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SERVING 88 SOUTH GEORGIA COUNTIES
NEWSPAPER DIOCESE Of SAVANNAH
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Vol. 45, No. 31
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SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1965
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DIOCESAN C.Y.O.
Oriental Rite
Mass Highlight
Of Convention
Members of Catholic Youth
Organizations from throughout
the Diocese of Savannah will
converge on Savannah for their
annual Convention, Saturday,
Feb. 20. The meeting is expect
ed to bring some 500 delegates,
alternates, members, adult ad
visors and parish moderators
for a busy weekend which will
include an Oriental Rite Mass,
r^fcle Service, Workshops on an-
™>verty measures, election of
diocesan officers for 1965 and
awards for outstanding contribu
tions to the cause of Catholic
youth.
General Chairman of the Con
vention is the Rev. Herbert J.
Wellmeier, Diocesan Director of
Catholic Youth.
Commenting on the up-coming
convention, Bishop Thomas J.
McDonough said, “I am very
proud of the wonderful work on
behalf of the young people of
.our Diocese, carried on by our
Diocesan Director, Parish Priest-
Moderators and adult advisors.
“I am happy, too, to pay trib
ute to the many fine projects
by which our young men and
women of the Catholic Youth
Organization have contributed to
the spiritual and cultural life of
their respective parishes and in
deed, the whole Diocese. I pray
for God’s blessing on their
meeting and I look forward to
another opportunity to be with
so many of our young people—
the leaders of our Church, here
in Georgia in years to come.”
Sessions will be held at the
Gymnasium of Blessed Sacra
ment Church, where convention
eers will begin registering at
11:00 A.M., Feb. 20. Proceedings
will begin with a Bible Service
and address of welcome by the
Most Reverend Thomas J. Mc
Donough, Bishop of Savannah,
at 1:30 P.M.
During the Plenary Session
and Workshop from 2:00 to 4:00
P.M., the speaker will be Mr.
Anton Vlcek, Executive Director
of the Bethesda-Savannah Chil
dren’s Center. Mr. Vlcek holds
^Master’s Degree in Social Sci-
from the University of Chi
cago and has been active in
child welfare and youth work
for more than 25 years, both in
the United States and abroad.
The Workshop will begin after
a program of musical selections
by the Glee Club of Savannah’s
St. Pius X High School and will
feature suggestions on ways in
which the youth of the Diocese
can implement provisions of the
Federal anti - poverty program,
as well as reports on projects
already undertaken by CYO
groups to help the poor.
At 4:00 P.M. balloting will be
gin for Diocesan officers. Each
parish CYO represented is en
titled to two voting delegates.
High point of the convention
will be the celebration of the
Sacred Liturgy in the Oriental
Rite. It will take place at 8:30
A.M. Sunday, Feb. 21 at the
Cathedral of St. John the Bap
tist.
Celebrant will be the Very
Rev. Vincent Shepphard, O.S.B.,
President of St. Bernard’s Col
lege, Cullman, Alabama.
A faculty member of the
“Newman Summer School of
Catholic Thought” for the past
five years, Father Shepphard is
an educational consultant to pub
lic school teachers of Lawrence
County, Ala.; Secretary-Treasur
er of the Alabama Association
of Independent Colleges; and has
lectured extensively on “Inter
faith Understanding”.
All CYO members will have
an opportunity to receive Holy
Communion under both forms—
bread and wine—at this Mass.
The Convention will close with
the presentation of awards for
outstanding service in the cause
of Catholic youth. Awards will
be made to both CYO members
and adult advisors.
The medal to be presented to
CYO members is the “Eagle of
the Cross”. Outstanding adult
advisors will receive the “Pro
Deo et Juventute” medal.
According to Father Wellmei
er, arrangements are being
made to house out-of-town CYO
members at homes in Savannah.
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HEADLINE
HOPSCOTCH \ ?
NATION
New Bishops
WASHINGTON (NC) — Pope Paul VI has made the following
appointments to the hierarchy of the United States: Msgr. Romeo
Blanchette, Vicar General and Chancellor of the Diocese of Joliet
in Illinois, to be Titular Bishop of Maxita and Auxiliary to Bishop
Martin D. McNamara of Joliet, Msgr. James P. Shannon, president
of the College of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn., to be Titular Bishop
of Lacubaza and Auxiliary to Archbishop Leo Binz of St. Paul.
AFRICA
Soldiers Rob Church
NEWMAN CONVENTION — Pictured at a session of the convention of the New
man Clubs of the Southeastern Province are: (Left to right) David Ray, Province
President; Rev. Christian Malone, O.F.M., Southeastern Province Chaplain; Martin
Work, K.S.G., Executive Director of the National Council of Catholic Men; Rev.
Lawrence Lucree, Chaplain Armstrong College Newman Club, host to the Conven
tion; and Edward Kirchner, representative of Pax Romana to the Economic and
Social Council of the United Nations. Work and Kirchner were featured speakers.
(Ward Studio Photo)
SLOW START...GATHERING SPEED
U.S. Church Progress
Like A Roller-Coaster
KAMPALA, Uganda (NC) — Moslem soldiers of the Sudanese
army robbed a Catholic church and mission house at Chukudum, in
the southern Sudan, about Jan. 25, according to a report received
here. They gave part of the Looted church furniture and linen to
the local population, apparently hoping to leave the impression that
the church had been looted by the local natives, who are nearly all
Christians. But the Christians returned these articles to the Suda
nese priest, who calls at the Chukudum from time to time to say
ft
Ruins Unearthed
EUROPE
CANTERBURY, England (NC) — Amateur archaelogists have
found what is believed to be the ruins ol the bell tower of the an
cient St. Augustine’s Abbey here. Built in 593, it was burned in 1168,
rebuilt and then destroyed in 1538 during the Reformation. St. Au
gustine, St. Melitus and several Christian kings of Kent were buried
there. Plans are being made to have the ruins systematically ex
cavated.
The progress of the Catholic
Church in the United States was
compared last week to a roller
coaster, starting off slowly and
with effort, but gathering speed
and momentum as it proceeds
to its goal.
So said Martin Work, Execu
tive Director of the National
Council of Catholic men at the
33rd annual convention of the
Southeastern Province of New
man Clubs. Work spoke at a
workshop on Catholic Lay Lead
ership.
He described the difficulties
of the Church in the new world
from the early sixteenth cen
tury until the great immigration
wave of the 1820’s which brought
hosts of Catholics from Europe
to replenish the ranks thinned
by leakage brought about by the
lack of clergy.
“But the roller-coaster began
to gather momentum as the lai
ty became more informed about
the Faith and to take an active
part in bringing the influence of
the Church to bear on the A-
merican scene,” said Work.
The voice and the activity of
the laity grew progressively
with the 1st Catholic Lay Con
gress in 1889, t h e Encyclical
“Rerum Novarum” of Pope Leo
XIII, the establishment of the
National Catholic War Council
during World War I, the growth
of the National Catholic W’elfare
Conference, and the Second Vat
ican Council.
“The Catholic ‘ghetto’ mental
ity is gone, or rapidly disap
pearing’’ he said, “and Catholics,
today, feel freer to express the
teachings of the Church to their
neighbors, even though there is
still much hesitancy and uncer
tainty to doing so.”
“The corrosion of debilitation
and apathy will disappear and
his Apostolic mission will be
come more evident to the Catho
lic layman as he feels himself
more and more a part .of the
modren - day concept of the
Church as the ‘people of God
held together by the bonds-of
Truth, Justice and Love,” he
said.
Speaking at the convention’s
first session was Joseph Petty,
news analyst of Savannah’s WS-
AV radio and television stations.
He warned of the “creeping
disease of secularism” saying
that this “enemy must be met
head-on by the Catholic layman
of the 20th Century ... we ask
you t.o prepare yourself to meet
the Challenge.” *
“You are being subected to
the ‘Know How’, rather than the
‘Know Why’ philosophy” of life,”
he said.
In mankind’s zeal for change,
Christian traditions “Made sa
cred by time . . . enhanced by
the blood of Martyrs” are being;
ignored, Petty charged.
Today’s Catholic layman may
never be called upon to shed his
blood for the Faith, but he may
face a much tougher battle than
that faced by the early Chris
tians, he said.
“He must fight an intellectual
enemy who remains hidden be
hind a mask of humanistic se
VOCATION PROGRAM BEGINS
Bishop Asks Prayer;
Recalls Early History
Of Church InGeorgia
cularism, and atheistic commu
nism.”
Addressing t h e Communion
Breakfast on Sunday morning,
Bishop Thomas J. McDonough,
Bishop of Savannah, told the
Newmanites that many of the
laity are hesitant to respond
when they are asked to partici
pate more actively in Church
work and that this is not cor
rect.
“There is a place for every
layman in the work of the
Church and in the dissemination
of Catholic truth,” he said.
“With the advent of the Sec
ond Vatican Council,” he con
tinued, “more and more em
phasis has been concentrated on
the precise role which the laity
can occupy in the Church. Elver
since the pontificate of Pope
Pius X efforts have been made
and are now being emphasized.
The Church issues the call and
the laity are encouraged to re
spond.”
DR. JAMES GILBERT, M.D., speaker at the Saturday
banquet of the Southeast Newman Convention is pic
tured with Bishop Thomas J. McDonough.
(Ward Studio Photo)
On Sunday, February 14th, the
Diocese of Savannah will inau
gurate its annual vocation pro
gram. Bishop McDonough in a
letter to be read in all the
churches of the diocese under
scored the need of family pray
er and cooperation. The Bishop
stated that vocations flourish
best in homes dedicated to God
and in love with the priesthood.
In a private interview with
staff members of the Southern
Cross Bishop McDonough stress
ed the growing healthiness of
the diocese in terms of priestly
vocations. He stated that we
now have 123 seminarians while
in 1957 we had but 18. The
growth said the Bishop, “is due
to the prayerful devotion of our
people who day after day beg
Our Divine Savior for more and
more laborers for the vineyard.”
Bishop McDonough pointed out
that these vocations have come
to us through the efforts of our
priests who have given of their
time and talents in making ev
eryone in the diocese aware that
without a growth in our priestly
numbers we cannot begin to
bring to our people anything but
a mere skeleton of Christianity.
“Often,” he continued, “the 'peo
ple of the diocese will ask me
to assign a chaplain for their
good works, but I must refuse.
They will beg me to begin a
really worthwhile porgram for
the diocese. Again, I must re
fuse for the burden already born
by our priests is staggering.’’
Bishop McDonough has him
self taken on the role of voca
tion recruiter. On many occa
sions during the past seven
years he has gone himself to the
seminaries in Ireland and beg
ged help for the Diocese of Sa
vannah, It is not at all unusual
for him to visit several semi
naries in a single day to en
courage young men to join him
in his work in Savannah.
When asked whether the em
phasis on the lay apostolate in
the modern church would have
any effect upon the number of
priests needed here, the Bishop
replied, “The increased develop
ment of the lay apostolate is go
ing to take more rather than
fewer priests. Each apostolic
group formed is going to be in
need of spiritual direction, en
couragement and the wisdom of
years of pastoral experience.
This requires priests, priests and
more priests. The one thing that
is keeping our diocese from leap
ing forward in this apostolic
program is the lack of priests
who have the time and talent
to work in this field. Anyone who
feels that the lay apostolate can
exist without the clergy is much
like the farmer who thinks that
he has found a miracle chemical
which will yield harvest with
out attention or even without
seed. It is my experience that
the lay apostolate is even more
dependent upon clerical help
than any other function of the
Church.”
The Bishop then discussed the
difficulties of the diocese in
meeting the challenges of the
present day. He stated that it
is only a miracle of God that we
have been able to staff Saint
John Vianney Minor Seminary
with five capable priests. This
is worthwhile for at Saint John’s
is the future of the diocese.
“Yet,” he stated, “no one will
deny that we are short of priests
in other areas because of it.
This month two young priests
will leave us to return to Ire
land. The two parishes they
serve must temporarily carry
on short-handed. There is just
nothing we can do to remedy
the situation for the present.”
The shortage of priests has
kept Bishop McDonough from
having a fulltime chancery offi
cial. He himself has given the
example to the pastors of the
diocese in making a sacrifice
during these very difficult years.
The history of the diocese of
Savannah has been one of chron
ic shortage of priests,’’ said
Bishop McDonough, “In the days
prior to the Civil War many
Irish immigrated to the area
but lost their faith because of
a failure of the Church to re
spond wth enough priests to cov
er the large rural area they in
habited. Early records of the
Diocese indicate that Bishop
England, the Bishop of Charles
ton under whose care the entire
state of Georgia fell until 1850,
himself made visits on horse
back to the scattered Catholics
in Savannah and Locust Grove,
(near Washington), Georgia.”
“The annals of the Church
in South Georgia record one he
roic effort after another to reach
the scattered faithful. In the
lifetime of many Southern Cross
readers, the Albany Mission was
organized whose territory
stretched from Way cross to the
Alabama border. Many residents
of small south Georgia towns
still remember the traveling
priests under the direction of
the late Monsignor Thomas A.
Brennan who visited them month
ly, heard their confessions and
said Mass in their homes.”
Bishop McDonough closed his
interview with an exhortation to
all of the priests, sisters and
laity of the diocese to redouble
their efforts that the good work
which has been done in the past
may flourish in the great days
of the Church of the future.
AT BUDDHIST CENTER
Priest Told ‘Get Out’
For Refusing To Kneel
SAIGON (NC)—It was Victory
Day again for the Buddhist In
stitute.
An elderly Buddhist laymen
peremptorily ordered me to kneel
with the crowd of about 2,500 in
the yard of the new Buddhist
center here. My refusal brought
an angry gesture that meant
“Get out!”
I moved about 30 yards away.
Near by, young Buddhist bonzes
were also standing as spectators
rather than participants. Other
correspondents were busy with
cameras near the outdoor plat
form on which five bonzes were
to appear after their week’s well-
advertised fast.
They had fasted as a ' protest
against Prime Minister Tran van
Huong’s government, which
their group had opposed from
the day it was formed, 12 weeks
earlier.
Concurrently with the fas t,
Buddhist bonzes had instigated
riots in which two U.S. Informa
tion Service libraries had been
attacked.
Now Prime Minister Huong
had been removed by the Arm
ed Forces Council. This after
noon’s crowd had gathered to
celebrate the victory (Jan. 31).
For the third time in 15 months
this faction of Buddhists, a mi
nority in Vietnam, had brought
about the overthrow of a gov
ernment.
Their 12-weeks’ campaign and
its outcome had features that
alarmed, and still alarm, a high
proportion of Vietnamese city
and town dwellers, / including
Buddhist. (Most of the peasants
know and care little, if any
thing, about these political bonz
es. But before long their lives
could be vitally affected by the
results of the bonzes’ grasping
for power.)
To many Vietnamese the re
cent agitation appeared to be
thoroughly dishonest and disloy
al.
Nobody has cited any proof
that Prime Minister Huong was
“repressing” or “persecuting”
the Buddhist. Yet Thich (Vener
able) Tri Quang and other bonz
es based their campaign on this
accusation as well as on the va
gue charge that the government
was “counter-revolutionary.”
A11 except one in Huong’s
original cabinet were non-Chris
tians.
Young trouble - makers, who
shaved their heads and donned
the monks’ garb were enlisted
to swell antigovernment ranks.
The bonzes forswore demonstra
tions and then started a series
of demonstrations, some of them
riocuus. They proclaimed non
violence and incited to violence.
They sided with young rioters
arrested by security forces and
demanded their release. They
used Buddhist army chaplains,
commissioned officers, to agi
tate mutinously against the gov
ernment. They encouraged de
vout followers to commit sui
cide, with the Result that an
emotional young girl burned her
self to death. They staged their
anti-Ambassador - Taylor riot in
Saigon, including faked “casual
ties”, with an obvious eye to
foreign press photographers and
television men. They launched
an anti-American campaign that
included a coarsely insulting
tract, bearing their Buddhist In
stitute’s imprint and dated Jan.
24. On Jan. 28, after his victory
and revising his tactics, Thich
Tri Quang claimed that they
had no anti-American policy.
“Our ideals represent a com
bination of truth and national
ism, and goodwill and grati
tude,” he said.
The government stood firm for
three months. Yet, in the end,
the Armed Forces’ Council threw
Prime Minister Huong out of of
fice.
Bishop Speaks On Vocations - Editorial Page