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TWELVE
THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIAFEBRUARY 18, 1956.
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DEARLY BELOVED BRETHREN:
A deep concern about the spiritual welfare of the Negroes and Indians in this
country and about the maintenance of the churches and schools that give them the
religious help they need, prompts us to appeal to your continued generosity in their
behalf. Our Holy Father himsif, recommending this work, urges it as ''a duty im
posed by a very particular charity towards your fellow citizens.”
Charity is indeed called for, because, first, the spiritual welfare, not only of fel
low citizens, but of many brethren in the Faith, depends upon your help. This is so,
for many Negroes and Indians who have been brought into the Church can not, de
spite their attachment to her, fully support the churches where they continue to be
nourished by the word of God, by the fruits of the Holy Sacrifice and by the Sacra
ments, nor support the schools where their children learn to serve God.
The fact is that a majority of the 470 Negro congregations and of the 400 Indian
congregations are small and most of their members are poor. Many consist as yet
of only a handful of converts to the Faith. Others that are larger still do not have con
gregations large enough or able to support their churches and schools. The priests
and nuns who serve them have, and are satisfied with, only the essentials. They live
frugally; they do not flinch from hardships and sacrifices. They need and deserve
your help in order to keep up their work.
Your charity is called for, secondly, to make it possible further to spread the
Faith among the Negro and Indian people in this country. Here at our very door
is a great but only partly tilled missionary field. Fifteen million Negroes are still out
side the fold of Christ; so, too, are 250,000 Indians. It is surely our duty to help as
many of these as we can to come to Him Who is the way, the truth, and the life.
This you are doing to some extent by helping the priests who are charged with
the spiritual care of Catholic Negroes and Indians. Every one of these has also the
responsibility of bringing other lost and wandering sheep into the true fold. For
many of these priests, this is their main duty. God's blessing is upon their efforts.
During the past year they received more than 10,000 Negro and 800 Indian converts
into the Church. God's blessing is still more apparent when we look at the fruits of
this harvest over the years. Today half a million Negroes are Catholics and 100,-
000 Indians are Catholics, is not this a plain sign of a far greater harvest of souls,
if you will only provide for more and more missions and for missionaries to staff
them?
We urge you, therefore, Beloved Brethren, to be generous today with both your
prayers and-your offerings that our devoted priests and Sisters may be able, not only
to continue, but also to expand their zealous work for the salvation of souls. May
God bless and reward you for your cooperation in this holy apostolate.
FRANCIS CARDINAL SPELLMAN,
Archbishop of New York.
FRANCIS P. KEOUGH,
Archbishop of Baltimore.
JOHN F. O’HARA,
Archbishop of Philadelphia.
ANNUAL COLLECTION
ALL PARISHES
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19th.
WALTON TRIBUNE MQNRQE