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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 s° >/ It’s The Acme Press 1201 lincousTStrEET PHONE 232-6397 rHE^^ QlLntoit MOTOR HOTEL • TV * AIR CONDITIONING • FAMOUS MIAMI BUFFET • ICE A BEVERAGE STATIONS • COFFEE MAKER, EACH ROOM LUCKIE AT CONE ST. A Good Addrmam In Atlanta N. H. Mr. Gannan is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Karam 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. COLUMBUS Y DAVIDSON’S 2029 Buena Vista Road 323-3805 Columbus’’ Finest In Fashion KIRALFY’S DOWNTOWN AND CROSS COUNTRY-COLUMBUS, GEORGIA It’s Easy To Open A Kiralfy’s Charge Account Nothing disappears as fast as., COLUMBUS, GA< 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 MEMORIALS S.R. KELLY & SON, INC. 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