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CLEVELAND, (NC)—Auxili
ary Bishop Clarence E. Elwell
of Cleveland told the Protestant
ministerial association here
that U. S. educators must make
a thorough study of religious
education throughout the world
in order to deal with the pro
blem of getting religion back
into American public schools.
Bishop Elwell took part in
a three-faith dialogue on "Re
ligion in Education" held at Old
Stone Church, one of the oldest
Protestant churches in down
town Cleveland.
Disagreeing with Bishop El
well on the need for religious
instruction in public schools
were the other two panel mem
bers: Irving Levine, area direc
tor of the American Jewish
Committee, and Rev. George
E. Drew, minister of Lakewood
Congregationalist Church and
secretary of the Cleveland Area
Church Federation.
Bishop Elwell, long-time su
perintendent of Catholic schools
here, pointed to solutions other
countries have made in the area
of religious education. He said
that England, for example, has
state-supported religious insti
tutions.
Bishop Elwell said that the
present approach leaves too
much of the child’s religious
formation to chance. He insist
ed that "a systematic, formal
training is needed to assure the
proper religious formation."
Stating that there no longer
is time in a child’s life for
complete after-school religious
instruction, he said:
"The child between 7 and 17
has his non-school hours heavi
ly taxed by homework and other
activities; any sort of uniform
after-school education would be
impossible."
Stress Real
Meaning Of
Communion
SPOKANE, Wash,, (NC)—
Since last May there have been
no fluffy white First Commun
ion dresses at St. Francis of
Assisi parish here.
"Pretty dresses have nothing
to do with the sacrament,” Fa
ther John Fowlie, O. F. M.,
pastor, said. "There has been
so much fuss made about the
externals of First Communion
that the youngsters didn't know
what Communion was.”
Nor do the Sisters of the
parish school instruct the com
municants in traditional fash
ion. Parents prepare their own
youngsters.
At St. Francis the spiritual
life of the individual family
receives emphasis. The first
communicants do not receive
in a body. Each youngster re
ceives when the pastor has
determines his readiness and
not before.
Consequently, "we have a
First Communion almost every
Sunday at St. Francis," Father
Fowlie said.
The Southern Cross, February 2, 1963—PAGE 3
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Queen Elizabeth
Expresses Sorrow
At Cardinal’s Death
LONDON, (NC)--All Britain
joined in a final tribute to Wil
liam Cardinal Godfrey as the
Pontifical Requiem Mass at
Westminster Cathedral, attend
ed by government and diplomat
ic leaders, was televised
throughout the country.
The Cardinal, 73, died here
following a second heart attack
(Jan. 22). He had been in poor
health for the past two years
and his intensive work at the
ecumenical council put an ad
ditional strain on him. His death
came only hours before Bri
tain’s Anglican Primate,
bishop Michael Ramsey, was
due to-call at his home for a
bedside visit.
Queen Elizabeth expressed
her deep sorrow over the pre
late’ s death, and other mes
sages of condolence were re
ceived from all parts of the
world. Londoners were given a
three-day opportunity to view
the body in the halL of West
minster Cathedral. The Re
quiem Mass was offered by Bi
shop Thomas L. Parker of
Northhampton and the eulogy
was delivered by Archbishop
Heenan.
His Holiness Pope John XXIII,
a personal friend of the Car
dinal, was reported deeply mov
ed by the news of his death and
immediatley went to his private
chapel to offer prayers, A mes
sage of condolence from the
Pope that was received here
praised Cardinal Godfrey’s
"example and pastoral zeal
which honored Church and coun
try."
Britain’s press paid unstint
ed praise to the strong, like
able man who did mucji in a
quiet way to praise the status
of Catholicism in the nation,
while smoothing out old oppo
sitions and making many non-
Catholic friends. The obituar
ies noted his great learning
combined with perfect tact,
simple piety, warm humanity
and a human approach to con
temporary questions.
Despite personal shyness and
an avoidance of fine oratory,
the Cardinal was always ready
to speak his mind on matters
of morals or social justice. He
did not hesitate to denounce
teenagers’ pagan attitudes to
ward love, religion and life, the
evils of big business, the threats
of television, and the authors,
playwrights and publishers who
issued sinful stories.
Yet the prelate loved young
people and often watched TV'
and was an avid reader and
lover of the theater. His close
friends knew him as a quiet,
witty man who liked to watch
a game of cricket and enjoyed
listening to or playing the piano.
Archbishop John C. Heenan,
his successor at Liverpool, said
of him: "Cardinal Godfrey will
not be remembered for elo
quent speeches or erudite writ
ing. His was a quiet apostolate.
Courteous and compassionate,
he always found time to help
thdse in distress. The Catholic
Church in this country has lost
not only a leader but a father
of exemplary holiness."
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CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATS SPEARHEADING
VENEZUELA’S LAND REFORM PROGRAM
Richard Cardinal Cushing (left), Archbishop of Boston,
and Dr. Samuel Miller, dean of the Harvard University
Divinity School and chairman of the Committee on Chris
tian Unity of the Massachusetts Council of Christian
unity. Also participating in the discussion was Methodist
Bishop James K. Matthews (not shown), president of the
MCC. (NC Photos)
Form Y.C.S.
At Statesboro
STATESBORO—Saint Mat
thew’s Parish of Statesboro
claimfe a first for Georgia and
for Savannah Diocese. >
\
With the help of Miss Joanne
Martin, national field repre
sentative of the Young Chris
tian Students, two high school
level Y.C.S. groups have been
establishing in Statesboro a
senior group for 11th and 12th
graders and a junior group for
9th and 10th grade students.
All members of the C.Y.O.
have been invited to partici
pate. Meetings are held after
the second Mass on Sundays in
the parish house. So far the sub
jects discussed have included:
Cheating in School; Parking;
Boy Meets Girl; Movies; Dis
crimination.
Father Loftus is chaplain of
the senior group; Sister Magda
len is assistant for the Juniors.
All priests, sisters or lay
leaders planning Y.C.S. groups
in the Savannah Diocese are
welcome to share our experien
ces and materials. Just write
Y.C.S. Saint Matthew’s Church,
373 Savannah Avenue, States
boro.
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A Good Address in Atlanta
Bishop
Urges More
Dialogue
WASHINGTON, (NC)—Auxil
iary Bishop Ernest L. Unter-
koefler of Richmond, Va., has
urged that there be more dia
logue between Catholics and
Protestants to promote the work
of Christian unity.
The Bishop spoke on "The
Reconciliation of European
Protestants with the Holy See’
at a Chair of Unity Octave devo
tion at the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception. The
unity octave is an eight-day per
iod of prayer for the conver
sion of lapsed Catholics and
those outside the Chruch.
Bishop Unterkoefler said
in his sermon (Jan. 21) that
there is a need for us to have
accurate knowledge of the theo
logical position and of the life
and worship among European
Protestants."
"How can this be accomplish
ed?” he asked. "Certainly
through the method of dialogue
and serious conversation. In
dialogue it will become evident
that many points of Catholic
doctrine are not correctly un
derstood, for example, thetheo
logical doctrine of the salvation
of non-Catholics, the doctrine
of the Immaculate Conception of
Our Blessed Lady.
“Primarily the initial work
must be accomplished by dis
cussion among small groups
of theologians, priests and
ministers," Bishop Unterkoef
ler stressed.
"The Church requires that
such plans and projects be in
itiated under the direction of
competent ecclesiastical au
thority," he said. "With its pro
vident interest each ordinary is
expected not only ‘diligently
and effectively to watch over
this entire activity, but also
prudently.' ’’
Latin America is a vast area
of tremendous potential growth,
but also a region of great ten
sion and revolutionary unrest.
Will it fall prey to communism
or advance along the road to
Christian democracy? The edit
or of Noticas Catholicas, the
Spanish-language edition of the
N.C.W.C. News Service, who
recently finished a tour of Lat
in America, reports in the fol
lowing article on the strenuous
efforts being made by the grow
ing Catholic social forces to
guide one of the area’s coun
tries toward Christian demo
cracy.
By Jaime Fonseca
(N.C.W.C. NEWS SERVICE)
Venezuela’s Christian Demo
cratic party is spearheading
Latin America’s most promis
ing agrarian reform program,
now being carried out accord
ing to the social teachings of the
Church.
On the success of the pro
gram, which has already redis
tributed land among more than
25,000 families, hang the hopes
for a better life of some 24
million farm families through
out Latin America.
The Christian Democratic
party, which governs the north
ern South American nation of
7.5 million people in coalition
with the Democratic Action par
ty of President Romulo Betan
court, played a major role in
drafting the land reform law,
which was passed in March,
1960.
Moreover, the party, known
as COPEI, is also taking the
lead in administering the law
under the leadership of its fore
most farm expert, Minister of
Agriculture Victor Gimenez
Landinez.
In doing so it is taking a ma
jor political risk, facing strong
opposition from both the ex
treme right and left - from
the rich landowners, who do
not want to see their former
estates divided among the poor
farmers, and from the commu
nists, who fear any Christian
solution to the people’s pover
ty.
"Despite opposition," Min
ister of Agriculture Giminez
told me, "the land reform pro
gram has been sold to the
people. Nobody will be able to
stop it now."
Promoting what one of its
leaders called a "constructive
revolution" is part of COPEI’s
overall effort to make a last
ing success of Venezuela’s new
attempt at representative gov
ernment following the ousting of
the dictator, Marcos Perez
Jimenez, in 1958. Rafael Cal
dera, head of COPEI, has de
clared: "Our aim is to uphold
a democratic civilian regime
willing to push social reform."
"Our supreme goal is to
make the Venezuelan farmer a
first class citizen,” he added.
In their efforts, COPEI lead-
adhere to the Venezuelan
Bishops’ statement on the need
to improve human conditions in
rural areas. They have also
strengthened their convic
tions and benefited from the
knowledge of others faced by
LAND REFORM PROGRESSING IN VENEZUELA—Venezuela’s promising agrarian
reform program which has already redistributed land among more than 25,000 families
is being carried out in line with the social teachings of the Church. Despite pressure
from the rich landowners who do not want their estates divided and the communists
who are afraid of Christian solutions to social problems, the program is a huge success.
Shown in top photo is one of 30,000 farm homes built by the government under the
land reform program sponsored by the Christian Democrats. Another aspect of the
program is the Home Visiting Social Worker who teaches the farmer’s wife how to
plant gardens, raise chickens and decorate the home. In photo below they are shown
practicing at the "Gonzalito School" in Aragua.—(NC Photos)
i
ers
similar problems as frequent
participants at meetings of the
Inter-American Catholic So
cial Action Confederation and
the Catholic Rural Life move
ment since 1942.
The reform law—which ex
plicitly underlines the human
dignity of the farmer and his
family, the value of private in
itiative and the need for land
to be used for the common
welfare—has these outstanding
features:
—It asserts the present acute
need of the farmers for land of
their own.
—It reaffirms the idea of the
"social function of landed prop
erty" by making subject to con
fiscation all farm lands that are
selfishly used but also by
defending the right to property
which is exploited for the good
of the nation.
—It sets a practical and ef
fective schedule of compensa
tion in cash and bonds for ex
propriated lands.
—It shows an "integral ap
proach" to land reform in its
many provisions regarding
credit, roads, technical assis
tance, schools, home education
and marketing.
In a nation nearly the size of
Texas and New Mexico com
bined, some three million acres
—including public and un
claimed lands, large unex
ploited estates and even some
of the larger landholdings under
production—aTe' : beiiig redistri
buted by the National Agrarian
Institute set up by the 1960
law. Ten per cent of the
nation’s budget is now being
spent on the land reform pro
gram, under which the insti
tute has received 84,000 peti
tions fd‘c individual farms.
At a cost per family of ap-
proximately $3,400, about
13,000 families have been fully
settled and another 12,000 are
occupying land to which they
will soon receive title in 370
resettlement projects set up
since 1960.
Bishop, Minister, Rabbi
Disagree On Need For
Religion In U.S. Schools