Newspaper Page Text
CADETS assembled for dedication. (Ward Studios)
PROCESSION of Prelates to dedication rites. (Ward Studios)
Vol. 44, No. 43 10c Per Copy — $5 A Year
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, MAY 7, 1964
Seeking Vocations For Diocese
^Bishop McDonough
Arrives In Ireland
Visits to Ireland’s 8 major
seminaries and the secondary
schools of Cork, Ross and
Cloyne will highlight a two week
visit to the Emerald Isle for
His Excellency, Bishop McDon
ough. Bishop McDonough left
for Ireland aboard an Irish
International Airlines Jet from
Kennedy International Airport
in New York on Monday. He
was accompanied by the Rev.
Felix Donnelly, pastor of Sa
cred Heart Church, Augusta.
He landed in Ireland on Tues
day, where he was greeted by
the Most Rev. Dr. Cornelius
Lucey, Bishop of Cork and Ross,
and motored 75 miles to Cork
where Bishop McDonough cele
brated Mass at the Convent of
the North Presentation Sisters.
Presentation Sisters staff Sa
cred Heart School, Warner Rob
ins, Georgia, where Father
Donnelly was once pastor.
During their two week stay,
both Bishop McDonough and
Father Donnelly are guests at
the home of Bishop Lucey.
Bishop McDonough will speak
at secondary (high) schools,
seeking young men and women
willing to dedicate themselves
to the Priesthood and Religious
life in the Savannah Diocese.
He will also visit 8 major
Seminaries, interviewing the 36
students studying for Savannah
and talking to other seminarians
who are interested in serving
the Church in this South Geor
gia Diocese.
The largest group of Savannah
students are studying at All
Hallows, Dublin.
The Bishop will also visit
various convents, outlining the
needs of the Savannah Diocese
for the Sisters and will assist
Bishop Lucey in conferring the
Sacrament of Confirmation at
various churches in the Dio
cese of Cork and Ross.
Bishop McDonough is in Ire
land at the invitation of Bishop
Lucey.
* ‘Bishop Lucey has been more
than kind to Savannah,” said
Bishop McDonough before his
departure. “Not only has he
been willing to allow his semi
narians to offer themselves for
service in our Diocese, but he
has actively encouraged them
to make the sacrifices nec
essary to leave their families
and homeland to work in a mis
sion diocese, so short on
priests.
* ‘In conferences with his own
clergy, he has been most zea-
\ lous in acquainting them with
ljur needs and urging them to
do whatever they can to help
alleviate them.
' ‘I hope our people are con
scious of the great debt they owe
A Lawyer
This is the first in a series
of three articles analyzing im
plications which stem from a
proposal to amend the Consti
tution to permit prayer and Bi
ble reading in public schools.
The series has been prepared
for the Catholic press by
George E. Reed, associate di
rector of the Legal Department
of the National Catholic Wel
fare Conference, who is an
authority on the question of
Church-State relations in con
stitutional law.
. * # *
By George E. Reed
(N.C.W.C. News Service)
A proposal to amend the Con
stitution to permit prayer and
Bible reading in public schools
has become the subject of
sharply divided debate in Con
gressional hearings.
The * ‘prayer amendment,” as
it is commonly called, has much
popular appeal. But it also
raises difficult constitutional
problems.
to Bishop Lucey and that they
will repay that debt in the best
way possible—by their prayers
of gratitude.”
Looks At
These problems are now
being exposed and discussed by
the House Committee on the
Judiciary. The committee
actually has 147 resolutions
before it. They reflect about 35
different forms of amendment
to nullify the Supreme Court’s
1962 and 1963 decisions.
But most testimony has cen
tered on H. J. Res. 693, spon
sored by Rep. Frank J. Becker
of New York. Becker has cam
paigned vigorously for action on
his proposal, including an ef
fort to have the House take it
out of the hands of the Judi
ciary Committee.
The Becker amendment has
three major sections. These
are:
‘ ‘Nothing in this Constitution
shall be deemed to prohibit the
offering, reading from, or list
ening to prayers or biblical
scriptures, if participations
therein is on a voluntary ba
sis, in any governmental or pub
lic school, institution or place.
DEPARTS FOR IRELAND—Bishop McDonough is pictured
just prior to his boarding train in Savannah for New York
City and flight to Ireland. Monsignor McDonald, Savan
nah Chancellor, is pictured with Bishop.
Bishop Calls Priory, School:
66 A Tribute To The Past-
Answer To Today’s Needs”
“An eloquent testimony to the educational influence of the
Benedictine Fathers upon the young men of Savannah.. .a tribute
to the past, an answer to the needs of today and the vibrant hope
of tomorrow,” said the Most Rev. Thomas J. McDonough,
Bishop of Savannah, in describing the newly constructed Sacred
Heart Priory and Benedictine Military School at dedicatory rites
last Thursday morning, April 30.
An audience of several hun
dred including many of the city’s
clergy and religious looked on
as three Bishops and three Ab
bots participated in the color
ful procession from the Priory
to the huge outdoor stage in
front of the school gymnasium
where Bishop McDonough inton
ed the first prayers of the de
dication exercises.
The other prelates taking part
were the Most Rev. Vincent S.
Waters, D. D., Bishop of Ral
eigh, N. C.; the Most Rev. Fran
cis F. Reh, S.T.L., J.C.D.,
Bishop of Charleston, S. C.;
the Rt. Rev. Walter A. Coggin,
O.S.B., Abbot-Ordinary of Bel
mont Abbey, N. C.; the Rt.Rev.
Philip Berning, O.S.B., Abbot
of St. Gregory’s Abbey, Shaw
nee, Oklahoma: the Rt. Rev.
Dom M. Augustine Moore,
O.C.S.O. , Abbot of the Trappist
Monastery of the Holy Ghost,
Conyers, Ga.; the Rt. Rev. Dom
M. Anthony Chassagne,
O.C.S.O., Abbot of the Trappist
Abbey of Our Lady of Mepkin,
Moncks Corner, S. C.; and the
Rt. Rev. Gregory Roettger,
O.S.B., Apostolic Administra
tor of St. Procopius Abbey,
Lisle, Ill.
The three Bishops and Abbot
Walter each went to a different
building on the sprawling cam
pus for the blessing.
During the blessing of thefa-
PRAY FOR OUR
PRIESTLY DEAD
REV. JAMES M.
O’BRIEN
May 11, 1900
Oh God, JVho didst give to
thy servants by their sacredotal
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.
cilities the Rev. John Cuddy,
Diocesan Superintendent of
schools gave a running com
mentary on the ceremonies.
Bishop McDonough then de
livered an address noting that
the Catholic School system of
the United States is more than a
century old and, in reference to
a charge sometimes leveled at
non-public schools, declared
that “they are not intended to
be divisive, un-American or
non-conforming to our Ameri
can way of life” but were devel
oped by American Bishops “in
order to preserve for our chil
dren a love of God and a love of
country.”
He referred to "the ecumeni
cal spirit” that has existed at
the Benedictine school from its
beginning and said, “Young men
of Savannah, Catholics, Protes
tants and Jews, have worked
side by side in building up ideals
which have defied the ravages
of time.”
Bishop McDonough also paid
tribute to the founder of the
Benedictine Order whose motto
was “That in all things God may
be glorified” and said that St.
Benedict has bequeathed to his
spiritual sons “the unique and
distinctive gift of excelling in
the field of education.
Calling the new Priory and
school the translation of “a
dream into reality” he express
ed “the hope and prayer that the
blessings of the past sixty-two
years will multiply a thousand
fold.”
At a luncheon for the clergy,
which followed the dedication,
the Very Rev. Bede Lightner,
Prior of the Savannah Benedic
tines said the new facilities
were the "embodiment of the
prayers, hopes, dreams and
highest aspirations of many
good and holy men who have
gone before us, and we trust
that in the goodness of Almighty
God they share our great joy
with us today.”
Prayer Amendment
’ ‘Nothing in this Constitution
shall be deemed to prohibit ma
king reference to belief in, re
liance upon, or invoking the
aid of God or a Supreme Be
ing in any governmental or pub
lic document, proceeding, acti
vity, ceremony, school, institu
tion or place, or upon any coin
age, currency or obligation of
the United States.
' ‘Nothing in this article shall
constitute an establishment of
religion.”
A great deal of popular sup
port has been mustered for the
prayer amendment. This would
be expected, particularly in the
wake of the Supreme Court de
cisions which made many citi
zens irate. Besides, who could
possibly be opposed to prayer?
The hearings, however, are
throwing a more penetrating
light on the proposed amend
ment. Serious and difficult con
stitutional questions are emer
ging. There are, for example,
problem s of non-denomination-
al prayer in a pluralistic so
ciety and the rights of parents
regarding the education of their
children.
The proposed amendment
does not apply to any specific
provision of the Constitution.
Some contend that it would su
persede anything in the Federal
Constitution so that there would
be no basis for eliminating
prayer from public schools or
public life. Others wonder if
parts of the Constitution would
have to be repealed and the new
provision substituted. There is
no consensus among commit
tee members.
A major question is this;
how would the proposal affect
the language of the First
Amendment, which pertains to
the “establishment of reli
gion’’?
The Supreme Court has de
clared that recitation of prayer
and reading of Bible verses vio
late the * ‘establishment” clause
(Continued on Page 3)
BISHOP THOMAS J. McDONOUGH is pictured blessing the Academic Building of the
new Benedictine Military School, Savannah. Chaplains to the Bishop are the Very Rev
erend Christopher Johann, O.S.B., and the Reverend Terence Kernan, O.S.B. To the right
is Monsignor Andrew J. McDonald, Savannah Chancellor. — (Ward Studios)
Civic Reception
City, County Officials
Praise New Benedictine
Savannah and Chatham Coun
ty officials paid tribute to the
new Benedictine Military School
campus at a civic reception held
Thursday night, April 30, which
climaxed dedication ceremon
ies for the new facilities.
Savannah Mayor Malcom
Maclean and Judge Robert F.
Lovett, Chairman of the Chat
ham County Commissioners
both predicted a future of con
tinued community service and
leadership on the part of Ben
edictine Alumni.
Said Maclean, “At a school
such as Benedictine, the oppor
tunity to achieve an education is
presented. This school has
the history to back up this op
portunity.”
He said the newly dedicated
buildings will make the task
easier for teachers as well as
students and that “the result
will be more men . . . devoted
to God and country to help Sa
vannah realize its full poten
tial.”
Other speakers at the re
ception were the Most Rev.
Thomas J. McDonough, the Very
Rev. Bede Lightner, O.S.B.,
Prior of Sacred Heart Priory;
and the Rev. Christopher
Johann, O.S.B., Benedictine
Principal.
“We dedicate the new Ben
edictine to end fear in all its
forms,” said Father Chris
topher, promising that the
school would continue its ef
forts to train students so that
they might know how to make
well founded choices through
out life.
“This kind of education can be
the means to end fear and
strife.” he said.
A musical program for the
reception was provided by the
Chorale of St. Vincent’s Acad
emy, under the direction of
Mrs. Joseph C. Schreck.
STUDENT NURSE Louise Paulson appears flabbergasted at the number of ' ‘take out
orders” to be packed for the annual shrimp supper to be held at Savannah’s old Bene
dictine Armory Friday, May 8, for the benefit of the St. Joseph’s Hospital Student Nur
ses Organization. Student Nurse Clara Patterson (left) looks as though she has them all
counted.