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1 1 WEEKLY NEWSPAPER OP THE DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH : >. ■ r SIHIt SINE PEO Vol. 44, No. 13 10c Per Cooy — $3 A SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1963 BISHOP’S OFFICE 225 Abercorn Street Savannah, Georgia October 6, 1963 Dearly beloved in Christ: Five years ago the Bishop’s Confraternity of the Laity Drive was re-established in the Diocese of Savannah. The success of this campaign, to gather funds to pursue actively the Apostolate of the Catholic Church, has met with unprece dented success. Practically every parish and mission has improved its fa cilities; and Mission Churches have been constructed in many counties. All of this spiritual and material progress of our Missionary Diocese reflects the in terest, devotion and sacrificial charity of you good people. The program envisaged for the Diocese of Savannah must continue year after year. At times it becomes alarmingly disheartening when we reflect upon the fact that of the 1,800,000. persons residing in the area of the Diocese of Savannah, only 31,000 are Catholic. But the future is more promising. With more priests, sisters and lay apostles, it will become possible to carry out the mis sion of the Church in the 88 counties which comprise this Diocese. Our seminary program has been greatly augmented. And in the years ahead, we anticipate the ordination to the Sacred Priesthood of many of the vocations presently at St. John Vianney Minor Seminary. The future will be assured when boys from Georgia—from our Diocese—become “other Christs.” Many of you have related to me with great enthusiasm the progress of the last decade. It is true, much has been accomplished and I can best express this grati tude by thanking God for His spiritual beneficience, and you my devoted people for your prayers, understanding and generosity. The Diocese of Savannah has a rich priesthood, dedicated religious communities, and an inspiring and prayerful la ity. May God’s blessings touch all of us intimately and strengthen us in our holy resolve to love Him daily more and more. On the fifth anniversary of the Bishop’s Confraternity Drive, I call upon your loyal support. When you are approached for your contribution, respond with a generous gift. How many times do we approach God for help? God hears our appeals. Then we must be generous to His appeals and participate actively in bringing Him into every area of the Diocese of Savannah. When the solicitor calls upon you, receive him as my personal representative. And then return to God the fullest measure of your generosity. Imparting to you my blessing and assuring you of a daily memento in my Masses and prayers, I am, Devotedly yours in Christ, Bishop of Savannah. Council Gets Down To Business In Its First Working Session By Msgr. James I. Tucek (N.C.W.C. NEWS SERVICE) VATICAN CITY—The Sec ond Vatican Council got right down to business at its first working assembly. It took up discussion of the draft document entitled * ‘On the Church” on September 30, the day after the second ses sion was opened solemnly by His Holiness Pope Paul VI. A noteworthy change in the mechanics of the rules of pro cedure in the general assembly was the fact that the four newly appointed moderators presided, and not the members of the Presidency of the Council. Gre gorio Cardinal Agagianian, Prefect of the Sacred Congre gation for the Propagation of the Faith, was the first moderator to preside. Comments on the projects of the Church—“De Ecclesia” — were led off by Joseph Cardinal Frings, Archbishop of Cologne, and by Giuseppe Cardinal Siri, Archbishop of Genoa. The con sensus appeared to be that the schema was generally accepta ble. Several recommendations were made looking toward its improvement, however. Cardinal Frings made a gen eral reference to “some ob scure points likely to give rise to doubt and uncertainty.” He also requested that more space be given in the schema to the Blessed Virgin Mary, even though the council will later take up for consideration a sep arate schema concerning St. Mary as Mother of God and Mo ther of the Church. A change in the title of the “De Ecclesia” schema was suggested by Cardinal Siri. It should not be simply ‘ ‘The Church,” he said, but rather “The Church of Christ.” He underlined his pleasure at see ing the schema express “the long-awaited declaration of the sacramental nature of theepis- Approved For Discussion VATICAN CITY, (NC)~ The Second Session of Ecu menical Council overwhel mingly approved the project “On the Nature Of The Church” for detailed dis cussion. Only 46 dissenting votes were cast by 2,301 Fathers at the Second Session’s Sec ond General Meeting (Oct. 1). Technically, the project could still be scrapped. But comments on it as a whole were favorable without ex ception. This seems to gua rantee that with amend ment of some details, it will be given final approval. copal consecration.” He said, however, that this point should be further clarified and be as signed a theological note. Notable in the business of the day was the announcement that on the following day, Tuesday, October 1, discussion on the general acceptability of the pro ject on the Church would be terminated and a vote taken. Speakers on the first day in addition to Cardinals Frings and Siri included Armenian Rite Pa triarch Ignance Pierre XVI Ba- tanian of Cilicia; Archbishop Casimiro Morcillo of Sara gossa, Spain; Archbishop Pi erre Ngo dinh Thuc of Hue, Vietnam; Archbishop Ermene- gildo Florit of Florence; and Archbishop Giuseppe Gargitter of Bressanone, Italy. The remarks of Archbishop Florit and Archbishop Gargit ter represented criticism of the schema, although the two pre lates said that they favored it in general. They asserted that it insists too much on the equality of the members of the Church without sufficiently stressing the exercise of authority. Archbishop Gargitter noted further that it is necessary to avoid any possible confusion concerning the ‘ ‘universal priesthood” of the people of God. In this context he said that it is likewise necessary to have (Continued on Page 3-A) SAVANNAH—On Sunday, October 20th, campaign workers rep resenting Parish units of the Bishop’s Confraternity of the Laity will call at every Catholic home in the Savannah Diocese, seeking funds for diocesan projects. Minimum goal this year, as last year, is $140,000, with funds collected in the 1963 effort to be distributed for the edu cation of seminarians studying for the Diocese; orphans and de pendent children; the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist; the monastery of the Carmelite Sis ters at Savannah; Mission churches throughout the dio cese; the Southern Cross, Dio cesan weekly newspaper; and a contingency fund for the as sistance of mission churches which, because of small mem bership are not completely self- supporting. During the past year a new wing was added to the complex of buildings at St. John Vianney Minor Seminary, with funds from the Bishop’s Con fraternity of the Laity Drive helping to defray the cost. This new addition more than doubled facilities at the Seminary, and raised the fi nancial requirements for edu cating the 125 students study ing there and at other insti tutions in the United States and Ireland to approximately $75,000 a year. According to His Excellency, Bishop Thomas J. McDonough, "Undoubtedly, this work of education of young men for the priesthood in our diocese represents our largest financial obligation. And, though the pa rents of virtually all our semi narians pay tuition and board, capital investment in building and maintenance means our work of training future priests still has the first claim upon the Chairty of our people.” $50,000 will be allotted to semi nary work this year. $15,000 of this years pro ceeds will be allocated for the support of orphans and depen dent children of the diocese at St. Mary’s Home in Savannah and St. Joseph’s Home in Wash ington, Georgia. Extensive renovations at Sa vannah’s historic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist have been recently completed. The cost of these renovations were shared by the members of the Cathe dral Parish, individual bene factors, and the Confraternity of the Laity drive. "Every Ca tholic in our Diocese ha« had a part in making possible these renovations to a venerable Ca thedral church which is truly a landmark of Catholicism in the Southland,” said Bishop Mc Donough, in a leaflet setting forth the goals of the 1963 drive. In 1959 the Diocese pledged to the Cathedral Renovation Fund $30,000 per year for five years. This year, the pledge will be paid in full. Sisters at the Carmelite Mon astery in Savannah offer their prayers and sacrifices to God for the spiritual works of the Savannah Diocese. However, since they are a cloistered community, they may not so licit funds to liquidate the debt on the monastery. $5,000 is allocated every year from the Confraternity Drive toward the liquidation of this debt. $30,000 will be set aside for the construction of Mission Churches and meeting halls in rural areas of the Diocese where Catholics are few in number and widely scattered. During the past year three such Mission Churches were erected in the Diocese, as well as several parish halls. In January of 1963, the SOUTHERN CROSS, diocesan newspaper became a weekly publication. Costs for the first year of operation will be in excess of $40,000, with less than $10,000 being realized from advertising. The paper will receive $20,000. $25,000 will be set aside in a contingency fund for mis sionary activities of the Diocese. Money from this fund will be used for renovation programs in mission church es, purchase of automobiles, and the payment of salaries for priests and Catechetical Sisters in mission parishes. Announcement of the drive and its goals will be made at all the Masses in all churches of the Diocese on Sunday, Octo ber 6th. Sermons on Oct. 6th and 13th will be devoted to the financial needs of diocesan pro jects and the necessity of full participation by every Catholic in the Diocese. Each wage earner or person with personal income is being asked to contribute a minimum of $25.00. CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST—Mother Church of the Diocese and worthy landmark of Catholicism in the Southland, the Cathedral will receive $30,000.00 from the Bishop’s Confraternity this year. This will bring the total Confraternity funds received by the Cathedral to $150,000.00 which was pledged in 1959 for renovation which was complet ed last spring. Pope Reopens Council With Plan For Work, Plea To Non-Catholics By Patrick Riley (N. C. W. C. NEWS SERVICE) VATICAN CITY—His Holi ness Pope Paul VI reopened the Second Vatican Council with a plan for the work at hand and a plea to noh-Catholics for bro therly peace and pardon. He said (Sept. 29) that the "principal concern” of this second session would be to • * examine the intimate nature of the Church.” From this examination will come a definition, or a less sol emn declaration, which "will reveal the Church’s real fun damental nature” and its mis sion. Some 2,500 council Fathers in white ceremonial robes heard the Pope list three further ob jectives of the council: reform of the Church, Christian unity Prayer For The Suceess Of The Eeumenieal Couneil May the Divine Spirit deign to answer in a most comfort ing manner this prayer which rises daily to Him from every corner of the earth. Renew your wonders in our time, O Divine Spirit, as though with another Pentecost and grant that Thy Holy Church, by uniting in a single-hearted and mounting prayer, together with Mary the Mother of Jesus, and the Shep herding St. Peter, may intensify the reign of the Divine Sa vior, the reign of truth and justice, the reign of love and peace. Amen. Revised Council Rules Will Help Prevent Deadlocks VATICAN CITY, (NC)—Re vised rules governing the se cond session of the ecumenical council promise to prevent any deadlock such as the one which Pope John XXIII had to step in to solve personally last fall. A new edition of the book of regulations for the council, made public (Sept. 26) three days before the start of the second session, also provided several additions designed toi give greater power to council Fathers on the minority side of questions under debate. The revised regulations were approved by His Holiness Pope Paul VI "after having heard the council Fathers.” L’Osser- vatore Romano, Vatican City daily, in an explanatory article accompanying publication of the new edition, said that except for the few innovations and modifications, the 70 articles of the old regulations remain the same. Continued in effect is the re quirement of a two-thirds ma jority vote to approval of the whole or of a part of a schema, or council statement. The same is also required for an amend ment to a schema. But in order to postpone or to conclude dis cussion of a schema, the ma jority required is reduced to an absolute one—50 per cent of the members voting plus one. This provision would circum vent the situation which occur red last November when a crisis developed over the council’s schema on Divine Revelation. The original text was a contro versial one, and a vote was taken on whether to continue discussion of it. Of 2,211 coun cil Fathers present, 1,368 voted to shelve the document, and 822 to continue discussion. The op ponents of the draft failed by 106 votes to achieve the required two-thirds’ majority. Thus the prospect was that lengthy discussion would have to con tinue on a document that most of the council Fathers found unsat- (Continued on Page 3-A) and the "dialogue of the Church with the contemporary world.” In the muted splendor of the reopening ceremony, Pope Paul recalled the figure and voice of the late Pope John XXUT, who ‘conceived the council and launched it at a brilliant cere mony last October 11. Pope Paul addressed Pope John as a living presence rather than as a memory. He continued in this fashion for a good five minutes, addressing the late Pope with gratitude and venera tion. "You have gathered up the broken thread of the First Vati can Council,” he said, "and by that very fact you have ban ished the fear which was wrong ly deduced from that council, as if the supreme powers con ferred by Christ on the Roman Pontiff to govern and vivify the Church were sufficient without the assistance of ecumenical councils.” To the more than 50 non-Ca- tholic observers seated in a place of honor near the main altar of St. Peter’s basilica, the Pope spoke as "father and brother.” He told of his "deep sad ness” at the "prolonged sep aration” of their Churches and the Catholic Church. "If we are in any way to blame for that separation, we humbly beg God’s forgiveness and ask pardon too of our brethren who feel they have been injured by us,” he said. "For our part, we willingly forgive the injuries which the Catholic Church has suffered, and forget the grief endured during the long series of dis sensions and separations. May the heavenly Father deign to hear our prayers and grant us true brother peace.” The Pope’s 62-minute ad dress ended tKe second ses sion’s opening ceremony of just over four hours. The splendor and pomp of last October’s opening session itself was missing. Crowds were ap preciably smaller and there was no solemn procession of bi shops, cardinals, Pope and papal household through a teem ing St. Peter’s Square. Most noticeable, if least pal pable, was the lack of that elec tric sense of expectation or rather of realization that charg ed the atmosphere at the open ing of the first session. Council Fathers had their choice of entering in proces sion with the Pope and car dinals, or of going to their seats singly and informally. They started to arrive about 9:00. As they mounted the steps to their seats, some shook the hands of their neighbors and waved to those at a distance. The procession entered the basilica at 9:45 Rome time, 45 minutes behind schedule, and left at 1:00 p.m. As the procession entered the basilica, first came a ser geant of the Swiss Guard and a colorful 1 contingent of mem bers of the papal household. Most of the council Fathers who took part in the proces sion were dressed in white. But many Fathers from the Eastern Churches dressed in black. Each Cardinal, dressed in the vestments of his order (bishop, priest or deacon) in the Sacred College, was accompanied by another cleric. Behind the Cardinals came Pope Paul: He was carried down the roy al stairs of the Apostolic Palace and along the porch of the bas ilica on his portable throne. But he came down from the throne at the door of St. Peter’s and walked the rest of the way, flanked by fanbearers. Behind the Pope came his official physician, the Dean of the Roman Rota, (Philadelphia’s Msgr. Francis J. Brennan), chanters singing the hymn to the Blessed Virgin, AveMarisStel la, and other members of the papal household. When the Pope reached the main altar, he knelt, without his mitre, and intoned the Veni Creator Spiritus, a traditional hymn asking the help of the Holy Spirit. At 10:17, the Pope stood at the foot of the altar for the open ing prayers of the Mass with Eugene Cardinal Tisserant, who as Dean of the College of Car dinals, offered the Mass. He also offered the Mass at last October’s opening ceremony. During the Mass, bishops and people joined in singing the responses, the Gloria, the Cre do, and the Sanctus. The Mass took almost an hour. Then,-with the ceremony of the obedience of the council Fathers, the sec ond session of the council be gan. During the symbolic obe dience ceremony, 100-year-old Archbishop Alfonso Carinci, retired secretary of the Sacred Congregation of Rites, haltingly approached the Pope’s throne. He was one of two prelates chosen to represent archbish ops. Pope Paul stood to receive the centenarian prelate and, (Continued on Page 3-A) REOPENS ECUMENICAL COUNCIL—Pope Paul VI, Bishop of Rome, wears a mitre instead of a crown to show his equality with other bishops at the opening of the second session of Vatican Council II, September 29, in St. Peter s Basilica. Nearly 2,500 Council Fathers heard the Pope, in a historic homily, assert that the long-range aim of the council was the complete and universal union of all Christians. (NC Photos) Confraternity Minimum Goal Is $140,000