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I s ¥ PAGE 6—The Southern Cross, December 12, 1963 Race Justice Stressed By National Council PHILADELPHIA (NC)--The sixth General Assembly of the National Council of Churches unanimously approved the broadest racial program in its history and called for a congressional speedup on civil rights. Delegates to the triennial meeting of the church federation urged Congress “to take every step necessary” to pass the civil rights bill. They also called on all Chris tians to write, phone or wire their congressmen asking them to support a discharge peti tion aimed at getting the rights bill out of the House Rules Com mittee. And in their 10-point ra cial justice program, they ad vocated across-the-board de segregation of churches and church institutions, selection of pastors and church workers without regard to race, and ex penditure of church funds only with firms that do not practice discrimination. The dramatic actions on ra cial justice highlighted the meeting that brought together some 5,000 delegates repre senting 31 Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox denominations with 41 million U. S. members. Official Catholic and Jewish observers also attended the convention. Two of the observers, A Ca tholic priest and a Jewish rab bi, hailed the National Council of Churches’ stand on civil rights. Msgr. Daniel Cantwell, chaplain of the Catholic Inter racial Council of Chicago, and Rabbi Irvin Blank, chairman of the Social Action Committee of the Synagogue Council of Amer ica, said they hoped members of their churches would also start a letter-writing campaign to Congress. “The fate of the civil rights bill is of deepest concern and urgency to those of us work ing for racial justice,” said Msgr. Cantwell. The church council moved to implement its civil rights stand by sponsoring a bus trip by some 80 delegates (Dec. 6) to Washington to press indivi dual congressmen for a speed up. Following the close of the convention (Dec. 7), other dele gates returned home by way of the capital city for the same purpose. These efforts went ahead des pite news of assurances by House Rules Committee chair man Rep. Howard W. Smith of Virginia that the Rules unit would act on the civil rights bill in January. The Rev. Robert W. Spike, executive director of the Na tional Council’s Commission on Religion and Race, expressed skepticism and said: “if there > WIRTZ & HERNLEN Established 1904 Dealers in Allis-Chalmers Power Farm Equipment Specializing in All Makes of Farm Equipment, Parts and Service 1765 Milledgeville Road - PA. 2-6529 - Augusta, Ga. A SLUSKY Builders’ Supplies, Inc. Quality Chain Link Fence Residential — industrial FREE ESTIMATES - ERECTION SERVICE 36 MONTHS TO PAY 1009 Broad St. Augusta, Ga. 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The General Assembly reso lution on civil rights legislation said “the eyes of the world are upon the American Congress. “Further delay by the Con gress could undermine the faith of the American people in the capacity of its policical insti tutions to function,” as well as world confidence in this coun try’ s committment of freedom, the resoution said. The 10-point race justice program voted by the General. Assembly urges that: —Every church be open to all, regardless of race. —Pastors and all church workers be selected without regard to race. —Church camps, clubs, con ferences and meetings be op erated on an interracial basis. —Church schools select ma terial pointing up “the Chris tian’s responsibility in the struggle for racial justice.” —Boards, staffs and clientele of church-owned hospitals, homes and welfare agencies be integrated. —All contracts for church construction include fair em ployment practices clauses. —Churches invest funds only in enterprises that have no ra cial discrimination policies. —Churches support Federal, state and local legislation guar anteeing equal rights in voting education, employment, hous ing, public accommodations, and labor unions. —Churches offer moral and financial support to major civ il rights organizations and to religious commissions working for racial justice, and also of fer to work with other religious faiths. —Churches work for * ‘recon ciliation” in communities -di vided by racial issues. The General Assembly’s tra ditional “message to the churches” stressed racial jus tice and the ecumenical move ment. It said Christian Churches now must either “profess or deny Christ’ ’ in their attitude toward racial justice. The message also referred to the “new climate of dia logue” between Catholics, Or thodox and Protestants. It said: “Conscious of the deep divisi veness and wide diversity which mark our several traditions, we thank God that He is leading us to discover ways by which these divisions can be healed and this diversity be brought within wider forms of unity.” One of the five Catholic ob servers described himself as “very impressed” with what he had seen and heard at the meeting. Mrsg. Joseph N. Moody, chairman of the social science department at Ladycliff College in Highland Falls, N.Y., said the assembly had put "tremen dous emphasis.” on racism “as a problem of the time for the church.” Elected president of the Na tional Council of Churches for the next three years was Bish op Reuben H. Mueller, presid ing Bishop of the 748,000-mem ber Evangelical United Breth ren Church. He succeeds a lay man, J. Irwin Miller, of Colum bus, Ind. Among those electdd vice presidents at large was for mer Secretary of Health, Edu cation and Welfare Arthur S. Flemming, president of the- University of Oregon. Lights Constitutional MIAMI, Fla. (NC)—Dade County Attorney Darrey W. Da vis has held that a display of Christmas lights in the form of a cross on the county courthouse is constitutional. Davis said a "reasonablede gree” of government recogni tion of the Christmas season ' ‘does not infringe upon any con stitutional inhibitions.” His ruling was given in re sponse to a request from attor ney Robert Scott Kaufman, who said two of his clients consid ered the cross-shaped Christ mas light display an unconsti tutional attempt to force Chris tianity on non-Christians. County Manager Irving Mc- Nayr said he would be guided by the County Attorney’s opinion and added: “No statement is in order on this kind of foolish ness.” >! Vi C ; CHRISTMAS THEME ON STAMPS—Some 20 nations issue postage stamps with a Christmas theme. One of the most beautiful is a full-color reproduction of Titian’s painting, “The Holy Family,” issued by New Zealand for 1963. It is the fourth successive year the country has thus commemor ated the feast of Christmas. The Vatican City postal de partment has issued a series of Christmas stamps each year since 1959. The current release depicts a Nativity scene with an African background. The United States for the past two years issued Christmas postage stamps, but any religi ous symbolism in the design is banned. Pictured above, the U. S. 1962 stamp depicted the traditional evergreen wreath and flaming tapers. The “Nation’s Christmas Tree” and the White House in the background feature the 1963 stamp. (NC Photos) Bad Legislation. . .U. S. Bishops Congress Approves Bracero Extension WASHINGTON, (NC) — The Senate has approved and sent to President Johnson a one- year extension of the contro versial Mexican farm labor program amid indications that this may be its last lease on life. The Senate approved the ex tension (Dec. 4) by a vote of 50 to 36. The House voted extension Oct. 31 by 173-158. The program, under which Mexican workers callled bra cero s are imported to work on U. S. farms, has long been a target of criticism by church and labor groups. In September the Catholic Bishops’ Committee for Mi-? grant Workers called it “a thoroughly bad piece of legis lation.” Critics of the program claim it exploits the Mexicans and puts American farm work ers at a disadvantage by forc ing them to compete with for eigners who are able to work for lower wages. Although the bracero pro gram has now been extended until Dec. 31, 1964, backers in both houses of Congress in dicated during debae that this would be the last time they would seek its extension. They said they were op posing an immediate cutoff of the program because this would not give farmers time to adjust to its end. Back in May it appeared that the program would die thisyear. That was when the House de feated a proposed two - year extension. Later, however, the Senate voted a one-year extension. But in doing so it adopted amend ments guaranteeing domestic workers the same wage and working benefits given to the Mexicans. This course of action was Solemn Nativity Novena REV. ANDREW DORIS, O.S.B. THUNDERBOLT — Father Andrew O.S.B., of the Sacred Heart Priory in Savannah, will conduct the Annual Solemn Na tivity Novena held at Nativity of Our Lord Church. The Novena will run from Sunday to Sunday, December 15th to December 22nd. Ser vices will be held on Sunday night at 8 p.m., and during the week in conjunction withaMass at 6 p.m. Confessions will be heard each evening one half hour before the Novena Ser vice. urged in the Seante by Sen. Allen J. Ellender of Louisiana. In doing so, Ellender, chair man of the Senate Agriculture Committee which handles le gislation in this area, offered assurances that the program will be permitted to die after 1964. Following the Senate vote, Father James L. Vizzard, S. J., director of the Washington of fice of the National Catholic Welfare Rural Life Conference, urged President Johnson to veto the extension bill. But, Father Vizzard added in a letter to Mr. Johnson, “if you should find circumstances such that you cannot veto this bill, we then respectfully request that you accompany your signa ture with a message to make it unmistakably clear that this is the last time that a bill will be signed.” The NCRLC spokesman also urged that the coming year be fore the expiration of the bra cero program be used to de velop an effective program of recruiting domestic workers. Specifically he asked the Presi dent to support a bill (S. 527) sponsored by Sen. Harrison ‘Williams of New Jersey to create such a recruitment sys tem. Wants Grade Schools To Add 9th Grade PITTSBURGH—The superin tendent of Pittsburgh diocesan schools has advocated estab lishment of district Catholic grade schools and addition of a ninth grade to the existing sys tem to meet the parochial school crisis. In his annual report, Msgr. John B. McDowell also recom mended continued experiments with the shared-time program and opposed abandoning certain grades, as some educators have suggested. Msgr. McDowell referred to the parochial school’s current condition as a “struggle for survival.” He traced the paro chial schools’ plight to govern ment indifference to rights and needs of non-public schools. The present trend, he said, at every level of government is against relief for parents who choose non-public education. He added: "Because of new legis lation, rising educational costs and an attitude of indifference toward the non-public school, the situation is deteriorating.” With regard to addition of a ninth grade, he said this is needed to bring Catholic schools abreast of the public schools’ change to a 6-3-3 system. In this system, the elementary school ends at sixth grade, jun ior high covers the seventh, eighth and ninth grades, and the last three are known as sen ior high school. “For the most part Catholic school educators have ignored this change and have maintained the 8-4 structure,” Msgr. Mc Dowell said. This puts Catholic eighth graders who cannot get into a Catholic high school at a disadvantage, he commented. He declared that junior high school offers specific advantag es in programming. Brunswick Reception Of Novices Third Order Of Mary B RUNS WICK — Ceremon ies for the reception of Novices for the Third Order of Mary, St. Francis Xavier Confrater nity, were conducted by Rev. Andrew A. Walls, S. M., Spiri tual Moderator. Novices knelt at the altar rail and read together the Act of Consecration which was fol lowed by the imposition of the blue cord, worn by tertiaries concealed around the waist. Re ligious names received by those offering themselves are as fol lows: Mrs. Mary Dailey—Sister Mary Anthony (Waycross, Ga.); Miss Lillian Haggerty—Sister Mary Ann; Miss Virginia Mc- Garvey—Sister Mary Cecelia; Mrs. Ann Walker—Sister Mary Beata (Waycross, Ga.). Father John McShane, S. M., Marist Vocational Recruiter, gave the spiritual talk to ter tiaries assembledfor this cere mony. Congratulations were ex tended the four novices and he welcomed them to the largest of the groups which comprise the Society of Mary, the Third Order of Mary which exceeds 18,000 members. During his Sunday Night Bible Study STATESBORO — Every Sun day evening after 7:15 p.m. Benediction there is ‘ ‘Bible Study” at St. Matthew’s in Statesboro. As many as 25 parishioners have taken part in the discus sions. The subject is “Salvation History” and each student has a study outline prepared by Sis ter Magdalen, Glenmary Sister and Superior at Statesboro Convent. The participants have included college students from Georgia Southern andafewnon- Catholics, some tourists and out-of-town visitors. This fi gures, because Statesboro is the self-styled “Tourist City,” where nature smiles and pro gress has the right-of way. Come see us! talk Father McShane referred to the Very Rev. Father Colin, founder of the Society of Mary, who said that the Saints of the Marist family will come from the Third Order of Mary. The business portion of the meeting followed in Xavier Hall conducted by Mr. Joseph Kost, Assistant Rector, attended by Father Paul Burkort, S. M., Pastor, St. Francis Xavier Church. Anticipating the Holy Season of Advent, members chose for themselves a private Novena in preparation of the Feast of the Immaculate Con ception which concluded with a Holy Hour in the Church on December 8. In addition, an Advent Wreath was displayed as a model and appropriate prayers made available so that those who desired could exer cise the devotion attached to the Advent Wreath in preparation for Christ’s birth. New mem bers from Waycross attending their first meeting were: Mrs. Vallie Haywood, Mrs, Ann G. Johnson, and Miss M. Frances Simpson. Father Burkort ad dressed Third Order members by reminding them that Novem ber was the month of All Souls. He referred to the recent death of Mrs. Ruth Hale which oc curred on November 8, 1963. She was the first member of St. Francis Xavier Confraternity to be buried in the habit. Toge ther with others, she had tra veled from Waycross to attend meetings which enabled them to be members of St. Francis Xa vier Confraternity unity which now embraces 44 members. It may be observed here that ele ven tertiaries from Brunswick accompanied Father Walls to Waycross to attend her fun eral services. Father Burkort paid tribute to Miss Margaret JvlcGarvey, first deceased member of the organization whose death occurred approxi mately one year ago, Nov. 26, 1962. The social period which fol lowed provided members an opportunity to honor their Spi ritual Director, Father Walls, who celebrated during the month of November his birthday, his Profession into the Society of Mary — 53 years ago — and his Feast Day. Father John Martell, S. M., Assistant Pas tor, St. Francis Xavier Church, was present for this celebra tion. Mrs. Catherine Lenihan, formerly a member of this parish, now a member of Sacred Heart Parish, Atlanta, and a Third Order member of its Confraternity, was a visitor. a )errtj Christmas Joh in B. i Murray Co. y REALTORS \ Real Estate — General Insurance - Loans — 122 EIGHTH STREET PHONE 722-6673 AUGUSTA, GEORGIA rca Victor TV The BARRIE Mark Series 212-G-72-M 260 sq. in. viewable picture' Fine all-wood console RE. 3-1972 Monte Sano TV And Appliance Company COLOR HEADQUARTERS RCA COLOR TV & RADIO RCA WHIRLPOOL APPLIANCES ALSO ZENITH—GRUNDIG—MOTOROLA 1426 Monte Sano Ave. Augusta Georgia’s Largest Color Dealer THE E. C. ERNST COMPANY INCORPORATED ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS 842 Fenwick Street Augusta, Georgia Telephone 722-8358 Area 404