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House Hearings Spotlight U. S. Religious Pluralism
(This is the second 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 director of
the Legal Department of the
National Catholic Welfare Con
ference, who is an authority on
the question of Church-State re
lations in constitutional law)
By George E. Reed
(N.C.W.C. News Service)
“Let us return to the status
quo before June, 1962.”
This is the theme of many
persons testifying before the
House Judiciary Committee in
favor of a proposed constitu
tional amendment to negate the
1962 and 1963 decisions of the
U. S. Supreme Court against
prayer and Bible reading in
public schools.
Like many slogans and facile
phrases, the current one loses
much of its thrust when care
fully scrutinized and when put
into historical perspective.
The House hearings are dis
closing a deep and significant
change in the historic reli
gious-cultural pattern of the
United States.
Many witnesses have testi
fied to the historical fact that
the reading of verses from the
Bible and recitation of prayer
in public schools rooms are a
product of the Protestant cul
ture which dominated our edu
cational institutions and Ameri
can society in general during
the 19th century.
The First Amendment of the
Federal Constitution did not af
fect growth of religious exer
cises in schools because during
this period the amendment was
not considered applicable to the
actions of a state. It was sole
ly a limitation on action by the
Federal government.
The religious practices in
the schools, therefore, were a
reflection of dominant Protes
tant attitudes rather than an
implicit interpretation or con
struction of the First Amend
ment.
Because of this, for example,
Catholic children who were
required to participate in sec
tarian prayers and practices
could not appeal through their
parents to the Federal courts.
Their only recourse was the
Vol. 44, No. 44
10c Per Copy — $5 A Year
WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
OF THE DIOCESE OF
SAVANNAH
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1964
ACCORDING TO THE MARONITE LITURGY—Twenty-one priests of the Maronite Rite
gathered around the “Mary Altar” in Washington’s National Shrine of the Immaculate
Ccnception, May 3, to concelebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to the Maro
nite Liturgy in Arabic and Syriac. Auxiliary Maronite Bishop Francis Zayek, of Brazil;
Father Robert Jshaheen of Danbury, Conn., the Maronite priest he ordained the previous
day there, and Father Elias El Hayek, rector of the Maronite Seminary, Washington, and
other priests of that rite are shown on that happy occasion. (NC Photos)
Moral Family Planning
‘Pill’ Near, Cardinal Says
BOSTON (NC) — Science is
very close to perfecting a “pill”
which may be used for family
planning with the approval of the
Church, Leo Cardinal Suenens
said here.
Cardinal Suenens, Archbis
hop of Malines-Brussels, Bel
gium, told reporters at a press
conference that the Church can
not be expected to change her
doctrine on birth control. “But
this unchanging doctrine must
{ be applied to a new situation,”
he added.
At present, he noted, popula
tion increase threatens to be
come a major problem, and at
the same time medical research
is coming very close to finding
a pill which will make it very
easy for married couples to
plan their families without vio
lating the teachings of the
Church.
Asked about the controver
sial article on the ‘ ‘pill’ ’ written
and published in his diocese by
Father Louis Janssens, Cardi
nal Suenens said that he has
given the priest “liberty of re
search in order to clarify the
problem.”
(Father Janssens, a profes
sor of moral theology at the
Catholic University of Louvain,
suggested that the new proges
terone steroids—drugs which
suppress ovulation and thus
make conception impossible —
may be moral means of birth
regulation. This view contra
dicts the opinions of most Ca
tholic moral theologians who
have written on the ^subject.
Father Janssens’ article came
under fire from a number of
prominent U. S. moralists.)
Cardinal Suenens, comment
ing on the issue, said there are
“really two questions invol
ved.”
“One is medical, the other
moral,” he said. “Medically,
the question is whether the pill
in question is a direct sterili
zing agent or whether it mere
ly regularizes natural func
tions, so that a woman will
know, three or four days in
advance, when she is able to
conceive a child. The moral
answer depends on the medical
answer. Naturally, we cannot
accept direct sterilization, but
I am told that a pill will be
available very soon that avoids
this.”
In other statements at his
press conference, Cardinal
(Continued on Page 3)
Father Stranc To Conduct
Cana Conference At
Savannah, May 17th
The Reverend Joseph L.
Stranc, member of St. John Vi-
anney Minor Seminary faculty,
will conduct the annual Cana
Conference for Married Cou
ples of the Savannah area on
Sunday, May 17th.
Sponsored by the Savannah
Knights of Columbus, the Cana
Conference will be held at St.
Mary’s Home beginning at two
p.m.
The conference is under the
joint chairmanship of the Right
Reverend Monsignor Andrew J.
McDonald, council chaplain and
Phil Roach, Sr., Catholic Acti-
state courts which, with a few
exceptions, declined to enforce
the rights asserted by Catholic
parents.
Furthermore, as protests
against religious practices in
public schools mounted, the
states, at the turn of the cen
tury, began enacting laws to
protect Bible reading. The his
torically dominant Protestant
cultural tradition was thus
translated into law in many
states.
This was a paradoxical de
velopment since at the same
time the culture that gave rise
to this tradition was losing its
prominence and religious plu
ralism was gaining ascendancy.
This important social change
coincided with a revolution in
constitutional law which result
ed in the extension of the First
Amendment and the principles
embodied in the Bill of Rights
to state action. Since the 1930’s
the First Amendment has ser
ved as a limitation on state
as well as Federal action.
There were, therefore, two
new factors affecting Ameri
can life—a different culture,
pluralistic in nautre, and a new
body of applicable law.
The Supreme Court decisions
were made against this back
ground and the court applied the
First amendment to this new
social condition.
In ruling out prayer and Bi
ble reading as devotional ex
ercises, the court endeavored,
though awkwardly, to react rea
listically to the new culture,
rather than to perpetuate the
Protestant tradition in Ameri
can culture.
In addition, the plea for a
return to the status quo before
1962 raises two important
questions.
First, why return only to
June, 1962, the month when the
court held unconstitutional re
citation of a 22-word prayer in
New York public schools? Why
not return to the status quo
before 1948 when the basis was
laid for the prayer and Bible
reading decisions?
It was the McCollum deci
sion of 1948 that served as
legal precedent for these later
decisions by ruling out any in
volvement of public schools and
public school officials in re
ligious instruction. The court
held unconstitutional the hold
ing of religious instruction
classes on public school pro
perty.
If, therefore, a constitutional
amendment limited to prayer
and Bible reading is adopted,
it might be validly argued that
the McCollum decision is irre
vocably recognized as an ac
ceptable part of constitutional
law.
This could put one in a ra
ther anomalous position be
cause on the one hand, schools
would be permitted to conduct
religious exercises, while on
the other hand, use of school
property for voluntary reli
gious instruction is denied.
The second important ques
tion is this: would the proposed
prayer amendment actually re
store the status quo?
The amendment would cer
tainly not restore the old cul
ture which has yielded to re
ligious pluralism. Moreover,
prayer and Bible reading in
public schools would derive
from the authority of constitu
tional law, rather than com
munity consensus.
Admittedly, these two fac
tors, constitutional law and
parental will, would coincide
in many instances. The fact
would remain, however, that
Federal law would underlie this
practice — a law which would
re-establish a practice which
was a product of a culture
that no longer exists.
This is the rub; this is the
stumbling block which con
fronts the advocates of the
prayer amendment. And this is
the reason why so many reli
gious bodies are opposing it.
May 22, 23 and 24
Georgia K. Of C. State
Convention In Savannah
FATHER STRANC
vities Chairman of the Savan
nah Council’s 6-Point Program
Refreshments will be served
during the conference by the
Ladies of the Knights of Co
lumbus Auxiliary and it has
been stated by Msgr. McDon
ald that couples will have
ample time to go to confes
sion and private conferences
are in order with Father Stranc
if they so desire.
The Conference will be
brought to a close around 6
p.m. with Benediction and re
newal of marriage vows.
Father Stranc, the Semin
ary’s second resident Priest,
was born in Chicago, Ill., in
1932. He attended the Ponti
fical Josephinum Seminary in
Ohio for twelve years. Thus
he received his High School and
college education at the Joseph
inum in addition to his philo
sophy and theology training.
Father Stranc was ordained
in 1958. After ordination he
was stationed in Macon, Ga.,
for two years. Because of the
seminary’s growth Father was
then sent to St. John’s when
the seminary was in its second
year. This is now his fourth
year at St. John’s.
Father Stranc teaches all
three years of history and Jun
ior-Senior religion.
Georgia Knights of Columbus will assemble in Savannah, May
22, 23, and 24th, for their annual State Convention. Presiding
over the three-day meeting will be Bernard Dunstan, Augusta,
State Deputy.
The convention Mass will be
held Sunday, May 24th at the
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
with The Most Reverend Thom
as J. McDonough, Bishop of
Savannah, as celebrant.
Speaker at the Mass will be
the Rt. Rev. Msgr. T. James
McNamara, Rector of the
Cathedral of St. John the Bap
tist. Rt. Rev. Msgr. Andrew J.
McDonald, State Chaplain, of the
Knights of Columbus and Chan
cellor of the Savannah Diocese
will be the featured speaker
at the breakfast on Sunday
morning.
Featured speaker at the Con
vention Banquet to be held Sat
urday evening, May 23rd, will
be the Rev. Marvin J. LeFrois,
pastor of St. Teresa’s Church,
Convention
Schedule
FRIDAY, MAY 22
6:00 P.M. — Registration, De-
Soto Hotel.
9 P.M. — Informal Dance K. of
C. Main Ballroom.
SATURDAY, MAY 23
9:00 A.M. — Registration, De-
Soto Hotel.
1:00 P.M. — State Council
Meeting, Main Ballroom, Ho
tel DeSoto.
1:00 P.M. — Ladies Luncheon
and Entertainment.
3:00 P.M. — Fourth Degree
Sessions, Savannah Council
Chambers.
4:30 P.M. — Committee Meet
ings.
8:00 P.M. — Convention Ban
quet, Council Home.
9:30 P.M. to 1 A.M. — Con
vention Dance, Council Home.
SUNDAY, MAY 24
8:30 A.M. — Convention Mass,
Cathedral of St. John The
Baptist.
9:30 A.M. — Communion
Breakfast, Cathedral Day
School.
11:00 A.M. — State Council
Meeting, Main Ballroom, Ho
tel DeSoto.
11:00 A.M. — Ladies Informal
Activity.
2:00 P.M. — Luncheon, Council
Home.
Albany.
A native of Rochester, N. Y.,
Father LeFrois studied at St.
Andrew’s Minor Seminary and
St. Bernard’s Major Seminary
in Rochester.
He was ordained at Sacred
Heart Cathedral, Rochester, on
June 11, 1949. Following ordi
nation he came to the Savannah
Diocese and served as assistant
pastor for 2 years at Holy
Family Church, Columbus and
for 5 years at the Cathedral in
Savannah. He was pastor of St.
John’s Church, in Valdosta for
8 months, then appointed pastor
of St. Teresa’s, Albany, where
he has served for the past 7
years.
While at the Cathedral, Fa
ther was spiritual director of
the Catholic Young People's
Association and now acts as
spiritual director of the Colum
bus Deanery C.Y.O. He is also
diocesan director of the Propa
gation of the Faith and the Holy
Childhood Association. Father
LeFrois is a Fourth Degree
Knight of Columbus and is chap
lain of Albany Council 3607.
Daniel J. Keane, District De
puty, is convention general
chairman. State Secretary Karl
A. Holmen will assist Keane
as vice-chairman.
Joseph K. Ebberwein, Grand
Knight of the Savannah Council,
is chairman of the speakers
committee; Edgar Robertson is
chairman of the program com
mittee; Past State Deputy Hugh
H. Grady is chairman of Church
Arrangements; The Ladies
committee is headed by Mrs.
Larry Dunn, president of the
Savannah K. of C. Auxiliary.
The Registration Committee
is under the chairmanship of
Past Grand Knight JohnCateri-
san; Banquet and Luncheon
Committee is under the chair
manship of Past Grand Knight
Chris E. Hernandez; Commun
ion Breakfast is under the
chairmanship of Deputy Grand
Knight Thomas F. Walsh; En
tertainment committee has Jack
Daniels as chairman. Ronnie
Beck is chairman of the Hospi
tality Committee; Refresh
ments are under the chairman
ship of Joseph Gugel; Tickets
and Functions, J. EmmettMoy-
lan.
BERNARD DUNSTAN
BISHOP MCDONOUGH
FATHER LeFROIS
Mrs. Ryan Denies
Advocating Closing
All Catholic Schools
DAN KEANE
Real Estate Group
Assailed On Housing
OAKLAND, Calif. (NC) —
Assemblyman Byron Rumford,
author of California’s fair hous
ing law, leveled a full-barreled
charge at the California Real
Estate Association at a joint
meeting here of the Catholic
Interracial Council.
He accused the CREA of:
—Calling its proposed “real
property” amendment to the
state constitution the "anti-
Rumford initiative” when ac
tually the amendment would do
much more than merely nullify
that particular law.
—Never talking about the real
purposes of its amendment, but
rather harping on an emotional
plea for its version of property
rights.
—Making tremendous profits
by manipulating the housing of
minority groups.
—Trying to make possible
cases of block-busting (moving
of Negro families into all-white
neighborhoods and then pres
suring white owners to sell out
cheap).
—Not letting many of its own
members know the facts about
fair housing.
—Not being interested wholly
in protecting rights, but in
watching out for its own econo
mic gain.
Rumford said that if the CREA
is against just the Rumford Act
it could have worked for its
repeal alone, but that with the
initiative the group has “bigger
plans.”
The initiative, he said, “calls
for a despotic theory of action
not consistent with any of our
state’s building laws. It would
place in our constitution for the
first time the right of property
owners to discriminate ab
solutely, without regard for
anyone else’s rights.”
“When people see the actual
wording of this measure they
will know what CREA is doing,
and fight it,” Rumford predict
ed.
He said the group would take
away the basic right of people
to own property, “tell people
they can discriminate absolute
ly against Catholics, Buddhists,
Negroes or Chinese,” or any
one else for any reason.
In giving a history of civil
rights in America Rumford said
that in a great portion of the
United States, particularly the
South, it is acceptable to violate
parts of the Constitution.
“Many citizens are not really
citizens. They have no access
to public accommodations, to
libraries, to voting booths, to
any cultural environment. Then
when these people are back
ward, restless, cases for pub
lic welfare, they are asked
‘why can’t you behave and be
good citizens?’ ”
To draw a parallel Rumford
said: “It’s like a home with
four children, one of whom is
denied all cultural and physical
DETROIT (NC) — Mrs.Mary
Perkins Ryan, author of the
controversial book, “Are Ca
tholic Schools the Answer?”,
denied here that she advocates
the closing of all parochial
schools.
“At least, not right away,”
she added.
In Detroit to participate in a
panel (May 7) sponsored by the
Waynes State University New
man Foundation, Mrs. Ryan said
that her book was intended to
probe an idea that she has had
for some time—namely, that
Catholic education has only one
aim: the formation of a people
acceptable to God.
Asked if this religious for
mation is taking place in Catho
lic schools today, Mrs. Ryan
said no.
“Too many of our Catholic
educated people have the same
pagan goals as public-educated
adults. . .success, money, jobs.
“Too many of our Catholic
children — about one-half —
never attend a parochial school.
For one reason, it may be too
expensive.
“And I ask, how long can the
American Church continue to
educate a smaller and smaller
elite, leaving such great num
bers of children neglected in
secular schools and colleges?”
She said that she doubts that
Federal aid to private schools
would ease the parochial school
problem.
“I believe it is better for
Catholics to involve themselves
in education per se. We need
Catholic opinion and Catholic
spiritual attitudes represented
in all phases of life, but mostly
in education,” she continued.
She said she believes that the
spiritual formation of a child
belongs rightfully in the home
and the church.
factors given the others, and
then expected to grow up, act,
and react like them.”
Segregation has led to many
social ills for the entire coun
try: illiteracy, poverty and dis
crimination, he said.
“Now, with this initiative
fostered by extremists,” he
said, “we are faced with the
possibility of their success.
If they succeed it will take
years to overcome the harm
done.”
At this point in the fight for
civil rights, Rumford continued,
“it is up to the churches to teach
real facts and their moral ob
ligations, for legislation can
only go so far.”
"We need to assure parents
that they are equipped by God
and nature to be teachers of
their own children. It is by ex
ample and attitude that spiritual
formation is begun.
“The church and the pastor
must assume their obligation to
aid in this formation and for
their guideline they should look
to the new liturgy, greater lay
participation in the Mass and
the sacraments,” Mrs. Ryan
said.
Ideally, spiritual formation,
begun in the home, could be
embellished by intensive, cour
ses in Christian doctrine con
ducted in churches or catecheti
cal centers supervised by nuns
or lay people specially trained
in the work, she said.
For children in culturally de
prived areas, whose parents are
of little help in forming a real
Christian, she said parochial
schools would seem to be the
only answer.
Uganda Closes
Its Frontiers
KAMPALA, Uganda (NC) —
The government of Uganda an
nounced it has closed its bor
ders with both the Sudan and
Rwanda because it cannot cope
with the flood of refugees from
those countries.
The action followed continued
tribal warfare in Rwanda and
an increase in political and re
ligious persecution in the Sudan,
where the Moslem-controlled
government in the north has
been seeking to “unify” the
country by making the Negro
south both Arabic-speaking and
Moslem.
PRAY FOR OUR
PRIESTLY DEAD
VERY REV.
EDWARD CAFFERTY
May 16, 1896
REV. J. B. GILLESPIE
May 20, 1854
REV. CHARLES
C. PRENDERGAST
May 20, 1896
REV. PATRICK CAFFERTY
May 22, 1888
Oh (rod, Who didst give to
thy servants by fhcir sacredotal
office-, a share in the priest
hood of the Apostles, grant,
iv e implore, that they may
also be one of their company
forever in heaven. Through
Christ Our Lord, Amen.