Newspaper Page Text
SEPTEMBER 3, 1955.
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
SEVEN
Vivid Description Of Church
Destruction By Peronists In
Buenos Aires Given By Priest
LOS ANGELES — “You
wouldn’t believe it, if you didn’t
see it.”
Thus did Msgr. Henry W. Gross,
pastor of St. Basil’s Church here,
describe what he saw in tension-
filled Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Descrated churches and gutted
monasteries stand as" indictments
of the persecution of the Church
by President Juan Peron, Mon
signor Gross said. He visited rav
aged Buenos Aires on his return
from the Eucharistic Congress at
Rio de Janeiro.
There is undeniable evidence
that the work was done by gov
ernment .arson squads “with
flame throwers, crow bars, na
palm and grenades,” Monsignor
Gross said. “The Cardinal’s resi
dence next to the Cathedral was
completely gutted, every room
was destroyed,” he adedd.
Argentine Catholics, parti
cularly members of Catholic Ac
tion, Monsignor Gross said, have
-reacted admirably in the face of
persecution and are endeavoring
to make known to the free world
the truth about conditions in their
country.
It is common knowledge in Bu
enos Aires, Monsignor Gross said,
that Peron arson squads destroy
ed the churches.
“In the Cardinal’s residence the
arsonists must have worked three
or four hours. They threw fur
niture into the courtyard and
soaked it with gasoline before
burning it,” he said. “In the rub
ble I counted seven typewriters
from the Chancery. In the bed
rooms the only things recogniz
able were twisted springs and
iron bedsteads. All else was
ashes.
“On the fourth floor library
there had been records and an
cient volumes. The ashes on this
floor were about 20 inches deep
—and no sign of a book. Only
flamethrowers could have creat
ed enough heat to so thoroughly
burn books,” the Monsignor con
tinued.
The Monsignor also visited the
Franciscan, Dominican and Jesuit
churches in Buenos Aires. The in
teriors, he said, were completely
destroyed.
“Every tabernacle had been
hammered in. They broke the
reliquary in the altar stones and
scattered the relics,” he said.
“Statues were broken, marble al
tar rails broken so that no piece
larger than 12, inches remained.
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Anything burnable was piled and
burned.
“In the Dominican Church the
heat was so intense that it blew
out stained glas windows high in
the dome. In the Franciscan mon
astery,” continued Monsignor
Gross, .“every cell was burned.
In the Dominican monastery
about one-third were burned.
Stains of oil sprayed on the wall
were still visible. Catholics sur
mise that the heat of the burning
church adjoining made it impos
sible for Peron’s arsonist to fin
ish the job.
“The priests called the police
for protection and were told ‘We
have no instructions,’ ” the Mon
signor said. “They called the fire
department and firemen stood in
front of the church for two hours.
They said there was no water
pressure. After two hours they
went in and what the fire didn’t
do, the water did. They flooded
the church. If you didn’t see
these buildings, you wouldn’t be
lieve it.”
Monsignor Gross said this viol
ence has backfired on President
Peron, for the people, instead of
fearing him, were shocked and
angered at the senseless destruc
tion of centuries-old art.
“The government has offered
to repair the churches, but the
Church refused. Authorities said
they wanted the people to see
what Peron had done,” the Mon
signor related.
Monsignor Gross said he learn
ed that it was impossible for
newspapermen to get any news
out of Argentina — except what
the Peron regime will let out.
He also said it was common
knowledge in Argentina that
Peron had married a 19-year-old
government employee before an
Adventist minister.
“No priest in Buenos Aires—
except one—now wears a Roman
collar,” Monsignor Gross said.
The reason for this is that Pero-
nistas and anti-clericals, on rec
ognizing a priest, would provoke
street fights with Catholics seek
ing to defend the priest.
.“The only priest who wears a
collar is Father John McFaden,
former pastor of St. Columban’s
at Westminster, Calif.,”'the Mon
signor said. “He conducts a sea
men’s institute in Buenos Aires,
lives in the dock section and rides
a bike through the streets, day
or night, in perfect safety. Fath
er McFaden is 70—?nd hard as
nails.”
Monsignor Gross said he was
“very glad I went to Buenos
Aires—and very glad to come out
again.*’
Expresses
Sympathy
SCRANTON, Pa., (NC)—Arch
bishop Gerald P. O’Hara, Bishop
of Savannah-Atlanta and Apos
tolic Delegate to England, who is
a native of Scranton, sent a tele
gram to Bishop Jerome D. Han
nan of Scranton, expressing his
deepest sympathy over the flood
disaster.
The Archbishop’s telegram
stated: “London papers headline
tragic Scranton floods. I give
Your Excellency my deepest
sympathy in this terrible disas
ter.”
OFFICIAL SCHOOL CiLElMi
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH-ATLANTA
1955-1956
Approved by
Most Recerend Francis E. Hyland, D. D.,
J. C. D.
1955
September 1—Registration
September 6—Classes Resume—Half-Day session Sept. 6-9
October 12—Columbus Day—Half-day session
November 1—All Saints’ Day—Holiday
November 8—I. Q. Tests (Grades one, four, seven)
November 24-25—Thanksgiving Recess
December 8—Immaculate Conception—Holiday
December 21—Christmas Recess begins at noon
1956
January 2—Classes Resume
January 17-19—Semester Exams
January 20—Semester Recess
January 23—Second Semester begins at noon
February 22—Washington’s Birthday—Half-day session
March 17—St. Patrick’s Day—Half-day session
March 28—Easter Recess begins at close of school
April 3—Classes Resume
May 10—Ascension Day—Holiday
May 21-23—Final Examinations
June 1—School Closes
Report Card Dates (1st and 2nd Grades)
November 7 March 26
January 23* June 1
Report Card Dates (3rd through 8th grades)
October 17 January 23* April 16
November 28 March 5 June 1
N. B. (1) Pastors may grant ONE holiday within the school
year. The granting of additional holidays is forbidden. The
date of this holiday should be sent to the Diocesan School
Office the first week of school.
N. B. (2) It is required by State law that classes be in session
NOT less than 180 DAYS exclusive of holidays, and that a
school day consist of not less than FIVE AND ONE-HALF
HOURS, exclusive of recesses and lunch periods.
*Reports are to be issued as soon,' as examination marks are
received from the Diocesan School Office.
Best Wishes
Cletus W. Beilin
William P. lerspi
ARCHITECTS
127 HABERSHAM STREET
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA