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r i PAGE 4—The Southern Cross, March 23, 1963 The Altar Boy Awards On Sunday afternoon 195 boys from all over the diocese will receive the Saint John Vianney Altar Boy Award. Both they and their parents are to be congratulated. The Award is not lightly conferred, nor the boys chosen haphazardly. The Saint John Vianney Award is given for excellence in the service of God’s altar. To rise faithfully at 5:30 in the morning in order to serve the 6:15 Mass requires not only self-sacrifice on the part of an altar boy and his parents, but devotion to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Only a spirit of dedication and determi nation moves a boy to attend altar boy practice every week, when he could per haps be playing shortstop for the neighbor hood baseball team, or to doggedly pursue the memorization of the latin responses of the Mass, while the rest of the family relaxes before the television set. And the reverence with which he carries out his duties before the altar is almost always simply the reflection of his reverence for the God he knows he is serving. An altar boy’s neatness of appearance, and the crispness of his freshly laundered and pressed cassock and surplice, attest to the sacrifices so many mothers make in order that their sons occupy the honored place of acolyte at Mass. And his prompt arrival for an early morning Mass is very often the result of his father’s willingness to get out of bed on the one day he might sleep late, in order to drive his boy to church. The Saint John Vianney Award is con ferred to honor these qualities of self- sacrifice, dedication, fidelity, and reverence on the part of the altar boys and their parents. It is , or should be, a cherished honor and one that is indicative of the much greater reward that God has in store for those who love and serve Him. Catholic Women Leaders To Study Work Of Meeting On Religion And Race (By J. J. Gilbert) WASHINGTON—A program announced here by a Catholic organization will give a large- scale boost to the work and findings of the National Confer ence on Religion and Race held in Chicago last January. It will be among the first important implementations of hopes ex pressed at that meeting. Following the unprecedented Chicago meeting, which brought together 800 representatives of major religious faiths and workers in the field of better race relations, Albert Cardinal Meyer was asked what now could be done. The Archbishop of Chi cago outlined things an indivi dual could do, and said: “We must begin with our own peo ple.’’ Archbishop Lawrence J. She- han of Baltimore said in a pastoral that, as Christians, “we have an essential duty in justice to recognize and to re spect equally the rights of all men.” Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan of Atlanta told the Chicago con ference that it is important “to bring into these programs of conscience-formation” those “who make decisions and ini tiate courses of action.” Ano ther participant expressed the hope that smaller regional meetings would follow the na tional conference. Now the National Council of Catholic Women has announced a program which embraces all these points. The NCCW said that leadership institutes it will conduct in six widely sep arated areas of the nation this spring and summer will carry forward the work of the Chicago meeting. Prominent speakers and participants in the national conference will take active parts in the institutes. The in- Of Proposed Malaysia Federation Officially Recommend Islam Should Be State Religion (By Father Patrick O’Conner) NCWC NEWS SERVICE “Islam should be the relig ion of the Federation of Mal aysia,” asserts an Inter-Gov ernmental Committee in a re port published as a Brittish government White Paper on February 27. This is the first official de claration of the British-Malay- an policy on religion for the proposed federation. Malaysia, to come into being on August 31, is to comprise the states of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawa, Brunei and North Borneo. Only about 43 per cent of the nearly 10 million people in the propos ed federation are Muslims (that is Islamic). The Inter - Governmental Committee was apparently con scious that its proposal on re ligion is highly questionable. It added these three recom mendations, to reassure the non-Muslim majority: 1. “There should be no state religion in the Borneo States.” But that would still leave Is lam as state religion of the fed eration as a whole and there fore in federal matters with in each state. Federal money could be spent on promoting Islamic religious doctrine and institutions within each state. Each state would inevitably share in, and support, the Is lamic character that the feder ation of states would have be fore the world. 2. “There should be consti tutional guarantees for re- ligous freedom.” and others could Christians have “re hearings in 35 centers in . , ,, _ .1,, the tw o territories. More than ligious freedom and still be , nnn , , , ... f 4,000 persons appeared before NCEA Briefing WASHINGTON, (NC)--Lay people active in support of Ca tholic education will get a spe cial briefing on current pro blems during the convention of the National Catholic Educa tional Association. Invitations are being sent to men and women across the country to take part in the ses sion to be held on April 17, the second day of the conven tion in St. Louis, April 16 to 19. treated inequitably if federal money and federal favor go to Islam. What is needed, in the opinion of Borneo non-Muslims, is guarantees for religious equality as well as religious freedom. 3. “When federal law pro vides for special financial aid for Muslim institutions or Mus lim religious education, pro portional amounts should be made available for social wel fare purposes in the Borneo States,” the report says. That proposes a sort of bargain both improper and unworkable. It appears to imply something like: “If they get a mosque from federal funds, then you’ll get a dispensary.” Social services should be made available to all citizens, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, on the basis of need and on that along. The Muslims should not have to forego a so cial service that the state makes available to non-Mus lims. The provision of any so cial service for non-Muslims should not be conditional on the building of a mosque from federal funds. The Inter - Governmental Committee’s proposals are to be submitted to the Legisla tive Councils of North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak. Their ap proval, however, can hardly be taken as representing the wishes of the diversified popu lations regarding religion. The Legislative Council of Sarawak consists of 43 mem bers, of whom only 24 are elected (indirectly), while 14 are officials. The Legislative Council of North Borneo has 26 members, no one of whom is elected. The governments of these two crown colonies, 13 months ago, issued statements that blandly assumed that Islam was to be the “official religion” of the proposed federation. One body took pains to ascer tain and report the views of the many elements in the Sarawak and North Borneo populations.. Thi s was the five-man Cobbold Commission, set up by the Brit ish and Malayan govern ments last year. It held 50 it, singly and in groups. It re ceived some 2,200 letters and memoranda. In their report the chairman and the two British members, a majority, urged that: 1. The Malaysia constitution should provide that * 'there should be complete religious freedom to worship, education and propagation in the Borneo territories.” 2. The Islamic provisions “should not be extended” to these territories until “fully elected representative bodies” can decide the matter for them selves. The official proposal now published regarding religion in Malaysia is in direct conflict with the second part of the fore going recommendation. stitutes are attended by women who are officers and committee chairmen of Catholic organiza tions—national, diocesan, deanery and parish. The general theme of the institutes is “Challenges: 1963,” and one of the three days in each place will see the "Challenge of Justice and Love” considered. It is under this topic that the work of the National Conference on Religion and Race will come into play. Talks followed by seminars will highlight the Christian woman’s "duties and responsibilities in the area of human dignity.” The institutes will be held at Hershey, Pa., March 23-25; French Lick, Ind., March 20- 31; Miami, Fla., April 4-6; Highland Park, Ill., September 12-14; Lincoln, Neb., Septem ber 18-20, and Oakland, Calif., September 26-28. NEUTRALITY AWARDS THE ANTI-CHRIST Who Are The Church? It Seems to Me An Oregon City (Ore.) read er does not see eye to eye with me on the point that tre mendous benefit will come from final ratification of the ecumen ical council’s vote in favor of native tongues and customs and more di versity, in the Church’s wor ship. In a letter sent through the Portland Catholic Sen tinel—a letter which, I would guess, expresses the reactions of many persons —he writes: “Christ said He would be with His Church all days even unto the consummation of the world. So I think the Church will still accomplish its pur pose regardless of Latin or any language used. People will accept or reflect her as they have always done.” I understand the reader’s view, but I hope he will allow me to say that it does not take into sufficient account the fact that the Church is not only Christ. The Church is also hundreds of millions of human beings. And those to whom the Church is trying to reach out, to help, are human too. Whatever is human is capa ble of improvement. Whatever is human is drawn, also, to ward truth and goodness and beauty. It is essential, there fore, that the beauty, goodness and truth of the Church be made as brightly visible as possible. JOSEPH BREIG PRECISELY for that reason, Pope John called the Second Vatican Council. He said that the purpose of the council is to “remove every spot and wrinkle” from the hu man side of the Church so that its divine attractiveness can be clearly seen. That done, he can open his arms and say to all mankind, see, this is your home, this is what you are seeking. The same thought was voiced the other day in a public ad dress by Joseph Cardinal Rit ter, archbishop of St. Louis. He put it this way: “Pope John wants the coun cil to make the Church, as ex pressed by Catholicism, so at tractive that men could not re fuse to accept it.” He added that in speaking of “the church as expressed by Catholicism,” he meant es pecially the Church as uni versal. He was including, he said, “all our separated brethren as one in Christ.” Cardinal Ritter, as far as I know, was the first Father of the Council to emphasize some thing which I have been hoping to hear stressed. I mean that the Church needs the other Christians reunited. It needs their goodness, their Christian dedication, their wis dom, their insights. Cardinal Ritter said: “Certainly, there is only one Church, and that is the Church of Christ. Certainly, it can take on a spirit of newness, and this is what we hope for. "... There are all kinds of members in the human body, and all are essential. So also in the Body of Christ. All Chris tians throughout the world, whether they be this or that or the other, they are essential to bring out the teachings of the Church. “Christ is the Head and we are the members. We all con stitute the Church. »We all are necessary to constitute His Church.” To my mind, one of the things vitally needed, for the sake of Catholics, of other Christians, and of others than Christians, is a liturgy that is intelligible to the people; a worship in which the Word of God is in words we understand, and our praise of God in words we un derstand also. I have felt this strongly in re cent years, but never so pierc ingly as a few weeks ago, when I was present for the Mass of the Angels following the death of the little daughter of dear friends. At the absolution ceremony a feeling of grinding frustra tion came over me as I stood there, and the people stood there, uncomprehending. While the priest at the casket, and the organist in the choir loft, carried on a long and private chanted dialogue~in Latin. Why not in English, so that we could all enter into the prayers, even if silently? If we all constitute the Church— as emphatically we do—why leave us wearily wondering what we are saying to God, and God to us? Isn’t it the whole Church’s worship? Fourth Sorrowful Mystery THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS Our ^ Father ’If anyone wishes to come after me,/ let him deny himself.' Luke 9:23 Hail If Mary ’And take up his cross daily,/ and follow me.’ Scriptural Rosary Part 9 Hail ^f Mary Luke 9:23 And bearing the cross for himself,/ he went forth to the place called the Skull. John 19:17 Hail X Mary And they laid hold of a certain Simon of Cyrene,/ and upon him they laid the cross to bear it after Jesus. Luke 23:26 Hail $ Mary ’Take my yoke upon you,/ and learn from me.' Hail Mary Matt. 11:29 ’For I am meek/ and humble of heart.’ Hail X Mary Matt. 11:29 'And you will find rest for your souls./ For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.’ Matt. 11:29, 30 Hail X Mary Now there was following him a great crowd of people,/ and of women, who were bewailing and lamenting him. Luke 23:27 Hail X Mary Jesus turning to them said, 'Do not weep for me/ but weep for yourselves and for your children.’ Luke 23:28 Hail X Mary 'For if in the case of green wood they do these things/ what is to happen in the case of the dry?’ ^ Luke 23:31 Hail ^ Mary Glory be to the Father, «=* Editor’s Note: This is one of the 15 decades of the Scriptural Rosary, a modern version of the way the Rosary was once prayed in the Middle Ages. We are presenting the complete Scriptural Rosary in 15 install ments as a service to our readers. You are invited to save these meditations for future use. Or you may obtain the complete set in illustrated prayer-book form by sending $1 to the nonprofit Scriptural Rosary Center, 6 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago 2, Illinois. CPA Newspaper Contest PITTSBURGH, Pa., (NC)-- Duquesne University has an nounced that its Journalism De partment again will judge entries in the Catholic Press Association’s 1963 newspaper competition. Recipients of honors for ma terial published in 1962 will be announced at the 53rd annual convention of the press associa tion in Miami, May 1 to 3. Duquesne judged the contest last year. C. S. McCarthy, chairman of the department, will super vise the judging. He will be assisted by faculty members and local and regional editors. A “critique booklet” will be published. Prayers In School NEW YORK, (NC)—Fifteen mothers of 21 public school children in the Queens section of New York have asked a Federal court to permit recita tion of two brief prayers in public schools. The mothers seek a court order to permit the recitation of the two prayers which they say have banned in an elemen tary school. The prayers are: “Thank You for the world so sweet. Thank You for the food we eat. Thank you for the birds that sing. Thank You, God, for every thing.” And: “God is great. God is good. And we thank Him for our food.” Birth Control SACRAMENTO, Calif., (NC) —State Sen. Alvin C. Weingand of Santa Barbara County said here he is considering introduc ing legislation to provide a state-sponsored program of birth control. Weingand said the plan under consideration, which would include distribution at state expense of birth control information and contraceptives, was prompted by "mounting poverty’ ’ in California. Class Size Set BALTIMORE, (NC)—First grade classes in Baltimore ar chdiocesan Catholic schools will be limited to 50 pupils starting next September. In issuing this directive, Ar chbishop Lawrence J. Shehanof Baltimore also told school heads that if applications war rant, schools should begin dou ble or staggered shifts or trans port children into the more than 50 empty classrooms in down town Baltimore. The Archbishop’s directive is the first step in an eight-year, grade-by-grade program to eli minate overcrowded classes in some elementary schools. Prayer For Hungary WASHINGTON, (NC)—A prayer for freedom for the people of Hungary was offered in the Senate by an exiled Hun garian prelate on the 115th an niversary of Hungary’suprising against Austrian and Russian forces. Msgr. Bela Varga, chairman of the Hungarian Committee, prayed (March 15) that God may alleviate the sufferings of the Hungarian people “under the yoke of the cruel oppressor.” “Lend, O Lord, Thy guiding hands,” Msgr. Varga said, “to the spiritual leader of Thy Hun garian nation that he may fulfill his national and universal mis sion.” He also implored the help of God for the President and Con gress “that they never falter in their brave endeavors to se cure the final victory of freedom throughout the world.” Protests Play WIESBADEN, Germany (NC) —The Society for Judaeo- Christian Collaboration has protested to Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and other top gov ernment officials against fur ther showings of “Der Stel- lvertreter” (The Vicar), which depicts Pope Pius XII as having abetted the nazi slaughter of six million Jews by keeping silent about it. The society called the drama, now playing in Berlin, a ‘ ‘historically erroneous play of low quality.” Priest Ambushed SIAGGN, Vietnam, (Radio NC)—Father Peter Tran Due Sam, Vietnamese priest aged 33, was found safe (March 13) after being taken prisoner by Vietnam communists. He was tied to a tree in a forest the day after he had been captured by the Reds, who had raked his jeep with gunfire in a highway ambush in central Vietnam. Juan Peron MADRID, (Radio, NC)—The ban of excommunication has been lifted from the former Argentine dictator, ex-Presi- dent Juan Peron. The lifting of the ban was an nounced here by Bishop Leo- poldo Eijo y Garay of Madrid after Peron asked to be read mitted to the sacraments. Juan Mhnuel Algarve, Per on’s private secretary said here that reports that Peron had been reconciled with the Church were correct. “It is true,” he added, “that he (Peron) wrote to the Vatican making profession of his Ca tholic faith and denying that he had ever laid hands on Catho lic priests or dignitaries during his rule in Argentina.” QUESTION BOX (By David Q. Liptak) Q. Can anything at all be blessed? I was told that ani mals, airplanes and blast fur naces can be blessed. Yet I always thought that a blessing sets aside a person or object for religious purposes, and hence only those things which are destined for special reli gious use should be blessed. What is the answer? A. To say that a blessing sets a person or an object apart exclusively for religious serv ice is an inaccuracy. Certain blessings do in fact accom plish this; the consecration of a church or a chalice, for ex ample; or the blessing of Mass vestments. Such blessings are technically known as constitu tive (from the Latin for “estab lish” or “constitute”) because they impart, as it were, a sacred characteristic by which the individual or article blessed is dedicated to divine service or worship. Invocative blessings, on the other hand, simply call down God’s favor—by asking, for in stance, that the recipient of the benediction might become a fit ting instrument of the divine will. Such would be the bless ing of an automobile or an airplane. AS FOR what can be blessed, the answer can be deduced from St. Paul’s first epistle to Tim othy: “For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected that is received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (IV: 4, 5). What the Apostle (Continued on Page 6) The Southern Cross Vol. 43 P. O. BOX 180, SAVANNAH, GA. Saturday, March 23, 1963 No. 27 Published weekly except the last week in July and the last week in December by The Southern Cross, Inc. Subscription price $3.00 per year. Second class mail privileges authorized at Monroe, Ga. Send notice of change of address to P. O. Box 180, Savannah, Ga. Most Rev. Thomas J. McDonough, D.D.J.C.D., President Rev. Francis J. Donohue, Editor John Markwalter, Managing Editor Rev. Lawrence Lucree, Rev. John Fitzpatrick, Associate Editors