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Prelate Tells Convention
Serran Qualities Akin
To Those Of Priest
SAN FRANCISCO, (NC)—
Archbishop Joseph T. McGuck-
en of San Francisco told Serra
Club members in convention
here that every true Serran has
spiritual characteristics
"closely akin to the qualities of
a good priest."
Every true Serran is father
ly, priestly and Eucharistic,
the Archbishop said at a
brunch (July 8) following a Pon
tifical Mass he offered in St.
Ignatius church.
Some 2,000 persons took part
in the 21st annual convention
(July 7-10)ofSerr-aInternation
al, which is composed of 243
clubs whose members help fos
ter vocations to the preisthood.
' ‘The member of a Serra
Club is usually a family man,"
Archbishop McGucken said.
‘‘He is one who has learned
that his professional reputation
and his prestige in business is
secondary to his success in
raising his family."
He is also a spiritual leader
in the home, exercising "manly
initiative in family prayer and
devotion," and courage in de
fending his children "from the
corrosive elements of the de-
Christianized world," the
Archbishop stated.
"The fatherliness of the Ser
ran will protect the grace of the
vocation when it honors his own
home," he said, "and this same
fatherliness will extend far be-
yong his own backyard."
Archbishop McGucken said
that Serrans share in the priest
hood by the Sacrament of Con
firmation.
‘ ‘The ordained priests are
expected to be mediators be
tween God and men," he con
tinued. "You, the Serrans, can
be mediators between the
Church and the world. Your lay
priesthood is rich and meaning
ful because yours is an apos-
tolate directly related to the or
dained priesthood, to enhance
its prestige, to support its work
and to augment its ranks.
"You are, threfore, priestly
men because you praise and
promote the priesthood of
Christ in your own family and
in the world; lay apostles who
share in the imperative duty of
the clergy to perpetuate itself
amorig men."
The Archbishop said "the
Serran, too, is deserving of his
name to the extent that he is a
Eucharistic man."
"Not every Serran can go to
Mass and Holy Communion
daily," he stated, "but every
Serran, in the very midst of his
daily duties, may lift his
thoughts frequently to the Eu
charist in repeated spiritual
communion.
"To the extent then that you
are Eucharistic men, the living
love of Christ will radiate from
you, like the rays from the sun.
Under this influence the seeds of
vocations will germinate and
grow.
By virtue of your spiritual
formation, your prayers will
bring us priests who are holy
and wise, priests who will give
to God a great harvest of souls,"
Archbishop McGucken conclud
ed.
MARRIAGES
GANNAN-ALTMAN
SAVANNAH — Miss Sharon
Margaret Altman and Anthony
Karam Gannan Jr., were mar
ried June 22nd, in the Sacred
Heart Church. The Rev. Tim
othy Flaherty officiated. Miss
Altman is the daughter of Mrs.
Margaret Atkins of New Or
leans, La., and Lt. Col. Roger
Gene Altman of Portsmouth,
For Wedding Invitations
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Gannan.
CETTI-VON WALDNER
SAVANNAH—Miss Madeline
Eileen Von Waldner and War
ren Patrick Cetti Jr. were mar
ried on July 6th in Saint James
Church. The Rev. E. P. Fiero
offered the Nuptial Mass. The
bride is the daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. John A. Von Waldner. Mr.
Cetti is the son of Mrs. Warren
Patrick Cetti Sr.
DERKS-WILLIAMS
ALBANY—Miss Janie Eat-
man Williams daughter of the
late Mr. and Mrs. Thomas T.
Williams, and Philip Edward
Derks, son of Mr. and Mrs. P.
G. Derks, were married on
June 28th in St. Theresa’s Rec
tory. Father Eugene Krygier of
ficiated.
HIGGS-ETHEREDGE
AUGUSTA—Miss Grace Ma
rie Etheredge and Mr. George
Donald Higgs, College Park,
Maryland, were married July
6th at St. Mary’s on the Hill
Church by Monsignor Daniel
J. Bourke. The bride is the
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J.
Lee Etheredge Jr., and the
bridegroom’s parents are Mr.
and Mrs. George W. Higgs, Ar
lington, Va.
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GRAYMOOR FRIARS BOUND FOR BRAZIL—In an inspiring ceremony at Garrison,
N. Y., the first group of five Graymoor Friars assigned to the diocese of Jatai, Brazil
received their mission crucifixes and official assignments. The pioneer band will study
the language, customs and traditions of Brazil and will prepare living quarters for other
Friars who will join them later. The Sisters of the Atonement, also from Graymoor, will
make their foundation soon in the same area. In the vanguard group (left to right) are:
Rev. Camillus Daniel, S.A., of Meriden, Conn., Superior; Rev. Leigh Martin, S.A., of
Caribou, Maine; Rev. Martin Madison, S.A., of Jersey City, N. J.; Brother Francis Bray,
S.A., of Bloomfield, N.J.; and Brother Julian Stone, S.A., of Malone, N. Y.—(NC Photos)
Drive Of Repression By
Red Czechoslovakia
Has Subjugated Clergy
The author of the following
article uses a pseudonym for
self-protection in the light of
the pervasive repression of the
communist regime in Czecho
slovakia.
(By Karel Hrolik) ,
MUNICH, Germany, (NC)--
Within three years of their
takeover in Czechoslovakia in
1948, the communists succeed
ed in imprisoning or otherwise
neutralizing virtually all of the
score of Catholic bishops. Then
they went on to split the priests
from the people—with notable
success.
The work of subjugating the
Church on the level of the lower
clergy was methodical and
many-pronged. Because of its
effectiveness, the regime today
is able to sound convincing when
it asserts ' that religion in
Czechoslovakia is but a fading
remnant of the past.
In October of 1949 the govern
ment issued a decree stating
that church services could be
performed "only by persons
who have been so authorized by
the state and who have taken an
oath" of allegiance to the State.
All except two diocesan semi
naries were suppressed, and
theological students were called
up for military service in 1951.
Today, each diocese may send
to the seminary a maximum of
three first-year students. Thus
the remaining seminaries,
Litomerice, for Bohemia and
Moravia, and Bratislava, for
Slovakia, have respectively 70
and 80 students. In 1945, Slo
vakia alone had 564 seminarians
studying theology.
Now, every candidate for the
seminary must be recom
mended by the secretary of the
Communist party in his home
town. The Ministry of Education
and Culture then must give its
approval. As the seminaries
themselves are controlled by
secretaries superimposed by
the government, the control
over the future priesthood of the
nation is solid.
In the initial period of the
suppression of the Church,
priests were carted off to pri
sons in droves. Many were later
released, though without being
able to return to their pastoral
work. Others were deprived of
government authorization to act
as clergymen; all work as la
borers. And an estimated 260
priests are still detained.
Before the communists
seized power, Czechoslovakia
had a total of 1,363 religious
houses—many of them of teach
ing orders and congregations.
The government determined to
eradicate them both as part of
its subjugation of the Church
and as part of its drive to win
total control of the nation’s edu
cation. On the night of April 13,
1950, government agents staged
simultaneous raids on monas
teries in many parts of the
country, especially in Slovakia,
and removed the monks to * ‘con
centration monasteries." The
same fate befell the Sisters.
By government fiat, the Re
ligious life in community ceased
to exist. Religious are forbidden
to maintain contact with one
another. They work as labor
ers, as streetcar conductors,
and in service jobs. An esti
mated 10,000 Sisters were sent
to work in the factories and
fields. Many have since died
from exhaustion. Any appear
ance of the old Religious life
is restricted to homes for the
aged. New vocations to the Re
ligious life are not allowed.
Being forced out into the
world after a sheltered com
munity life, many Religious
abandoned their vocations, es
pecially in the early years of
the persecution. Among men
Religious, especially, many had
entered their communities at an
early age. When some of them
received their "freedom" and
began living in the day-to-day
world as adults for the first
time, they fell to the charm of
the feminine sex. That they gave
up any effort to maintain their
Religious life is seen generally
as due not to loss of religious
convictions, but to lack of pre
paration for self-discipline
once they were no longer in
contact with their religious su
periors.
Among the diocesan clergy
there has also been some break
down in the old discipline. The
government has brought this
about through several means,
among them luring a number of
priests into its service, and
setting up its own so-called
"patriotic" Catholic associa
tions.
There are of course the au
thorized and the nonauthorized
clergy. The former are those
who are still allowed by the
communist apparatus to carry
on a pastoral ministry. The
nonauthorized must earn their
daily bread by labor—many of
them in forced labor camps.
Of those allowed to remain in
pastoral work, the greater part
carry on cheerfully and as well
as they can against great odds.
One of their great tragedies is
that they cannot have full confi
dence in their fellow priests.
They know that informers exist
within their ranks, and it is
difficult to ascertain who they
are.
Another weakness is that
many who are well-intentioned
are also prattlers. Thus even
many good priests cannot be
trusted to maintain secrecy.
Generally, the weakest
priestly spirit is found in the
older generation. A relatively
high percentage of the old
priests is affected by the ma
terialism of the age, and are
unduly attached to money. There
are cases where they refuse to
conduct funerals unless paid in
advance.
Many have become fright
ened, and in effect close
themselves off from the world.
They carry on their sacramen
tal ministry, but let pastoral
work go.
Among the dispersed priests,
the greater part maintain a good
and courageous spirit.
There are some who have in
effect secularized themselves,
exchanging their priestly voca
tion for their jobs.
But the others, despite being
under constant surveillance, do
what they can to maintain their
own spiritual life afld that of
their fellow workers as well.
Where the barriers to carrying
out any pastoral activity are
insurmountable, they still carry
out an effective apostolate:
Their very presence, with their
lives, standing by their fellow
workers as priests sent to forc
ed labor makes them true wit
nesses to Christ.
FIRST AMERICAN—First
American to hold the position,
Father Cyprian Berens,
O.F.M., (above) of Cincinnati,
Ohio, has been appointed gen
eral administrator of finance
for the world-wide Franciscan
Order. The 39-year-old priest
will be stationed in Rome.—
(NC Photos)
Arab League
Would Welcome
Council Statement
The Southern Cross, July 11, 1963—PAGE 3
Priest Optimistic Council Will Say
Something About Christian-Jewish Ties
NEW YORK, (NC)—Arab and
Jewish organizations agreed
here that they would welcome a
statement from the Second
Vatican Council condemning
anti-Semitism.
The Arab Information Center
and the American Council for
Judaism issued separate com
ments after a report that the
first session of the council put
aside a condemnation for fear
of antagonizing Arab states. The
report later was denied.
A spokesman for the Arab
League said it would welcome
a clear statement against dis
crimination," but distinguish
ing between Judaism and Jews
on the one hand and the politi-
c a 1-national Zionist-Israeli
axis on the other hand."
This, said the statement
"could not be viewed as offen
sive to the Arab states."
Clarence L. Coleman, Jr.,
president of the American
Council of Judaism, said it was
his "earnest hope" the council
would condemn anti-Semitism.
Coleman said he had written
to Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi,
Apostolic Delegate in the United
States, saying that such a state
ment "would evoke the strong
moral endorsement of Chris
tians, Moslems and Jews."
Misgiving based on fear of
antagonizing the Arab states, he
said, stem from a "serious
misconception" concerning
"the relationship of Judaism
and Jews to Zionism and the
State of Israel."
CINCINNATI, (NC)—A priest
expert on Christian-Jewish re
lations said "there is every
reason to hope that the coun
cil will have something to say
on the ties that bind Christians
and Jews together
Msgr. John Oesterreicher
said there that these ties are
"of a truly ecumenical nature
since both Christians and Jews
consider themselves, and are,
sons of Abraham."
The monsignor is director of
the Institute of Judaeo-
Christian Studies at Seton Hall
University, South Orange,N. J.,
and a member of the Vatican
Secretariat for Promoting
Christian Unity. He made his
statement during a visit here.
He said that "at no time was
there contemplated or drafted a
mere comdemnation of anti-
Semitism by the (Second Vati
can) council."
‘The Church has denounced
anti-Semitism several times in
the past.” he continued, "and
these denunciations stand. They
will remain in force. The coun
cil, however, as envisaged by
Pope John and equally, I am
sure, by Pope Paul, is not to
issue or reiterate condemna
tions but to make Catholics
everywhere see the great pro
blems of today in a fresh and
positive light."
(Father Gustave Weigel, S. J.,
theologian at Woodstock (Md.)
College, stated in Atlantic City
recently that a statement on
anti-Semitism was prepared for
the council’s first session last
fall. But it was not presented,
he said, because, though theo
logical in nature, it might be
misconstrued by the Arab states
as a political statement. He said
that for the same reason he does
not expect the council’s second
session, opening September 29,
to adopt a statement condeming
anti-Semitism.)
Msgr. Oesterreicher said the
Christian-Jewish relationship
is a deeply human one, and the
council "dealt with this aspect
when it solemnly proclaimed the
dignity of every human person,
and the brotherhood of men
that exists and must be made
more and more operative among
individuals, nations, races and
continents."
"The Christian-Jewish rela
tionship is further one among
heirs ... of a basically com
mon heritage, the heritage of
Holy Scripture,” he stated.
"The recent popes—Pius XI,
Pius XII and John XXIII—re
ferred more than once to this
kinship and its several implica
tions. If the council lasts long
enough to take up . . . many
of the issues the Church and the
world face today, it will not
bypass the spiritual bond—so
I sincerely hope.”
Msgr. Oesterreicher recall
ed that "long before Jewish or
ganizations placed before the
Secretariat for (Promoting)
Christian Unity a list of their
wishes, the Institute of Judaeo-
Christian Studies at Seton Hall
University petitioned . . . that
the council continue the work
of reconciliation and amity be
tween Christians and Jews so
fervently pursued by Pope
John."
The monsignor said "it is
true there has been opposition
to a statement on the Jews by
the council out of fear that it
would be misconstrued as po
litical interference," and he
conceded that this fear "is not
as farfetched as it seems."
"Nor are some Jewish
spokesmen without blame in this
respect, without responsibility
for having created or fostered
this fear," he added.
Msgr. Oesterreicher said
Town To Continue
Renting Schools For
ieious Services
Religi
that in an article written for a
C atholic magazine ' ‘an
American-Jewish writer was so
carried away by his ‘en
thusiasm’ that he suggested that
the council crown its work by
recognizing the State of Israel."
"A suggestion of this kind
shows little discretion," he as
serted, "little awareness of
the function of the council. It is
hardly among its tasks to en
gage in political judgments or
acts.”
He also said that several
months ago Israeli newspapers
and then the international press
“reported that the World Jewish
Congress had appointed an ob
server at the council."
‘ ‘This was bad enough in
itself," he continued, "since
no one at the Vatican had been
consulted; in addition, the ob
server named was a minor of
ficial of the Israeli government.
The story was later denied or
recitified but the harm was
done.
“Whenever a story of this
kind appears in the press, one
or the other Arab state pro
tests. I said, state. At no time,
to my knowledge, has an Arab
bishop opposed a statement by
the council seeking to strength
en the religious as well as
human bond between Christians
and Jews."
Msgr. Oesterreicher said
"no one knows what the coun
cil will decide on this or any
other matter . . . but there
is every likelihood that the
Second Vatican Council . . .
will promote the spirit of dia
logue and friendship between
Christians and Jews."
Priest Surprised To Learn
BURLINGTON, Mass., (NC)
—This town’s selectmen and
members of the school com
mittee rejected a protest by the
Civil Liberties Union of Massa
chusetts and voted to continue
the practice of renting public
school facilities to religious
denominations for services.
Charles F, Shea, selectmen
chairman, said the rapid growth
of the town’s population caused
a shortage of facilities for the
religious groups. The board will
continue to rent schools to Ca
tholics, Presbyterians and Fel
lowship Baptists for services.
Howhrd S. Whiteside, chair
man of the CLU Church-State
committee, complained that the
practice violated the Massachu
setts Constitution. The select
men and school committee took
10 minutes to decide the issue
and Shea said they are prepared
to defend their action in the
courts, if necessary.
That Man A rrested On Spy
Charges Used His Name
AMSTERDAM, N. Y., (NC)—
A priest here said it was "a
great surprise" to him that a
man arrested by the FBI in
Washington, D. C., on spy char
ges had used his name.
Father Robert Keistutis
Baltch, assistant pastor at St.
Casimir’s church, said he knew
nothing about the arrest of the
man using his name until
he was informed of it by a
radio newsman.
The FBI arrested (July 2)
on charges of conspriing to
spy for the Soviet Union a man
using the name Robert Keistutis
Baltch. The woman had taken
the name of Joy Ann Garber,
a house wife in Norwalk, Conn.,
who also was unaware that her
name had been assumed by
another.
The FBI said the couple had
adopted the names of the two
Americans some time before
1959. It was not disclosed whe
ther the arrested couple is mar
ried.
Father Baltch, a native of
Dormont, Pa., received his ear
ly studies in Binghamton, N. Y.
He went to Lithuania with his
parents in 1933 and studied
there, returning to the U. S.
in 1947.
Father Baltch said his
parents’ original name was Bal-
cys, and when they became na
tionalized citizens of the U. S.
they took the name Baltch.
He said his middle name
Keistutis, is a common one foi
Lithuanians to take, and thal
in the 13th century there was
a grand duke of Lithuania b}
that name.
Victor Polero
SAVANNAH—Funeral serv
ices for Victor Polero were held
at the Sacred Heart Church
July 4th.
Surviving are his wife, Mrs.
Bernice H. Polero; a son, Vic
tor Polero Jr. of Port Went
worth, and three grandchildren.
Carolyn Romeo
DUBLIN—Requiem mass for
Carolyn Mary Romeo, 16,
daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Char
les J. Romeo, of Dublin, was
held July 1st at the Church of
the Immaculate Conception with
Father Raphael Toner officiat
ing.
At the same time requiem
high mass will be celebrated at
St. James Church in Trenton,
N. J.
Besides her parents she is
survived by one sister, Mary
Edna Romeo; three brothers,
Robert Romeo, Charles J. Ro
meo, Jr., and David Romeo,
of Dublin; and her grandparents,
Mr. and Mrs. William J. Ho
ward, of Washington, D. C.
Gus A. Jepeway
DUBLIN—Funeral services
for Gus A. Jepeway were held
July 6th at the Church
of the Immaculate Conception,
with Father Raphael Toner of-
ficiating.
Survivors are his wife, the
former Miss Alma Samahajone
daughter, Mrs. Alice J. Craig;
two grandchildren, Jep Craig
and Marie Craig, all of Dublin;
one sister, Mrs. Delel Fish-
fish, of Beirut, Lebanon and a
number of other relatives.
f IN AUGUSTA
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