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N.C.W.C. Statement Part HI—“Love One Another
Fight Against Poverty A Social Challenge
In discussing social meas
ures to relieve or prevent pov
erty, we shall present objec
tives and programs from a re
ligious and moral point of view.
It is not our concern as relig
ious leaders to deal with prob
lems that are purely economic,
political, or technical.
If we are to help the poor to
help themselves, we must above
all be concerned about work.
Avoiding job discrimination is
but one step. It is equally vital
to be sure that work is avail
able and that the poor are edu
cated and trained to do useful
work.
We are heartened at the con
cern of civil authorities, on
every level of government, as
they contemplate this problem.
We pledge to them our full sup
port in an unremitting war ag
ainst poverty. But this struggle,
to be fully successful, must ad
apt itself to the natural patterns
of each community. It must use
the schools, welfare agencies,
and other community activities
that are already doing good work
in combatting ignorance, il
literacy, and demoralization.
These local institutions should
be assisted and supplemented,
whether they be governmental
or private in nature.
In the area of housing, we
ask for sensitivity for the rights
of the poor. Slum clearance and
urban renewal programs are
good in themseves, both as
civic projects and as aid in the
rooting out of poverty.
But let us not approach these
needs merely as engineering
blueprints, ignoring the human
element involved. It is heartless
to uproot hundreds of families in
the name of slum clearance, if
no suitable alternate housing is
available. Indeed, many experts
today counsel us to salvage and
renovate an area, if at all pos
sible, so as to keep intact the
thousands of human contacts
that make life more bearable.
As religious leaders, we hesi
tate to discuss such technical
problems, except that social
scientists themselves have
warned of the moral factors in
volved in such planning.
Our special concern should
be for young persons who lack
the training and opportunity to
secure useful work. Unemploy
ment is tragic at any age, but
lifelong damage can be inflic
ted when the young are unable
to secure worthwhile jobs. Un
doubtedly we must redouble our
efforts to encourage such per
sons to secure adequate train
ing.
We should seriously consid
er the worth of youth camps or
special training projects direc
ted to the need of young adults.
Here we note the insight of
Pope Pius XII, who observed
that society spends millions
because of crime and social
demoralization, when timely
measures of prevention would
have prevented both the person
al tragedy and the social waste.
We note also with concern the
fact that nearly two million
farm families, and hundreds of
thousands of farm workers, are
among the poorest of Ameri
cans. Great religious leaders,
such as the late Pope John
XXIII, have extolled the spiri
tual and moral value of farm
living. But they also asserted
that such values cannot com
pensate for grinding poverty.
Our farming people need dif
ferent types of economic help.
Some can be given the training
and the finances which will en
able them to become self-sup
porting in agriculture. Others
may need at least part-time
employment in industries locat
ed in poorer rural areas. Still
others must seek urban indus
trial work, but they cannot se
cure this without adequate
taining. It is a commonplace
among vocational advisers that
good education pays its costs
many times over in the average
lifetime. Surely oar society can
afford such an investment.
It is not difficult to persuade
a homeowner to repair a leak
ing roof, even when he can ill
afford the cost. He knows that
rain can damage his house and
furnishings irreparably, cost
ing him far more than any pre
ventive repairs. In the same
way, citizens must realize that
urban blight and decay, the
myriads of , evil surrounding
our slums; the effects of de
linquency, vice, and crime; and
the results of human demorali
zation constitute heavy financial
losses to our society, as well as
poignant personal tragedies.
They demand heavy outlays
from tax funds and lead to loss
es in deteriorating property, as
well as the loss of goods and
services that could have been
produced by the unemployment.
What our consciences dictate
as morally right, our economic
,udgment reinforces as socially
profitable.
Yet it would be unfortunate,
even in this area of social ac
tion, were we to confine our ac
tivity solely to approving le
gislation, paying taxes, and con
tributing to organized social
welfare programs. Many Am
ericans have time and energy
which they would willingly con
tribute to the needs of their
fellow men, if they could seethe
chance to do this. There are re-
Missioners’ Ouster Climaxes
Sudan Anti-Christian Drive
Campaign
Began Nine
Years
Ag
o
By John Lebkicher
(N.C.W.C. News Service)
The ouster of all foreign
missionaries from the southern
Sudan, almost completed by that
African nation’s Moslem-domi
nated government, has climax
ed a drive against Christianity
that began even before that
country won its independence
on Jan. 1, 1956.
When the government announ
ced its expulsion order in late
February, it had already de
ported 163 Christian mission
ers, including 113 Catholics. It
then said that 272 more Catho
lics and 28 Protestants were to
follow. More than 200 of these
Catholic priests, Brothers and
Sisters have already left under
the February order. Most of
them were not allowed to take
with them even their personal
belongings.
The Sudan’s nine-year-old
anti-Christian campaign has
been marked not only by the
expulsion of missionaries, but
also by government harassment
of those permitted to remain
for a time. Many were even
arrested and jailed for varying
periods.
Major steps in the drive-in
cluded:
—Nationalization of all the
Church’s approximately 350
mission schools in the south
beginning in 1957.
—Increasingly harsh admin
istrative restrictions on mis
sionary activity during 1959 and
1960.
—Passage of the Missionary
Socieites Act in 1962 which
made virtually all mission ef
forts illegal.
The drive against Chris
tianity was part of the Sudanese
government’s attempt to Isla-
mize the south in what it claim
ed was an effort to achieve na
tional unity.
The Sudan, a nation of about
12 million people living in an
area as large as the U. S. east
of the Mississippi, is sharply
divided between north and south.
The approximately eight mil
lion people of the north are Ara
bic-speaking and overwhel
mingly Moslem. There is a tiny
Christian • minority, including
some 10,000 Catholics. The
southern provinces are pre
dominantly Negro and pagan, but
they have more than 500,000
Christians, of whom over 400,
000 are Catholics.
Southern efforts against en
forced Islamization began be
fore independence when sou
thern troops of the Sudanese
army mutinied in 1955. Since
then there has been continued
strife. An estimated 80,000 to
100,000 southerners have fled to
neighboring countries and
formed an army of liberation.
Others have left their vil
lages to carry on guerilla war-
" fare against the northern troops
stationed in the south, who ac
count for at least half of the
nation’s armed forces.
Southern resistance has flar
ed up into full-scale revolt. In
mid-January there was a major
outbreak in Wau, capital of
Bahr - el - Ghazal province,
which took at least 200 lives.
Southerners suspected of being
in contact with rebels across
the borders are being shot with
out trial. Hundreds of villages
(Continued On Page 3)
BEFORE SUDAN’S ANTI-CHRISTIAN DRIVE - An Italian missionary, priest of the
Sons of the Sacred Heart (Verona Fathers), hears confession in the African bush. The
scene pictured occurred in southern Sudan before the Moslem-dominated government
issued a decree ousting all foreign missionaries, the climax of a nine-year-old anti-
Christian campaign. Predominantly Negro and pagan, the southern provinces have more
than 500,000 Christians, of whom over 400,000 are Catholics. — (NC Photos)
Consecration Of Bell
For Saint Michael’s
SAVANNAH BEACH — The
beautiful bronze bell was chris
tened “Mary, Star of the Sea”
in an impressive and colorful
ceremony at St. Michael’s, Sa
vannah Beach on Sunday, March
15th at noon.
Bishop Thomas J. McDon
ough, after giving Benediction
of the Blessed Sacrament, was
escorted in ecclesiastical pro
cession to the lawn, where the
flower-decked 800 pound bell
rested on a platform.
The ceremonial prayers of
fered by Bishop McDonough, as
he sprinkled the bell with holy
water and washed it, called to
mind the admonition given by
God to Moses ‘ ‘that silver trum
pets should be made by which,
when sounded by the priests at
the time of sacrifice, the people
reminded by their sweet strains
would make ready to worship
and would assemble to offer
sacrifices.”
After the anointing with Sac
red Chrism, the Bishops’ pray
ers invoked God “who by the
sounding of the trumpets before
the Ark of the Covenant caused
to tumble down the stone walls
within which the army of the
enemy was entrenched” to pour
out upon these bells a heavenly
benediction.
The incensing of the bell was
then followed by a prayer which
made mention of Christ awaken
ing to command the winds to
subside.
In the rite, the purpose of the
bell was made clear as a call to
worship and a protector against
hail-storms, hurricanes, tem
pests and threatening thunder.
This protection was provided
immediately, since forecasted
showers and a 63-mile wind
held off until several hours af
ter the ceremony.
In his brief talk, the Bishop
mentioned that this was his first
bell consecration in seventeen
years as a bishop. He pointed
out the prominent place bells
have always held in the life of
the church, particularly the
training-period of the priest.
The European churches always
mark their joy or sadness with
tolling of bells. He remarked
the good fortune of St. Michael's
to be the recipient of Mr. Wil
liam Murphey’s benefaction.
Rt. Rev. Monsignor Andrew
J. McDonald served as master
of ceremonies. The Rev. Kevin
Boland and Herbert Wellmeier
were chaplains to the Bishop.
Rev. John Cuddy was narrator
and Mr. Dennis Hutton recited
various psalms in the vernacu
lar. Mother Angelica, O.S.F.
directed the parochial girl’s
choir. The ceremony concluded
with a startlingly loud clap of
the bell hammer and joy in the
hearts of all parishioners.
Holy Week
Services
The schedule of Holy Week
services at the Cathedral of
St. John the Baptist is print
ed on page 4.
BISHOP THOMAS J. McDONOUGH annoints new bell of St. Michael’s Church, Savannah
Beach in Christening rites last Sunday afternoon. Shown in photo are (1. to r.) Rt. Rev.
Msgr. Andrew J. McDonald, Chancellor; Rev. Kevin Boland of St. John Vianney Minor
Seminary; Bishop McDonough; and Rev. Herbert J. Wellmeier, Pastor of St. Michael’s.—
(Photo by Henry Jackson).
Persecution
By Patrick Riley
(N.C.W.C. News Service)
ROME—The men who led the
Church’s missionaries out of
the southern Sudan tell a tale of
government deceit, subornat
ion of judges and bureaucratic
harassment culminating in the
expulsion of all missioners
Bishop Sisto Mazzoldi, Ap
ostolic Vicar of Juba, and Msgr.
Domenic Ferrara, Apostolic
Prefect of Mopoi, described in
detail the Sudan’s Moslem-
dominated government’s cam
paign against the Church in in
terviews here.
The Sudanese government had
a master plan which sought "to
wear down the missionaries and
;|5- .rid the country not only of
missionaries but of the Church
itself.” Bishop Mazzoldi said.
"From the moment of their
arrival in power, the Arab lea
ders in Khartoum began to im
plement a key policy to weaken
the Church,” Bishop Mazzoldi
explained. “They began through
speeches and through the press
to spread the idea that the Su
dan must be one nation with one
language and one religion.”
He said that the "first heavy
blow against the missioners fell
in 1957 when the government
took our schools.” The second
blow fell soon afterward when
the government began restrict
ing all missionary work to ar
eas where it was already es
tablished.”
He said that the government
document restricting mission
ary work in this way was pub
lished in 1959 but that the pol
icy had begun to take effect
earlier. Bishop Mazzoldi said
that no permissions were given
for the opening of new mission
posts, for construction of new
mission buildings, for the im
portation of new personnel or
even for replacement of mis
sioners who fell ill or died.
"They promised us they would
allow teaching of religion in the
schools they had taken from us.
But they did not keep their
promise.”
However, Bishop Mazzoldi
said, in his area the teaching of
religion was authorized two or
three times a week at first. Then
government officials began ap
pointing teachers of religion in
elementary school.
Frequently they would put a
Protestant teacher In charge of
Catholic pupils and a Catholic
in charge of Protestant chil
dren to teach them religion.
"They knew very well what they
were doing. This resulted in
confusion and resentment,” Bi-
shop Mazzoldi said.
The third blow against mis
sioners, according to Bishop
Mazzoldi, was the restriction of
all activities of the missioners
that did not come under the di
rect heading of religion. Mis
sioners could no longer distri
bute medicines, run trade
schools, sell fruits and other
produce of their gardens, or
grind grain into meal.
"This involved real hardship
for the people,” the Bishop
said. "In many places, mission
ers were the only ones with
medicines and the knowledge
of how to use them. Our mis
sioners had brought orange and
lemon trees to southern Su
dan, and in some places
(Continued On Page 3)
tired persons who wish to be
active and useful. Mothers of
grown children may have time
on their hands. Many of our
teenagers wish to be challenged
with something truly useful in
their leisure time. The spirit
and dedication that character
ized our Peace Corps can also
be used in domestic service
by those who may not be willing
or able to serve abroad.
In emphasizing the need for
social action, we must at the
same time pay deserved tribute
to the many voluntary agencies,
including especially our own
Catholic Charities, which have
devoted so much to the service
of the unfortunate in our so
ciety. Their workers know from
first hand experience the tragic
problems caused by destitution
and demoralization. Their wis
dom and guidance will be inval
uable in any campaign against
poverty.
America has been hailed
throughout the world for its
generosity, its willingness to
come to the aid of those in need.
When there is famine or natur
al disaster, we rush to help,
using both governmental and
private agencies.
Without narrowing our world
wide vision of generosity and
sympathy, let us also turn our
eye to the problems here at
home. Of the early Christians
it was said: "See how these
Christians love one another.”
Can we think of a more fitting
expression of the Christian re
newal being worked out in Va
tican Council II than a tor
rent of concern on our part
for the poor in our midst?
"As long as you have done it
for one of these, the least of
my brethren, you did it for
me.” (Mi:. XXV, 40)
Vol. 44, No. 36
10c Per Copy — $5 A Year
WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
OF THE DIOCESE OF
SAVANNAH
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 1964
SAVANNAH PARADE — Pictured are some of luminaries who attended the St. Patrick’s
Day Parade in Savannah. They are (L. to R.) Mr. Frank Downing, Georgia State Senator
from Chatham County; G. Elliott Hagan, U. S. Representative from Georgia’s First Con
gressional District; Peter Zack Geer, Georgia Lt.-Governor; Most Rev. Francis J.
McSorley, O.M.I. Bishop from the Philippine Islands; Most Rev. Thomas J. McDonough,
Bishop of Savannah; and Mr. Gordon Whelan, Grand Marshal of Savannah’s St. Patrick’s
Day Parade.
On Saint Patrick’s Day
Bishop McDonough Praises
Irish At Hibernian Dinner
SAVANNAH — Perhaps no
where in the United States, out
side of New York, is the Patron
Saint of the Emerald Isle more
honored every March 17th than
on ‘‘Saint Patrick’s Day in Sav
annah.”
This year was no exception
and praise was heaped, in abun
dance, on Ireland and the Irish
at luncheons and banquets all
over this historic seaport town
last Tuesday.
Responding to the toast * ‘The
Day We Celebrate” at the 152nd
annual banquet of the Hibernian
Society of Savannah was the
Most Reverend Thomas J. Mc
Donough, Bishop of Savannah.
Calling the Irish ‘‘the salt of
the earth, giving exquisite fla
vor to every land,” Bishop Mc
Donough felicitated ‘ ‘that noble
progeny - of regal ancestry be
cause every son of Erin has the
blood of kings coursing through
his veins.”
He noted that the religious
faith of the Irish has been pre
served since the missionary ac
tivities of St. Patrick, begun in
432 A.D. in spite of being ‘‘re
peatedly subjected to the cruci
ble of persecution.”
Bishop McDonough credited
Irish Monasteries with a major
share of responsibility for pre
serving the Greek and Latin
languages ‘‘which were be
ginning to pass into desuetude
after the fall of the Roman Em
pire.
‘‘Side by side went spiri
tuality and culture to such an
eminent degree that even to
this day, Ireland is called the
land of Saints and Scholars,”
he said.
The Bishop pointed out that
even though Ireland was under
‘ ‘the tenure of so-called foreign
invaders from 800 A.D. until
the establishment of the Irish
Free State in 1922, her influ
ence has pervaded every cul
ture and penetrated every land.
The wearing of the green has
almost taken on the sacramen
tal character of perpetuity and
universality.”
He characterized the potato
famine of 1845-47 as the‘‘nadir
of Irish history.”
* ‘The future of the Irish was
Pray For Our
Deceased Priests
REV. THOMAS J.
KNOX (U.S.N.)
March 21, 1943
Oh Cod, IVho didst give to
thy servants by their sacredotal
office, a share in the priest
hood of the Apostles, grant,
U'e implore, that they may
also be one of their company
forever in heaven. Through
Christ Our Lord, Amen.
questionable,” he said. ‘‘Pov
erty was unprecedented and the
toll more devastating than a
massive war. . .With great sor
row, they left their homeland to
seek new homes - a new Ireland
wherever they settled.”
"Even in America,” said
Bishop McDonough, ‘‘the Irish
had to prove themselves and the
record attests that they sur
vived the scrutiny of time with
dignity and respectability.”
He praised the constancy of
the Irish, saying, "If any nation
seemed to lack the vitality of
survival, Ireland did. If any
nation was submitted to reli
gious persecution beyond en
durance, Ireland was. If any
nation seemed doomed to obli
teration, Ireland qualified.”
But Ireland neither capitu
lates nor despaired, he said,
and declared that the source of
her constancy is to be found in
St. Patrick, prized by all Irish
men as their patron Saint
and exemplar of tenacity in the
Faith.
‘ ‘The constant vision of this
heroic Apostle has kept Ireland
faithful. Patrick still rules the
Irish people from the town of
Tara; from the top of Croagh
Patrick; from the penitential
asylum of Lough Derg. . .On
the last day the Irish will appear
from the four comers of the
earth. . .Patrick will again be
with them.”