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“One-Fifth Of Our Citizens Are In Want”
Christian Answer To Poverty In U. S.
The following is the first of
three installments of the text of
a statement issued by the So
cial Action Department of the
National Catholic Welfare Con
ference on aid to the impover
ished of the United States. Full
text will be carried over a
three-week period.
While the problem of poverty
is as old as mankind, citizens
of the United States have spe
cial reasons to be concerned
over its prevalence here. We
are considered to be the weal
thiest nation in the world, yet
one-fifth of our citizens are in
want. We are compelled to spend
billions for armament, although
slums and blight disfigure our
cities and countryside alike.
As a matter of conscience
the American people offer aid
to developing and impoverished
nations around the world. Such
generosity is good, but it should
not blind us to needs here at
home. From our abundance we
are able to give generously, both
in distant lands and within our
borders.
Our response should be from
the heart, but it must not be
purely emotional in nature.
Sound programs will endure to
the extent that they are based
upon principle rather than feel
ing. To aid in forming lasting
convictions, the Social Action
Department of the National Ca
tholic Welfare Conference
offers the following considera
tions on the Christian view of
poverty, our personal response
to this challenge, and the func
tion of society as it confronts
the problem of want in the midst
of plenty.
* * *
I. THE CHURCH AND
POVERTY
There is paradox in the
Christian teaching on poverty.
The Holy Gospels teach us to
respect poverty, but they also
oblige us to help the poor in
their misery. Our Lord called
the poor blessed. He asked His
followers to sell what they had
and follow Him, advice that was
followed literally by the first
Christians. Jesus Christ could
say that He had not wheron to
lay His head, and He was bur
ied in another man’s tomb. St.
Paul described the followers of
Christ as the poor and the pow
erless:
* ‘Consider your own call,
brethren; that there were not
many wise according to the
flesh, not many mighty, not many
noble. But the foolish things of
the world has God chosen to put
to shame the wise, and the weak
things of the world has God
chosen to put to shame the
strong, and the base things of
the world and the despised has
God chosen, and the things that
are not, to bring to naught the
things that are; lest any flesh
should pride itself before him.”
(1 Cor. I, 26-29).
St. James could say: “Has
not God chosen the poor of this
world to be rich in faith and
heirs of the kingdom which God
has promised to those who love
him.” (James II, 5) The min
isters of God were described
as “poor, yet enriching many,
as having nothing, yet possess
ing all things.” (II Cor., VI,
10). This was but a reflection
of the life of the Master, ' 'be
ing rich, he became poor for
your sakes, that by his poverty
you might become rich.” (II]
Cor. VIII, 9)
The Church has been interes
ted in the poor primarily
because it sees every person as
a child of God. While the world
honors power, wealth, and ach
ievement, the follower of Christ
insists upon the moral worth
of those who are neglected and
even despised.
He does not use worldly stan
dards in judging personal ex
cellence. A Saint Francis could
cast aside his clothes as a sym
bol of complete freedom from
worldly attachment. A Saint
Vincent de Paul could devote
his life to the destitute and the
oppressed. A Saint Camillus
could wash the sores of the
abandoned sick. All these have
been honored because their love
of God led them to cast their lot
with the least of Christ’s bre
thren.
The Church has endorsed
poverty by demanding it from
those who have entered the sol
emn religious life. These give
up the right to use and dispose
of worldly goods. They do this,
not because the world that God
made is evil, but in order to cut
their ties to all that might turn
their gaze from God and lead
them to concentrate on the pass
ing and corruptible.
Yet, and herein lies the para
dox of the Christian teaching on
poverty, the Church also speaks
of a form of poverty that hurts
the soul, something totally dif
ferent from religious de
tachment from worldly goods.
There Is a destitution that binds
men to this earth, since it forc
es them to use every waking mo
ment to keep body and soul to
gether. There is want that
breeds bitterness and resent
ment, even hatred.
Pope Pius XII, in his Christ
mas Message of 1952, talked
“of the consequences of pov
erty, still more of the conse
quences of utter destitution. For
some families there is a dying
daily, a dying hourly; a dying
multiplied, especially for par
ents, by the number of dear ones
they behold suffering and wast
ing away . . . sickness becomes
more serious, because it is not
properly treated; it strikes lit
tle ones in particular, because
preventive measures are lack
ing.”
* ‘Then there is the weaken
ing and consequent physical de
terioration of whole genera
tions. Whole masses of the pop
ulation are brought up as enem
ies of law and order, so many
poor girls gone astray, pushed
down into the bottom of the
abyss, because they believed
that that was the only way out
of their shameful poverty.
* ‘Moreover, not rare is the
case where it is wretched mis
ery that leads to crime. Those
(Continued on Page 2)
Vol. 44, No. 34
10c Per Copy — $5 A Year
WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
OF THE DIOCESE OF
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 1964
In Savannah Lecture
Divorce Laws Blamed
For Broken Marriages
SAVANNAH — "Nothing has
done more harm to the concept
of permanency in marriage than
the lax manner in which civil
law treats the contract of mar
riage and its dissolution,”
charged Monsignor Andrew J.
McDonald, Savannah Chancellor
in an address here last week.
Monsignor McDonald was the
last speaker in a six-week se
ries of lectures on "Reform and
Reunion Among Christians”
sponsored by the Diocese of
Savannah.
His talk, entitled “The
Church and Matrimony” was
delivered Thursday, February
27 at Cathedral Day School
auditorium.
“Marriage is a true con-,
tract,” he said, "freely enter
ed into by a man and women who
are free to do so. It is a true
and binding bargain, sealed by
mutual consent.
"However, unlike other con
tracts, in which terms are nego
tiated and agreed to by the con
tracting parties, the terms of
the marriage contract are de
termined by God, the author of
this sacred institution.
“Those terms are Children,
Fidelity, and Permanency,” he
said.
The Savannah Chancellor said
that, although various factors
can contribute to bad marria
ges "my experience convinces
me that the principal cause is
a lack of knowledge concerning
the nature of the marriage con
tract.
"No one would think of enter
ing into an agreement to buy a
car or house without first read
ing, very carefully, every word
of the agreement. No one would
think of entering a business con
tract without a full understand
ing of its nature and terms.
Yet, people enter the most im
portant contract of their lives,
one which completely alters
their state in life, blindly, with
out knowledge of the responsi
bilities it places on them.
"The reasons for this lack of
•knowledge are many,” he said.
Sometimes it is due to poor ex
ample on the part of their par
ents, or to defective education.
Certainly the image of marriage
as It is presented in books,
magazines, films and television
have done little to encourage a
proper concept of this holy un
ion.
But the principal blame for
growing irresponsibility toward
the marriage contract must be
borne by the laxity of civil laws
governing its dissolution, he
said.
Every marriage is a true con
tract, Monsignor McDonald
said, but "Jesus Christ raised
marriage between baptized
^ Christians to the dignity of a
Sacrament, conferring upon
those who receive it the help of
God, Himself, to shoulder suc
cessfully every responsibility it
imposes.
"He ennobles and sanctifies
their union so that when they are
united in love with one another,
both are united with Him.”
Happiness in marriage does
not preclude suffering and hard
ship, he said, but difficulty is
permitted by God to help hus
bands and wives shed their sel
fishness. "They can help to weld
husband and wife so that they
are ‘one in mind, one in heart
and one in affections.”
One of God’s greatest gifts
to married people is a share in
His own great power of creation,
he said.
"Children are not accidents
of nature, but gifts from God,
Who creates directly each and
(Continued on Page 2)
At Douglas
Bishop Dedicates
New Parish Hall
DOUGLAS — Bishop Thomas
J. McDonough dedicated the new
Parish Hall and Catechetical
Center for St. Paul’s parish
on the evening of February
25th.
The new structure contains
four classrooms, an auditor
ium and kitchen facilities.
His Excellency blessed the
new building and offered Ben
ediction of the Most Blessed
Sacrament at which time he
addressed the more than two
hundred assembled for the
ceremonies.
Among the visiting priests
were Rt. Rev. Msgr. Andrew
J. McDonald, Chancellor of the
Diocese, the Rt. Rev. Msgr.
Daniel J. Bourke, V.F., pastor
of St. Mary’s on-the-Hill, Au
gusta, and the Very Rev. Wil
liam Ryan, O.M.I., Provincial
of the Eastern Province of the
Oblates of Mary Immaculate.
Monsignor Bourke, who ser
ved as an assistant at St. Paul's
twenty-five years ago spoke
following a supper held in the
new Hall. Monsignor recalled
the parish as he remembered it,
when it was a part of the Cen
tral Georgia Missions, served
by priests stationed at Albany.
tendance in addition to those
mentioned above were:
Reverend Gerard Moran
O.M.I., former pastor, now at
Sacred Heart Church, Prince
ton, W. Va.; Reverend Wil
liam Daly, O.M.I. and Reverend
Raymond Crowe, O.M.I., sta
tioned at Saint Paul’s;Reverend
Paul A. Powers, O.F.M. and Re
verend Lucian T. Furey,
O.F.M., St. Augustine’s, Tho
rn asville; Reverend William
Lynch, O.M.I., St. Anne’s,
Fayetteville, N. C.J Reverend
William McBennett, O.M.I.,
Saint Patrick’s, Fayetteville,
N.C.; Reverend Edward Ran
dall, O.M.I., St. Jude’s parish,
Sumter, S. C.; Reverend Her
bert J. Wellmeier, St. Mi
chael’ s Church, Savannah
Beach; Reverend Lawrence Lu-
cree, Assistant Cathedral of St.
John the Baptist, Savannah;
Reverend William P. Dowling,
Our Lady of Lourdes Church,
Columbus; Reverend Edward
Kelley, S.M., St. Joseph’s
Church, Waycross; Reverend
John Murphy, O.M.I. and Rev
erend Alfred Watts, O.M.I
Queen of Peace Church, Lake
land.
Also present were the Fran-
DOUGLAS DEDICATION - Bishop Thomas J. McDonough is pictured as he addressed
the more than 200 gathered for the recent dedication at Douglas. The Very Rev. William
Ryan, O.M.I. is to the Bishop’s left. At the right is the Rev. Gerard Moran, O.M.I.
Architect for the new building CiSiian Sisters ot the Atonement
from Douglas and the Sisters of
the Third Order Regular of St.
Francis from Waycross and
35,000 Refugees Flee Pakistan
was Benjamin P. Ritzert of Sa
vannah. Construction was by the
Jones Construction Company of
Tifton.
The buffet supper was serv
ed by the ladies of the parish
and missions.
Members of the clergy in at
A RAIN-SOAKED overflow audience heard the Rt. Rev. Msgr. Andrew J. McDonald
deliver the last of a series of six weekly lectures on "Reform and Reunion among
Christians” at the Cathedral Day School Auditorium Thursday, Feb. 27. Monsignor’s
talk was entitled "The Church and Matrimony.” Series was sponsored by the Svannah
diocese under the direction of Bishop Thomas J. McDonough.
Cardinal Explains Boycott
Opposition, Offers Program
BOSTON, (NC) — Richard
Cardinal Cushing, in a state
ment addressed to comedian
Dick Gregory, has explained his
opposition to school boycotts
sponsored by civil rights
groups.
The Archbishop of Boston
said he thought neighborhood
and living conditions are a far
more pressing challenge to soc
ial justice than racially im
balanced schools, although he
Pray For Our
Deceased Priests
REV. ROBERT F. KENNEDY
March 12, 1930
Oh Cod, fVho didst give to
thy servants by their sacredotn1
office, a share in the Priest*
hood of the Apostles, grant,
we implore, that they may
also be one of their company
forever in heaven. Through
Christ Our Lord, Amen.
said these must receive
"prompt attention.”
He proposed (Feb. 28) a spe
cial program of late afternoon
or early evening study halls
where school children in under
privileged areas could do their
homework, enjoy wholesome
recreational facilities and, if
need be, get "a good hot sup
per.”
The Cardinal maintained that
the home "is the first and
foremost classroom,” but he
said that bad home conditions
in some areas keep children
from doing their home study.
"Crowded, inferior living
quarters, unemployed fathers,
shattered families, distressed
neighborhoods — these do not
conduce to a full and harmonious
education, no matter what the
formal advantage of schooling,”
the Cardinal wrote.
The Cardinal addressed his
statement to Dick Gregory, a
Negro comedian who has thrown
himself into the civil rights pro
test movement, especially in
the South.
Cardinal Cushing, who pub
licly opposed the school boy
cott here (Feb. 26) which kept
9,000 children out of school in
protest against de facto segre
gation, noted that Gregory ex
pressed disappointment with his
position.
Gregory said of the Cardinal
at a press conference: "If I had
to vote for one man to give the
whole world justice, I .would
have voted for him."
In a "Dear Dick” reply, the
Cardinal praised the comedian
for "his willingness to sacri
fice and suffer for his belief in
the dignity of human beings.
He explained that he opposed
the boycott because he believes
such demonstrations call atten
tion to themselves and not the
problem which prompted them;
that they throw "emotional ob-
(Continued on Page 2)
Lakeland.
U.S. Bishops
WASHINGTON (NC)—
Pope paul VI has named two
new U. S. Bishops according
to an announcement by the
Apostolic Delegate, here.
Msgr. Thomas A. Donnel-
lan, Rector of St. Joseph’s
Seminary, Dunwoodie, Yon
kers, has been named Bi
shop of Ogdensburg.
Msgr. Vincent M. Leo
nard, Vicar General and
Chancellor of the Diocese of
Pittsburgh has been named
auxiliary to Bishop Wright of
Pittsburgh.
TURA, India (NC)—Some
35,000 Christian refugees from
Pakistan have arrived in India
claiming they had to flee their
country because of religious in
tolerance and economic pres
sure by its Moslem majority.
About 20,000 of the refugees
are Catholics. The rest are
mainly Baptists. Some esti
mates put the total number of
refugees as high as 65,000.
The Christian exodus is tak
ing place along the heavily-
populated border area between
the Myemsingh District of East
Pakistan and the Garo Hills of.
northeastern India’s Assam
state.
Most refugees are land-
owners who reported that they
were driven from their homes
by armed Moslems who took
their cattle and their crops.
Their flight follows religious
riots in East Pakistan between
Moslems and Hindus in Jan-
John J, Gleason To
Mark 95th Birthday
uary during which a U. S. priest
— Father Richard Novak,
C.S.C., of Johnstown, Pa. —
was killed.
The refugees belong mainly
to the Garo tribe, which inhabits
both sides of the 100-mile-long
frontier region.
(In Pakistan, Communica
tions Minister Abdus Sabur
Khan denied (Feb. 25) that there
had been a mass departure of
Christians from his nation. In
an interview in Karachi, West
Pakistan, he said reports on the
number of refugees were ex
aggerated and false. He accused
India of using unfair methods to’
stimulate the emigration of mi
nority groups from East Pakis
tan.
(But reports from Catholic
missioners in the East Pakistan
border area stated that depar
tures have been heavy from'
their seven major mission sta
tions there. All Catholics, they
said, have left one mission. An
other mission has lost-four-
fifths of its people. Still another
has lost one-half. In one mis
sion, there have been no depar
tures, but missionaries report
ed that the people there are
getting ready to flee.
(Meanwhile, Pakistan’s For
eign Minister Z. A. Bhutto said
in Dacca, capital of East Pakis
tan, that about 10,000Christians
had fled to the Garo Hills. He
declared that Pakistan wants
them to return. He denied what
he called a "malicious story"
from India that 50,000 Chris
tian tribesmen had crossed the
frontier because of Moslem
persecution).
In the Indian capital of New
Delhi, Primie Minister Jawa-
harlal Nehru charged (Feb. 26)
that two children had been killed
and 11 persons injured by Pak
istani troops “in a barbarous
act of indiscriminate firing" on
refugees. Earlier (Feb. 13) the
Indian Foreign Affairs Ministry
said in a note that the shootings
were "cold-blooded murder”
and urged Pakistan "to put an
immediate halt to these acts."
It called on Pakistan to punish
those responsible for the shoot
ings. Some refugees reported
that as many as 300 people were
killed in the incidents.
Assam state authorities, who
have set up 10 camps for the
(Continued on Page 2)
SAVANNAH — Mr. John J.
Gleason, K.S.G. will observe his
95th birthday on Sunday, March
8 th.
His Excellency the Most Rev
erend Thomas J. McDonough,
Bishop of Savannah, will offer
a special Mass to mark the
occasion at Mr. Gleason’s
home.
Present for the observance
will be Mr. Gleason’s daugh
ter, Sister Lillian, of the Con
gregation of the Holy Cross.
Sister Lillian is a member of
the faculty of Saint Mary’s Col
lege, Notre Dame, Indiana.
For many years Mr. Gleason
served as vice-president of St.
Mary’s Home, and had served
as president until in order to
comply with Cannon Law, the
Bishop of Savannah assumed the
presidency.
A life-long resident of Savan
nah, Mr. Gleason was for more
than half a century prominently
identified with the cotton busi
ness here. He retired in 1945.
For more than a quarter of a
century the major portion of Mr.
Gleason’s time away from busi
ness, and much of histimedur-
ing business hours, was devoted
to working in the interest of the
Sisters of Mercy and the girls
they care for at St. Mary’s
Home.
In 1938, his work for St. Ma
ry’s Home was recognized by
His Holiness Pope Pius XI, who
conferred on him the honor of
Knighthood in the Order of St.
Gregory the Great.
Open House
Open House will beheld by parishes throughout the diocese
from 3 to 5 p.m. either on Sunday, March 8th, or on Sunday,
April 26th.
Purpose of the open house is to enable visitors to ob
tain a fuller understanding of the Church.
Members of the various parishes will be stationed at points
throughout in the church and will give an explanation of var
ious rituals and appointments of the church.
Sacred vessels, vestments, and altar appointments will be
displayed and their use and meaning explained. The confes
sional and baptismal font, will be shown and an explanation
given of the Mass and other Catholic devotions including
the stations of the cross and the rosary.
MR. JOHN J. GLEASON, who will celebrate his 95th
birthday Sunday, is pictured on his 93rd birthday with his
daughter Sister Lillian. -- (Photo courtesy Savannah News-
Press)