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PAGE 2—The Southern Cross, August 22, 1963
Hierarchy Repeats-
(Continued From Page 1)
and many souls would have gone
without the supernatural graces
that come to them only from
having the Church active in their
; midst."
Other southern bishops be
sides Bishop Greco have spoken
out on the racial issue in re
cent months.
In the midst of rioting in Bir
mingham, Ala., last May, Arch
bishop Thomas J. Toolen, Bi
shop of Mobile-Birmingham
said that "as Catholics we can
not harbor hate in our hearts
for our Negro brethren."
"We are glad that Negroes
are obtaining some rights, but
do not approve of some of their
methods,” Archbishop Toolen
said.
Following the assassination
in June of Mississippi NAACP
leader Medgar Evers, Bishop
Richard O. Gerow of Natchez-
Jackson, Miss., said Evers’
death was "shocking and sad
dening."
Speaking "as a loyal son of
Mississippi and a man of God,"
Bishop Gerow said: "We need
frankly to admit that the mur
der of Mr. Evers and the other
instances of violence in our
community tragically must be
shared by all of us. Responsi
ble leadership in some instan
ces has been singularly lack
ing."
For many, one of the most
striking aspects of the current
drive for racial justice has been
the growing participation of
clergy and Religious in civil
rights demonstrations.
Many Catholic churchmen
have made noteworthy state
ments on race in recent months.
These are some of them:
—Francis Cardinal Spell
man, Archbishop of New York:
"We need civil rights measures
enacted into law, but we also
need the attitudes of justice and
charity to be applied by every
person in our society to the con
crete problems of housing, em
ployment and education."
—Richard Cardinal Cushing,
Archbishop of Boston: "At the
root of the problem is discri
mination against the Negro
which deprives him of his rights
as a man and as a citizen,
wholly contrary to the law of
this' larid and the disposition of a
vast majority of its people."
—Joseph Cardinal Ritter,
Archbishop of St. Louis: "The
weapons of segregation, discri
mination and economic oppres
sion can be every bit as cruel
as gas chambers and concen
tration camps."
—Archbishop Patrick A.
O’Boyle of Washington: "No
Catholic with a good Christian
conscience can fail to give the
Negro people the legitimate op-
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portunity to secure proper
housing, equal opportunity for
a job, proper and adequate wel
fare needs and full participation
in our public and private educa
tional facilities."
—Archbishop Paul J. Halli-
nan of Atlanta, Ga.: "No citizen,
white or Negro, can be in doubt
about the Church’s teaching on
racial justice in this archdio
cese, or her honest determina
tion to carry this out in prac
tice."
—Bishop John J. Russell of
Richmond, Va.: "A Catholic
cannot fail to recognize the right
of the Negro people to secure
proper housing, equal oppor
tunity for work, full participa
tion in educational facilities,
both public and private, and the
right to equal accommodation
both on public property and
within those enterprises licen
sed and protected by the state
for the service of the general
public."
Archbishop Gerald T. Bergan
of Omaha in July directed
Catholics of his archdiocese to
observe a policy of open occu
pancy in residential housing.
Bishop Charles Helmsing of
Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo.,
announced in May that he will
not attend any function held at
a place which practices racial
discrimination.
The Bishops’ statement of
1958 declared that to work for
racial justice "amid passions
and misunderstandings will not
be easy."
"It will take courage," they
said. "But quiet andperserver-
ing courage has always been the
mark of a true follower of
Christ."
Memorial Mass—
(Continued From Page 1)
gate to Great Britain in 1954.
It was during his service in
Great Britain that the Savannah-
Atlanta See was divided in 1956
into two separate dioceses, each
bearing the name of one of those
major Georgia cities. He con
tinued as Ordinary of the dio
cese of Savannah until his re
signation in 1959. His successor
was Bishop Thomas J. McDon
ough, Savannah's present Ordi
nary.
Archbishop O’Hara died at
his post in London, following a
heart attack, on July 16th of
this year. He was 67.
Bishop McDonough will be
celebrant at the Mass, assisted
by the Rt. Rev. Msgr. T. James
McNamara, P. A., V. F., rec
tor of Savannah’s Cathedral and
Vicar General of the Diocese,
who will serve as Assistant
Priest.
Deacons of Honor will be the
Rt. Rev. Msgr. JohnD. Toomey,
pastor of St. James Church,
Savannah, and the Rev. Marvin
LeFrois, pastor of St. Tere
sa’s, Albany.
The Rev. John Cuddy, dioce
san superintendent of schools,
will be Deacon of the Mass.
Subdeacon will be the Rev. Jo
seph Stranc, faculty member
of St. John Vianney Minor Semi
nary.
The Rt. Rev. Msgr. Andrew
J. McDonald, Chancellor, will
serve as Master of Ceremonies.
He will be assisted by the Rev.
Kevin Boland, of St. John Vian
ney Minor Seminary.
Music for the Solemn cere
monies will be provided by a
choir composed of priests un
der the direction of the Rev.
F elix Donnelly, pastor of Sacred
Heart Church, Augusta.
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Mindzenty
Health Report
NEW YORK, (NC)—Jozsef
Cardinal Mindszenty, 71, Pri
mate of Hungary, is in "very,
very good health" and in "very
good spirits," too.
The report came from Turn
er Shelton, principal American
diplomat at the U. S. Legation in
Budapest, who denied reports
that the prelate’s health is fail
ing.
Shelton spoke by telephone
from Budapest with A. J. B.
Adams of the Catholic News,
archdiocesan newspaper.
Adams was checking radio,
news service and other press
reports that the Cardinal was
suffering from diabetes and as
thma and was "getting weaker."
Since the 1956 Hungary revolt
when the prelate was liberated
from prison, Cardinal Minds
zenty has resided in asylum at
the American Legation in Buda
pest. Efforts of Hungary’s
ruling communist officials to
have him surrendered to them
have been refused by U. S.
authorities.
Shelton, charge d’affaires at
the legation, was quoted by
Adams as saying: "No doctor
has been here. No doctor has
been in to see him at all. He
doesn’t need any attention.
There’s nothing wrong with him
at all.”
TEXT-
(Continued From Page 1)
every faith and race, we can
heal the ancient wounds of di
vision. Thus our nation will
reflect its true greatness, a
greatness founded on the moral
principle that all men are free
and equal under God.
In all these endeavors, we
must remember that they labor
in vain, who seek to work with
out Almighty God. Our daily
prayer for guidance will give
us that confidence and courage
we need to seek racial justice
and harmony in our land. Above
all, it is our prayer that the
love of God may infuse our
thoughts and actions, so that
we may revere in every man the
image of the Eternal God.
U. S. Bishops—
(Continued From Page 1)
the rights of all citizens to
vote.
"Moreoever, we must pro
vide for all equal opportunity
for employment, full participa
tion in our public and private
educational facilities, proper
housing and adequate welfare
assistance when needed."
Appealing for action to in
crease knowledge of the atti
tudes among both races before
action is taken to correct in
equities, the Bishops said:
"We can show our Christian
charity by a quiet and courage
ous determination to make the
quest for racial harmony a mat
ter of personal involvement. We
must go beyond slogans and
generalizations about color and
realize that all of us are human
beings, men, women and child
ren, all sharing the same hu
man nature and dignity, with the
same desires, hopes and feel
ings. We should try to know and
understand one another."
By way of detailing how free
exchange of ideas between races
can be carried out, the Bishops
said people in the same line
of work can discuss problems
caused by racial barriers.
"Physicians of one race can
talk with those of another. So
can businessmen, teachers,
lawyers, secretaries, farmers,
clerks and other workers," they
said.
Catholic parish and diocesan
societies, along with political
gatherings and civic associa
tions, can provide the ' ‘common
meeting grounds," the prelates
said.
‘ ‘We may act through the
various lay organizations of the
Church as well as with civic
groups of every type," they
said. "In many parts of the
nation, there are interracial
committees representing the
major religious faiths as well
as important aspects of civic
life. We bless and endorse such
efforts. . .’’
Civic action will be more
fruitful, the Bishops said, if
all citizens ‘ ‘openly and expli
citly proclaim the religious ba
sis of racial justice and love."
"Accordingly," they said,
"we repeat simply: Love one
another, for this is the law of
God. Revere in every man his
human dignity, for this is a
gift of God.”
All cars should be equipped
with a basic first aid kit, flares
and other emergency gear for
use in case of trouble.
LAUNCHING A BUSY WEEK—these Young Christian Workers were among 300 dele
gates who attended the llth National YCW Study Week at Renselaer, Indiana. They are
delving into the role of the young working person in parish life, political life and racial
equality. Local delegates pictured above are: L to R, from Fort Benning, Ga„ Back
Row; Gene Horvath, Fr. Michael J. Rogers (Chaplain), Anthony Stergar, A1 Dager; Front
Row: John Young, John Flanigan, Stan Jones, Pete Morales.—(Steve Herbert Photo)
Vocations Problem
(Continued From Page 1)
tion increase has been explo
sive, for in the past five years
the Catholics have doubled per
centagewise over the number
of seminarians.
The few figures available for
Africa and Asia show the begin
nings of similar phenomena.
Some regions of Africa have
already attained a condition like
that of Latin America.
Only in the United States has
there been an increase in the
number of vocations. The en
rollment in U. S. seminarians
today totals some 47,000. All
of the rest of the Catholic world
accounts for only some 50,100
seminarians, so the United
States, with less than 10 per
cent of the total Catholic popu
lation, accounts for almost half
the seminary students.
During the closing days of
the first session of the ecu
menical council, Leo Cardinal
Suenens, Archbishop of Ma-
lines-Brussels, gave everyone
present a copy of a book he had
prepared on the changing condi
tions of religious vocations in
the modern world. He had titled
this study "The Nun In The
Modern World," but imme
diately qualified it. "When we
talk of nuns," he said, "we
have also in mind all souls
dedicated to God whose object
is visible apostolic propaga
tion. . .such as Brothers. . .
and lay apostles of all kinds."
Most of the recipients had
time only to pack the book with
council Documents before set
ting out for their home dio
ceses. But during the interven
ing months all have now had a
chance to read and evaluate
Cardinal Suenens’ appeal for a
more modern approach to the
idea of the religious life. He
wants to extend the Church’s
apostolate to new dimensions,
and makes some startling sug
gestions for utilizing present
personnel more effectively.
"Many practices and regula
tions of today’s Religious are
outmoded," he asserts. "For
this reason vocations are de
creasing everywhere. . .Often
it is due to the poor image so
many communities have in the
eyes of the laity.
"I think it is significant,"
he adds, "that the least affected
are the missionary and purely
contemplative congregations.
Their image is still that of
heroic apostolic activity and of
a life devoted to God in silence.
"The ones who are suffering
most," Cardinal Suenens con
tinues, "are the nursing and
teaching communities. In one
of my suffragan dioceses 78 out
of 522 religious houses have
had to close in the last 30 years
for lack of vocations."
The Cardinal’s testimony is
corroborated by Bishop Char
les-Marie Himmer of Tournai,
Belgium, who points out that in
his diocese nearly 30 per cent
of the Sisters are over 65,
while only 10 per cent are under
30. "This factor of aging com
munities,” he states, "natural
ly complicates the problem of
modernizing the group’s poli
cies and practices.”
Along with considering pre
sent vocations the council Fa
thers are also asking: Where
can more vocations be found?
Apart from the theological
study of the matter, they recog
nize that a great deal can be
learned from a study of the
social milieu, the geographical
area, the type of family, and the
youths’ scholastic formation.
Some regions provide more
vocations than others. In South
America, for example, four de
partments of Colombia (Antio-
quia, Cundinarmarca, Caldas
and Boyaca) account for 68 per
cent of the diocesan vocations
and 78 per cent of the religious
vocations. These are rural
areas, but in the United States
where most Catholics are city
people, it is just the opposite.
Nearly 90 per cent of the voca
tions come from the urban
areas.
In Belgium the agricultural
class, which scarcely repre
sents 10 per cent of the popu
lation, furnishes 18 per cent
of the religious vocations. The
tion also needs consideration.
There has been a wide variance
in this regard. Seminary drop
out rates range from as little
as 10 per cent to over 80 per
cent of the candidates.
To explain such differences
on the basis of love of pleasure
and lack of generosity in youth
is altogether too simple. It is
also erroneous, for any prudent
judge can appreciate the fact
that there are many elements
entering into the problem. Take,
for example, the effects on the
youths of early education in a
Second Session Of Vatican
Council Will Close Dec. 4
VATICAN CITY, (NC)—The second session of the Second
Vatican Council will end this December 4, a high council
source confirmed.
The spokesman acknowledged the closing date after some
council Fathers had revealed it in their own areas. The
second session starts September 29. The closing date had
been communicated to the bishops of the world, but not
made public by the Holy See. But the council press office
in mid-July denied reports to the effect that the session
would end on December 8.
There is still no official indication whether the council
itself will conclude with the second session, or whether
it will reconvene again at a later date.
workers, who make up almost
50 per cent, give 17 per cent
and the upper class, which is
less than 10 per cent of the
population, gives 21 per cent.
The Netherlands shows dif
ferent figures, due in part to
the different distribution of Ca
tholics in the population. There
23 per cent of the seminarians
come from the working classes;
22 per cent come from the
farms; and 7 per cent from the
upper class. All this indicates
that the council Father will
probably study social and eco
nomic factors as well as moral
ones in seeking a solution to
the vocation crisis.
Another thing some of the
council Fathers want to discuss
is the practicality of minor
seminaries. For 400 years,
since the Council of Trent or
dered the establishment of a
seminary in every diocese, it
has been taken for granted that
younger vocations are the more
common. The earlier a youth is
accepted into a seminary, the
traditional theory went, the
better would he be developed
academically, socially, cultu
rally, physically and spiri
tually.
But many North European and
South American bishops are
now challenging these assum
ptions. The Colombian Bishops,
for instance, claim that 52 per
cent of their seminarians have
entered at the age of 17 or later;
28 per cent in their middle
teens; and only 20 per cent at
the beginning of adolescence.
Such evidence must be weigh
ed carefully in planning future
action, for much depends on the
milieu in which the vocations
germinate. The matter of per
severance in the religious voca-
PRAY FOR OUR
PRIESTLY DEAD
REV. WILLIAM
FAULKNER BROWNE
Aug. 23, 1881
REV. CHARLES J. RETHANS
Aug. 26, 1951
Oh God, Who didst give to
thy servants hy their sacredotal
office, a share in the priest
hood of the Apostles, grant,
we implore, that they may.
also he one of their company
forevtr in heaven. Through
Christ Our Lord, Amen.
parochial or public school, in a
separate or coeducational
school, in an accredited or non-
accredited one.
What is to be said of the
home environment, social con
tacts, the effects of communi
cations media like the newspa
pers, radio, television, and
movies ? Only when all the ele
ments affecting vocations have
been considered will it be possi
ble to formulate policies and
make decisions.
One tool for evaluating the
effects of environment on the
temperament and personality of
a youth is the psychological-
test. Since World War II more
and more dioceses and religious
institutes have been attempting,
like their governmental and
military counterparts, to sub
ject potential candidates to psy
chological tests to determine
their temperamental and emo
tional fitness for the priestly
or religious life. The assump
tion is that if youths are psy
chologically suitable for the
priesthood or religious life they
are more likely to persevere.
Now the question in the minds
of some of the bishops and ma
jor superiors is this: Should
such tests be optional, or com
pulsory? Or should they be ig
nored altogether? Those who
have already spoken out on the
matter recommend caution and
reserve.
They do admit that these tests
can and do supply important
data about questionable appli
cants. However, they hold that
all of the tests need perfecting
and those already available
should be administered and in
terpreted only by trained clini
cal psychologists.
The purpose of these tests,
all agree, is not to determine
the presence or absence:-of a
vocation. It is simply to magni
fy those components in a youth’s
temperament, attitude and per
sonality which may be obscure.
Once all the factors are evident,
it is easier for the bishop or
religious superior to judge whe
ther or not an individual is
suitable for the priesthood or
religious life.
Where one’s personal obser
vations of a candidate are ade
quate, these tests are not need
ed. This explains how the
Church has managed for 20
centuries without such helps.
But just as we now avail our
selves of the advances of medi-
Polish Government
Fails In Attempt
To Halt Pilgrimage
MUNICH, Germany, (Radio,
NC)—Attempts of the Polish
government to stop an annual
mass pilgrimage to the shrine of
Jasna Gora in Czestochowa, Po
land, ended in failure, according
to reports reaching Radio Free
Europe here.
RFE said the government
pretext for a ban on the pil
grimage of the Feast of the
Assumption (Aug. 15) was a
smallpox epidemic.
Although there had been a
100 cases of the disease and
seven fatalities reported, the
jban was to be an active poli
tical repression rather than a
public health measure, RFE
Isaid. The ban followed the re
cent closing of seven Catholic
kindergartens in Cracow and
one in Warsaw.
In a series of broadcasts in
Polish a priest on the RFE
staff, Father T. Kirshke, doc
umented the case against the
communist ban on the pilgrim
age. He noted, for example,
that the Polish health authori
ties, while warning the public
of the dangers of smallpox du
ring summer travels, had simp
ly urged vaccination as a pre
caution.
There had been no previous
restriction on group tours, he
said, and a record half-million
children were in summer camps
in Poland.
Although the mass pilgrimage
was banned, it was reported
that pilgrims to Jasna Gora
(Bright Mount) had not been
stopped but had simply joined
small touring groups going to
the shrine.
Jasna Gora, a national as well
as religious shrine, has sym
bolized Polish independence
ever since the fortified monas
tery offered a haven against
Swedish invaders in the 17th
century. Yearly pilgrimages to
the shrine took on a patriotic
character following King John
Casimir’s declaration in 1655
that the Virgin Mary was to be
considered Queen of Poland.
Teen-Agers Flee
Sudan Persecution
KAMPALA, Uganda, (NC)—
Fifteen girls, aged about 15
years, walked 400 miles
through swamps and forest
from southern Sudan to refuge
in northern Uganda to escape
religious repression, accord
ing to reports reaching here.
Political power in the Sudan
rests with the Muslim Arabs
of the northern region who
number about two-thirds of the
country’s 12 million people. The
south, peopled mainly by pagan
Negro and Nilotic tribes, has
about 500,000 Christians—
more than half of them Catho
lics.
The Sudanese government’s
anti-Christian moves in sou
thern Sudan have brought the ex
pulsion of 160 missionaries
since late 1962. The govern
ment is trying to spread Islam
to unify the country.
In the Torit area, seven Ca
tholic catechists were sentenc
ed by Muslim Chief Marhum
Loture to seven years in pris
on for teaching catechism and
prayers to children, it has been
reported.
Other reports tell that sol
diers burned huts and crops
in villages of Rodo, Gederu,
Mwendi and Pamuju.
Senate Extends Bracero
Program For One Year
WASHINGTON, NC)—The
Senate has approved another
one-year extension of the con
troversial bracero labor pro
gram due to expire December
31. But it added a new section
to protect American migratory
farm workers.
The measure, adopted (Aug.
15) by a 63 to 24 vote, now goes
to the House which rejected on
May 29 a bill to extend the pro
gram for two years.
The Senate bill provides that
American workers must be pro
vided the same benefits given
Mexicans in the areas of work
men’s conpensation, housing,
transportation and a guaranteed
minimum amount of work. Do
mestic workers have no such
protection now.
Begun in 1949 as a temporary
measure to meet a manpower
shortage during the Korean
war, the program provides for
the seasonal importation of
cal science to prove a person’s
physical fitness, so many of the
council Fathers feel that the
findings of psychology and psy
chiatry will help to evaluate a
person’s mental fitness and
emotional balance.
All acknowledge that a suc
cessful religious vocation is the
work of the Holy Spirit and the
acceptance of the Spirit’s goad
by the individual. The goal of
the Church today, as always, is
to help the Christian to be able
to know it when he has such a
vocation, and to foster it.
Mexicans to help harvest U. S.
crops. It has been repeatedly
extended on a one or two-year
basis since its start.
Religious and social action
groups, including the National
Catholic Rural Life Conference,
have vigorously opposed exten
sion of the program, alleging
that the Mexicans compete un
fairly with American workers.
They say the presence of Mexi
cans severely limits job oppor
tunities and wages of domestic
workers.
On the other hand, growers’
associations, farmers and civic
groups in farming regions de
fend the program as essential
to their well being, saying that
Americans will not do "stoop
labor" in the fields.
The extension bill came to the
Senate floor without committee
hearings. It was originally a
simple extension of the present
program sponsored by Sens.
Gordon Allott and Peter H.
Dominick, both of Colorado.
However, it was amended on
the floor by Sen. Eugene Mc
Carthy of Minnesota. McCarthy
first tried to kill the entire
bill and substitute one protect
ing American workers and di
recting the Secretary of Labor
to take steps to assure a suffi
cient number of American
workers who would do the work
previously handled by Mexi
cans.
However, this amendment
lost on a 45 to 45 vote.
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