Southern cross. (Savannah, Ga.) 1963-2021, December 12, 1963, Image 4

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Southern cross., December 12, 1963, Image 4

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Newspaper Page Textt f 1 1 4 PAGE 4—The Southern Cross, December 12, 1963 Use Of English (Following is the text of the U. S. Bishops’ statement on the ecumenical council’s Consti tution on the Sacred Liturgy promulgated Dec. 4.) The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy pro mulgated on Dec. 4 is the first achievement of Vatican Council II. It will affect the spiritual life of prayer and worship of all Catholics. It will make the Church more comprehensive to all men. Thus it is the first great step in the Church’s inner renewal begun by Pope John XXIII and now being carried out by all the bishops in union with the chief bishop, Pope Paul VI. The Bishops of the United States, having taken part fully in the discussion, amendment and acceptance of this document, welcome it wholeheartedly and dedicate themselves to fulfill its purposes. On the one hand, the Constitution is a statement of the Church’s doctrine and dis cipline. It explains the meaning of public worship. It gives a clear mandate to deepen the liturgical understanding and activity of the people. “This full and active participation by all the people is the aim to be considered before all else.” At the same time the constitution is a docu ment of change and revision. In broad terms it directs a reform of rites and texts so that they may be simpler and clearer. Putting such changes into effect must await specific action by a commission set up by the Holy Father. One important change, however, has become the immediate concern of the bodies of bishops in the different countries or re gions. This is the concession of the vernacular languages in the liturgy for the sake of the peoples’ understanding, piety and easier par ticipation. Such concessions are possible without wait ing for the revision of rites but depend upon the action of the bodies of bishops for the re spective regions. For the Mass the council has allowed the vernacular for the lessons, and for the parts of the people, in effect for most of the parts said aloud or sung up to the cannon and for such parts as the Sanc-^ tus, Our Father, etc. For the sacraments and sacramentals the vernacular is allowed throughout. For the Divine Office the clergy must receive permission from the individual bishops or Ordinaries. The Bishops of the United States, assem bled in Rome, have formally agreed to make full use of the vernacular concessions made by the council. They have directed the Bish ops’ Commission on the Liturtical Apostol- ate to propose English translations for the consideration of all the Bishops. At the meeting of the Bishops, now proposed for the spring of 1964, formal decrees will be drawn up and sent to the Apostolic See in Rome for confirmation. At the same time official translations will be approved by the Bish ops for publication. Only then can a date be determined by the Bishops for the actual use of English in the liturgy. This prompt action ensures the introduc tion of English into public worship during the interim period while the revision of the missal, ritual, breviary, etc., is awaited. In addition, the bishops of the United States authorized their representatives to work with an international committee. This com mittee will ultimately propose translations based upon the reformed rites for the con sideration of the respective hierarchies of the English-speaking world. Nation’s Moral Fiber Seen In Need Of Strengthening How To Honor JFK It Seems to Me JOSEPH BREIG By J. J. Gilbert WASHINGTON (NC) — The nation needs to take a close look at its moral standards and to do something to im prove them. This is a warning issued by the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was written before President Ken nedy’s assassination but it came to public attention in a monthy law enforcement bulletin a week after Mr, Kennedy’s death. Less than a week before Pre sident Kennedy’s tragic death, the Bishops of the United States said in a statement: “A national examination of conscience would reveal today that we are in danger of becoming a people weakened by secularism in our social philosophy, materialism in our concept of the good life and expediency in our moral code,” The Bishops also pointed out that “as an affluent nation, we are unfortunately acquiring the vices associated with irrespon sible materialists; over-indul gence, escessive gambling and the insatiable demand for ex citement.” J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI What do you want for Christ mas? It is not too early to ask that question. In all likelihood you already have told or hint ed the answer t o someone. It is pleasant to receive gifts at Christmas time and to tender gifts to others. However, we must stub bornly re fuse to allow the gifts and the excite- m e n t of Christmas to obscure for us the real meaning of the day. The newspapers and maga zines are filled with Christ mas advertising. TV commer cials tempt us with a thousand possible gifts. It almost seems that the whole reason why God was born in a stable was so that you and I could find a beau tiful present awaiting us under the Christmas tree. We have to keep reminding ourselves that Jesus was not born in Bethlehem for the pur pose of making a jolly holiday for us. God came down upon earth for one reason only. He came to save souls. We, whom God loves so much, were lost to Him because of sin. God was not content to let us get away from Him without an all-out effort on His part. If there was anything at all that He could do to get us started back towards Heaven, God was de termined to do it. chief, said: “Morality is one of the more perplexing and controversial problems facing our nation. Primarily, it is be cause of individual and collec tive moral cowardice on the part of our society. We do not have the courage to stand in conflict with the mad rush for material wealth, indulgence and social prestige.” He charged'that the lack of morality and integrity stems from a false sense of values. “Many persons are so pre occupied with selfishness and greed they no longer know— nor care, for that matter— where honor stops and dishonor commences. Others are simply confused. Rationalization and double standards have so cloud ed some moral principles that right and wrong are no longer distinguishable.” Following President Ken nedy’s death many persons were surprised to learn that a phy sical attack upon the president is not a federal offense. As sault on a federal judge, a federal process server and many other office holders is a federal offense, but an assault God’s plan was a fantastic one. He came in pursuit of us. He chose to be born as a human baby and to die as a man. By His life and death He would pay the price for our sins and would merit for us the graces we need. He would negate our own self-destructiveness and would head us for heaven again. The real meaning of Christ mas is the unbelievable love which God has for us. This is the message which the Holy Infant speaks to us from the Crib. It is a real mystery, this message. How could God love us so much, knowing us so well?Even in heaven I doubt whether we shall understand fully the answer to that ques tion. Returning to the matter of Christmas gifts, it is impor tant for us to remember that it is Jesus’ birthday which we are celebrating, not ours. Millions of persons think and talk about, “What I want for Christmas.” Too few ever ask, "What might Jesus want for His birthday?” If we do love Jesus enough to ask the question, the answer comes clearly. “Give me souls!” the divine Child cries from His manger-bed. “This is why I came. This is why I was born, Please, please give me souls!” The first soul that he wants, of course, is your own. We may assume that you already have given Him that. You love Jesus. You are living in the state of grace, habitually in / f upon the chief executive is not. An assailant would not go free, of course, he would be prose cuted under the law of the state where the offense occurred. The man accused of shooting President Kennedy would have been tried under the law of Tex as, had he lived. It was also brought home that it is difficult, if not im possible, to protect the presi dent at all times; that firearms can be purchased cheaply and with relative dhSe; that there are deep and constantly fed cur rents of hate running in the country. Measures were promptly in troduced in Congress to correct some of these situations. Presi dent Lyndon B. Johnson ap pointed a high - level com mission to investigate the as sassination of President Ken nedy and the killing of the man held as his assassin. Closing loopholes in the law may help, and all constructive information is to the good, but two competent, and highly di verse, source shave warned that a strengthening of the nation’s moral fiber is also needed. union with Him. You pray re gularly and receive the sacra ments frequently so that you may grow in love for Him. Your own soul is the one big gift which, Christmas after Christmas, you can bring to Jesus. Your very love for Him, however, will urge you to pile up the gifts — will urge you to bring to Him other souls in addition to your own. That is why Christmas is an obvious occasion for inten sifying our prayers for sinners and unbelievers. It is an ob vious time, too, for sending a generous check to the Pro pagation of the Faith Soceity or to our favorite missionary or ganization. It is a check which will find its way into Jesus’ pocket in the form of another soul saved. Christmas is a natural time, too, to cast a missionary eye upon our non-Catholic friends and acquaintances. Is there not at least one among them who has shown a sympathetic in terest in the Catholic faith? We may be surprised at the happy reaction when we ask, “Joe (or Mary) would you be willing to attend our Inquiry Class if I go with you?” There may be a lax Catho lic friend or neighbor, too, who needs but a bit of en couragement. A simple ques tion such as, “Would you go to confession with me on Sat urday if I stopped by to pick (Continued On Page 5) We can denounce hatred, and chide those who hate, until our tongues grow tired; but that is not the solution of the problems of relations among Americans, and among human beings every where, which stand out starkly in the terrible light of the assas sination of P r esident John F. Ken nedy. What we need is not merely hatred of hatred, but love; and love does not issue in recriminations andmoralizings and finger-pointings. Love does not stand on a rostrum of self- righteousness lecturing the beloved; love goes forth to help, and to pay the price of helping. THE LOVE we must have is the love that loves not only John and Jacqueline Kennedy, but Lee Oswald and Jack Ruby, too. Christ, whose birthday we now celebrate, was not talking just to hear the sound of His voice when He reminded us that we cannot preen ourselves upon loving the lovable and returning good for good. Even the heathens do that. The love that Jesus taught us and showed us—the force that alone can make the world what the world ought to be—is the love that blesses those who re- “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the maine . . . any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And there fore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” —John Donne * * * THE FIRST SUNDAY in Ad vent and its Gospel depiction of the Last Judgement had even more sombre significance this year. During these grief- numbing days, there have been so many fine things spoken, re cited, culled from the noble thoughts of the past. Compari sons were made, noble deeds recalled, great passages from the Bible and other immortal works recited. There are no sufficient words of praise for the press, the radio and tele vision commentators for their accurate, complete but more over reverent and dignified cov erage of an event tragic and personal to us and them. Many of these reporters and broad- vile us, prays for those who persecute us, and does good to those who hate us. It is the love that loves the enemy as well as the friend—that indeed loves the enemy with a greater love be cause the enemy is more in need of love. THE LOVE OF WHICH Amer ica and the world are in des perate need is the love that will not curse Lee Oswald or Jack Ruby, but instead will ask what were the influences that formed or misformed them, and what can be done to insure that fu ture generations are better served. John F. Kennedy grew up from infancy surrounded and com panioned by love and care and prayer; if he had not, he would not have had the gallantry and gaiety, the laughter and smiles, the generous concern for others that won the affection of mil lions. Jack Ruby and Lee Os wald had no such advantages. Shouting imprecations at the Oswalds and the Rubys is as senseless as yelling at a man with broken legs for not walk ing. What the Rubys and the Os walds need is psychological and spiritual healing, as the person with the fracture needs physical healing. ERECTING MONUMENTS in honor of John F. Kennedy, or naming streets or parks for him, will be of no avail unless we give him the one memorial casters had known the Presi dent personally yet their duty kept them from personal mour ning as they brought the black story to the world. During Ad vent, I would share some of the verses which came to me as I experienced the death of Pre sident Kennedy. First, I thought of the words of Pope John whose life was so unlike and yet so similar to President Kennedy’s. This “other John” said: “All days are good to be born and all days are good to die, and there is no need to worry.” Near the end the late Pontiff said; “We will disappear and our body will be dissolved. But it is our preceeding activity that will count for the life to come.” Just a month before his death, Pope John said: “I have great confidence in the future, but I am ready to go even tonight. My bags are all packed.” This vital man who loved books and ships and sports and family and friends and pa rades and little children, I think would appreciate this poem, too, that he would want—a nation and a world in which there is concern and care and love for everyone of us; and above all for those who, like Oswald and Ruby, are in greatest need. The root cause of tragedies such as President Kennedy’s, assassination is that we do not go—forth -in prayer- and good works to help the Rubys and Os walds to grow up to be like the Jack Kennedys. When Oswald needed a father, there was no one tq. be a father to him. When Ruby was street-fighting his way among the toughs in Chi cago, where was the love and friendly guidance he and they needed? IT IS PATHETIC to think of Oswald seeing himself as the avenger of society’s wrongs, and of Ruby in spirit looking up out of his nightclub to wor ship from afar men who, like John Kennedy, rose to the presi dency because they had the qua lities that Ruby piteously wish ed he had. If only we can see it, love is the answer we seek—love not only for the Rubys and Oswalds, but for those who curse them; love for Negroes striving for their civil rights and for those, too, who are warped by preju dice; love for communists, and love even for those who, in the past few weeks, have lectured us about our guilt. Finally—yes —love for him who has written this. Mind by Amalia Elguera, which was published several years ago in Commonweal. ONE DAY OR NIGHT * ‘One day or night I shall, have ceased: Pain will have ended Or sleep will have had no end. Nothing left but stump of the candle And cinders of the timber that was flesh. But the breath of the sea Shall mist the cornlands once again, And gulls will slowly tilt Towards craft approaching harbor; While far away the day un rolls Vast scrolls of sand: The infinint parchment of the desert, Creased with rocks, and co vered In dust of anthracite and gold.” * * * But most moving of all, I (Continued On Page 5) Blessing For Refugees MIAMI, Fla. (NC)--Pope Paul VI has sent his blessing and a word of encouragement to Cuban families in exile in the United States. Bishop Coleman F. Carroll of Miami was asked to bring the Pontiff’s blessing during an au dience with the Pope, according to the Voice, newspaper of the Miami diocese. The Bishop and aides de scribed for the Pope the condi tions of the nearly 100,000 Cu ban refugees in the Miami area, the paper reported. “He expressed satisfaction in hearing that so great a num ber of Cubans, despite being up rooted from their homeland, are practicing their Faith so well and responding so gratefully to the assistance being render ed them in an alien land,” the paper said. Centennial Baltimore, Md. (NC)—Auxi liary Bishop T. Austin Murphy of Baltimore celebrated a Mass in St. Francis Xavier Church here to mark the 100th anniver sary of the arrival of four Jose- phite Fathers from England to inaugurate the first organized U. S. missionary effort among Negroes. “Singing Nun” NEW YORK (NC)—The Sing ing Nun, Soeur Sourire, will be featured on a national televi sion program Jan. 5. Soeur Sourire (Sister Smile), whose record “Dominique” is the nation’s number one hit and has sold 750,000 copies in seven weeks, will appear on a taped portion of the Ed Sullivan Show, CBS-TV (8-9 p.m. EST). With the permission of the nun’s superior, Sullivan will fly to Belgium Dec. 28 to tape the sequence in the Dominican nuns’ convent at Fichermont. Q. On one of those early morning radio programs last week, an announcer who fre quently talks about the correct pronunciation of words claim ed that the title “Reverend” should never be used alone— like “Hello, Reverend.” He said it was a form of address comparable to “Honorable.” Is he right? I mean: Is it impro per to call a priest “Rever end?” A. Yes, the radio announcer is right. To use “Reverend” as a term of direct address is certainly improper, at least insofar as Catholic usage is concerned. SURELY THIS IS NOT a theo logical question, but simply one of propriety. And it is a point that can readily be checked in a variety of available sources on etiquette or protocol. Thus, ac cording to The Secretary’s Man ual (Taintor and Monro, Mac millan, 1958), “the title Rev erend is an adjective, not a noun, and must, therefore, always be used with a given name or ini tials on the envelope or in writ ing the inside address.” THE PARALLEL between “Reverend” and “Honorable” is well drawn. One would not greet a judge, for example or a governor, simply with the phrase, “Hello, Honorable.” IN FORMAL references, “the” should precede “Rev erend,” e.g. “The Reverend John Jones.” “FATHER” is, of course, the familiar title of address for priests. As such, it can b.e cor rectly employed all by itself Make Reparation LONDON (NC)—A group of Anglican clergy and laymen vis ited Tyburn Convent here (Dec. 10) as an act of reparation for the execution of Catholics at the Tyburn gallows at the time of the Reformation. The group attend ed Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in the convent. Oldest Bishop Dead ROME (NC)—Archbishop Al- vonso Carinci, the Church’s oldest bishop, was buried here (Dec. 9) a month to the day af ter celebrating his 101st birth day. Two days before his burial in the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Pope Paul VI sent a message of condolence to Clemente Cardinal Micara, the Pope’s Vicar General for the City and District of Rome, ex pressing his sorrow at the death of the prelate * ‘for whom Our predecessors and We had such great affection and esteem.” Expects Pope To Meet Orthodox Heads ROME (NC)—A leader of Ca tholic Christians in the Near East said here that he expects Pope Paul VI to have meetings with Orthodox Church heads during his visit to the Holy Land next month. Melkite Rite PartiarchMaxi- mos IV Saigh of Antioch spoke of “the meetings which His Holiness certainly will not fail to have with the heads of the Orthodox Church.” He did not offer any further details. Legate Named VATICAN CITY (NC)—Amle- to Cardinal Cicognani, Papal > Secretary of State, has been named Papal Legate to celebra tions in Tarragona, Spain, marking the arrival of St. Paul in that country 1,900 years ago. (i.e. “Hello, Father”), or with a priest’s first name (“Father John”), or with the full name (“Father John Jones”), or with the last name only (“Father Jones”). On very formal occa- ’ sions, as when introducing, a priest-speaker at a major event, “Father” can be used to gether with “Reverend” (i.e. “Reverend Father John Jones”). “SIR” IS NOT GIVEN as a proper title for a priest in any of the dictionaries, etiquette books or secretary’s manuals we have read of late. Some per sons use “Sir” as a term of respect, no doubt. But even in the business world it can hardly be considered a distinctive title. PROTESTANT AND Jewish clergymen should also be ad dressed properly, of course. A rabbi, for instance, should be given the title, “Rabbi,” both in direct address and in writing. > Some Protestant ministers pre- fer the title “the Reverend” (i.e., “the Reverend John Brown”), whereas others pre fer “The Reverend Mr.” (fol lowed with the name) or simply “Mr.” (again, with the name). In some Episcopalian congre gations, “Father” is used, while among the Lutherans “Pastor” is somewhat com mon. AN EXCELLENT explanation of how and when various cleri cal title are employed is given by Kay Toy Fenner in her American Catholic Etiquette (Newman, 1962), which, we un derstand, is now available in paperback. The Southern Cross P. O. BOX 180. SAVANNAH. GA. Vol. 44 Thursday, December 12, 1963 No. 23 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 First On Your Christmas Shopping List God’s World (By Leo J. Trese) Verses That Come To QUESTION BOX (By David Q. Liptak) /