion were kept in Catholic col
leges were found to be ground
less upon investigation by oth
ers. Even a few old weapons
that have been in colleges, for
sport and practice use, were re
turned to the army. The only
(explosives) that could be found
in Catholic colleges were a few
bottles for chemicals used for in
struction purposes in laborato-'
ries.
With growing discontent in all
groups, the police announce
ment of a plot against President
Peron did not surprise anyone.
Many believed it to be just one
more shift in the shaking, un
certain, Peronist policies.
Even children have joined in
open resistance by painting V’s
topped by a Cross on walls all
over the city as a sign of Vic
tory.
Many of the leaders arrested
have expected it for several
days, as peronist intimation had
been experienced steadily with
out cause.
Catholic homes and schools
continue to constitute a prin
cipal target of the regime, be
cause they are buwarks against
the organized peronization of
Youth. The charge of seditious
preaching hurled against Clergy
also is untrue, but the priests
are firmly opposed to the cor
ruptive tactics of the regime
and violation of constitutional
rights.