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Official Newspaper For The Diocese Of Savannah - Atlanta Vol. XXXVI, No. 10. PUBLISHED BY THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA MONROE, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1955. “To Bring About a Friendlier Feeling Among Neighbors Irre spective of Creed” 10c Per Copy —- $3 a Year oavemr dddit ion Fortieth Annual Laymen's Association Convention In Conjunction With Ninth Regional Congress CCD HOSTS TO GATHERING MOST REV. GERALD P. O'HARA MOST. REV. FRANCIS E. HYLAND CONVENTION AND CONGRESS OCTOBER 21, 22, 23 Register now for the 40th An nual Convention of our Laymen’s Association, which will be held October 21, 22, 23 at the Gen eral Oglethorpe Hotel, Savannah in conjunction with the 9 th Regional Congress of the Con fraternity of Christian Doctrine. A Registration Blank for the convenience of all will be found on Page 2 of this issue of THE BULLETIN. Long since, those, who preceded us as officers and members of our world-acclaimed organization, through personal sacrifice, have dissipated bigotry and intolerance within our State and have made Georgia a friend lier area, irrespective of credal differences. Out of this soil of Good-will, which has been fur rowed by our Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia, there has come a more ready accept ance to evaluate the age-old doc trines of our Church and to listen to the message of hope, which these doctrines offer to our stricken world. Are we, as laymen and lay- women in Georgia, prepared to carry on the splendid traditions of those, who have gone before us? It is no longer a question of acting together “to bring about a friendlier feeling among neigh bors, irrespective of creed.” This has been done and the older members of our association can recount with pardonable pride their zeal, devotion and sacrifice, which created this friendlier feeling. We are living in a time of crisis, not only at home in these United States but more so, abroad, where there is pernici ous thinking, threatening to in filtrate our national life. Down through the ages, history shows that our Church has ever been the great proponent of man’s in herent dignity and the surest guarantee of his liberty and freedom. Never has there been a greater need for our Church; never a greater opportunity in our State to gain a ready audience to listen to her saving message. But how, to reach this audience, is the question. Certainly, our priests, ever willing to spend themselves in the cause of Christ, are not equal to the opportunities at hand. The answer rests with, the laity of our Diocese. The,theme of the Congress and Convention,—“A Fuller Knowl edge of Christ in a Region Devot ed to Christ,”—should prompt each of us to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to attend fully on the Program of October 21, 22, and 23. Reflecting on this Program, copy of which is car ried in this issue, indicates at a glance many diversified tech niques, whereby the laity might widen the scope of the priest’s work. In the words of His Holi ness, Pope St. Pius X, the Con gress feature of our Annual Con vention will point the way to achieve: “In every parish laymen virtuous, well-instructed, deter mined and apostolic . . .” More and more developments in our contemporary word reflect the anxiety of this saintly pontiff, an anxiety born of the ignorance of divine things, which was so widespread in his day. The pres ent Holy Father, Pope Pius XII, reiterates this nnxiety in the statement that the Church has enemies from without but that there is also a devitalizing ele ment within the Church, - ig norance of religion. Today with irreligion and corruption on the march, there is a most pressing need for the Apostolate of the Laity. The priest, who is forced to do all the work himself, be cause of an unresponsive laity, will, to the great detriment of souls, find much work undone. Alone' the clergy cannot win the battle against ignorance and evil; together, clergy and laity can carry the Church forward, “restoring all things in Christ,” and thus weaken, if* not destroy the secularistic forces, which are a threat, not only the well-being of the. individual but of the Na tion as well. Fortunate, then, are we of the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia that our Bishop arrang ed that' our Fortieth Annual Con vention be held jointly with the Ninth Regional Congress of the 'Confraternity of Christian Doc trine. The slogan of our Associa tion, - “To Bring About a Friend- lie r Feeling Among Neigh bor, Irrespective of Creed, takes on a greater significance in the light of our Congress and Convention Theme, “A Fuller Knowledge of Christ in a Region Devoted to Christ.” The signific ance will be in evidence at the General Oglethorpe Hotel, Sav annah, Friday* Saturday and Sunday, October 21, 22, and 23. REGISTER NOW, so that you will be on hand as new vistas are opened up to the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Geor gia.