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A HAPPY AND HOLY CHRISTMAS SEASON
The Southern Cross
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEWSPAPER
Vol. 47, No. 24 SAVANNAH. GEORGIA, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1966 $5 Per Year
I
RECALL TRUE MEANING
Christmas In
Carols-Music
Of The People
This year, as always, the approach of Christ
mas will be heralded by the thin, clear voices of
children singing carols. On Christmas morning it
self in our churches the choirs will repeat the
Christmas story in the same words and to the same
tunes.
YEAR IN REVIEW
1966 Problems:
World Poverty,
Unity, Vietnam
Many of the top religious stories of the year bore witness to the sharp
concern among churchmen over the escalation of the war in Vietnam. Other
headlines told of new religious mobilizations in the battles against world
poverty and racism. A mounting pace of church union efforts, and an ever-
widening interreligious dialogue made 1966 a year of vigorous ecumenical
progress.
FIRST GRADERS at Savannah’s Cathedral Day School herald coming of the
infant Redeemer with musical invitation, “Come To My Heart, Lord Jesus,”
as they re-enact traditional manger scene. In foreground are Becky Denmark
—Mary, with Meg Colson robed as an angel behind her; Phil Skinner—St.
Joseph, with Maria Brown, another angel singing over his shoulder. Caroling
shepherd behind infant is Joseph Dunn. Shepherd in right foreground is Lar
ry Bouchea. Supporting singers are (1. to r.) Tina Provost, Stephen Lancas
ter, Chris Mock, Joseph Kujawa, Carl Brown. (Staff photo by Bob Ward)
‘—And A Little Child I
I
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i
Shall Lead Them.’
Although we still tend to
think of Christmas in Dicken
sian terms—roast turkey
and plum pudding—we recall
the true meaning of the festi
val every time we sing a carol.
The appeal of carols lies in
their essential simplicity,
both of words and music. This
helps to explain why they are
as popular today as they have
every been. They have a mass
appeal for they were written
essentially for the pople.
Almost all the earliest re
ligious carols contain re
ferences to the shepherds, the
animals, the Star of Bethle
hem and the Three Wise Men
who are invariably depicted
as kings.
Many of the current favo
rites have been written dur
ing the last 200 years. Dr.
John Neave, a clergyman and
song writer, wrote the words
of “Good King Wenceslaus”
and set them to the music of
* ‘Adeste tempus floridum,”
a popular Spring song since the
13th century.
The real-life Wenceslaus
was a 10th century king of
Bohemia who was renowned
for his acts of charity. It is
said that no beggar who ap
proached the gates of his pa
lace was ever turned away
empty-handed.
On Christmas Eve, 1818, Fa
ther Joseph Mohr, left the tiny
village of Oberndorf to climb
the snow-covered mountains
to the home of a charcoal
burner to bless a new born
child. This event, coupled with
the simplicity of the home he
had visited, created a deep
impression on the mind of the
priest.
The Most Reverend Thomas
J. McDonough will be the prin
cipal concelebrant of Christ
mas Midnight Mass in Savan
nah’s Cathedral of St. John
the Baptist.
Other concelebrants will be
the Very Reverend William
V. Coleman, Reverend John
Cuddy, Reverend John Fitz
patrick and Reverend Ben
jamin Werner. The Reverend
Kevin Boland and Reverend
Edward Frank will be chap
lains to Bishop McDonough.
Father Boland will also serve
as Master of Ceremonies.
For the first time in this
area the Concelebrants will
sing the Canon of the Mass
from the “Hanc Igitur” to the
final Doxology. The James
B Copps Memorial Choir,
under the direction of Mrs.
Joseph Schreck will sing the
Mass. The choir will also
present a program of Christ
mas hymns prior to the Mass.
When he returned to his
room after Midnight Mass Fa
ther Mohr could not sleep. He
felt he had to commit his
thoughts to paper. During the
long dark hours of thatChrist-
mas morning, as all the world
lay silent, a simple, yet im
pressive poem was written,
“Silent Night, Holy Night.”
The following morning he
showed it to his close friend,
Franz Gruber. Both were pas
sionately fond of music and
Gruber, the church organist,
immediately set the words
to music.
Before long both men were
singing it together to the ac
companiment of Franz Gru
ber’s guitar because the
church organ was out of use.
Yet it was because of that
broken organ that Oberndorf s
own carol spread to the rest
of the world. After the Christ
mas season Karl Maura-
cher came to the village to
repair the organ. While he
was busy he chanced to hear
Father Mohr singing “Silent
Night.”
He was so impressed that
he asked the priest to repeat
it. He committed it to memory
and sang itwhereeverhewent.
In Alpine village after Alpine
village simple country folk
picked it up and before long it
had spread throughout the pro
vince.
Today tourists flock to O-
bemdorf to seek out the church
where this most fhmous of all
carols was first sung. They
all see a stained glass panel
dedicated to Father Mohr, the
author of “Silent Night, Holy
Night.”
In announcing the concele-
bration, Bishop McDonough
stated that he wished to de
monstrate to the people of
Savannah “the oneness of the
priesthood by choosing those
priests who are especially
bound to me through their
assignments at the Cathedral,
the bishop’s own parish, and
the Seminary, the bishop’s
own school.”
The history of concelebrat-
ed Masses is a long one,
reaching back to the earliest
days of the Church when each
bishop offered Mass with his
college of priests gathered
about him, offering the Mass
with him. The Decree on the
Liturgy of Vatican II rein
stated this ancient form of
worship.
Other Masses at the Cathe
dral on Christmas morning
will be at 7:30 A.M.; 8:30
A.M.; 10:00 A.M.; 11:15 A.M.;
12:15 A.M. and at 5:30 P.M.
»A
Christmas time is a time
for children, but above all the
time of the Child of all time,
the Child of whom the prophet
Isaia spoke: * ‘And there shall
come forth a rod out of the
root of Jesse, and a flower
shall rise up out of his root
. . . The calf and the lion and
the sheep shall abide together,
and a little child shall lead
them” (Isaia 11:1,6).
Current literature speaks a
great deal about “salvation
history.” This refers to the
series of temporal events
known by the light of faith,
through which God reveals to
men His eternal plan of salva
tion. Of all of the events in
that series, however, there
was none more central than
the coming of Christ into the
world. His birth, as also His
redemptive activity, can not be
looked upon merely as “things
that happened in history.”
It is only when seen in the
light of faith that we can ap
preciate their real signifi
cance. No appeal to reason,
to philosophy or to history
alone can unfold for us the
meaning of these events. While
tney took place within the con
fines of human history, only
the believer can appreciate
them for what they truly re
present.
Faith, then, demands of us a
humble acceptance of that
which God has proclaimed
through His revelation. It
means that we learn to under
stand the meaning of God’s
saving activity among men by
cooperating with the grace of
faith which God freely and
gratuitously bestows upon us.
For many men, accustomed
to thinking, reasoning, plan
ning and carrying out the ac
tivities of daily life, this ap
proach to faith seems almost
contrary to the human spirit.
Where “reasons” and
“proofs” are demanded, God
asks only that we accept on
His authority and on His Word
alone the significance of these
many events of salvation his
tory. If we fail to respond to
His request, we will not under
stand; if we freely accept the
grace of faith, on the other
hand, God’s presence in the
world and His divine activity
in each of us and in the world
in general becomes something
vital and real.
Through faith we come to
learn who Christ is, and what
He has accomplished in this
world. Through faith we are
enabled to see Christ in the
members of His Church, the
people of God; we are able to
see Christ acting in the sac
raments, re-presenting in the
Mass in a liturgical manner
His redeeming acts accom
plished once and for all at a
certain point in human history
—but a moment of history en
abled by divine power to leap
beyond the limits of space and
time.
Faith such as this demands
a certain simplicity of heart,
a truly child-like spirit. Those
who have watched the child and
seen his spirit of total trust
and confidence in his parents
and others about him can gain
some insight into the spirit of
faith. The tiny child reaches
out for those he needs, and
gladly accepts what they give
to him; he hears their voices,
and listens to their words, and
responds in gladness.
It is for this reason above
all that Christ comes to us at
Christmas time as a tiny
Child, for He wishes to lead us
into the way of faith. Christ
mas is a time for children, but
Christmas is also a time of
faith. It is a time for renew
ing in our hearts the childlike
simplicity of faith that unites
us with Christ. Here above
all a “little Child shall lead
us” into the kingdom of love
established by His eternal
Father; but a childlike faith is
the first essential for entering
that kingdom.
It was a year when Pope
Paul VI persisted in his force
ful efforts for peace in Viet
nam and elsewhere. And when:
Broad avenues of dialogue
were opened between the Ro
man Catholic Church and the
Anglican, Protestant and Eas
tern Orthodox Churches, and
new foundations of under
standing established between
Christianity and Judaism. . .
Ferments of change spread
through the Catholic Church as
the process of implementing
the decrees of the Second
Vatican Council was begun. ..
The American Catholic hie
rarchy followed the example
set in other countries by de
creeing the end o f the tradi
tional Friday abstinence from
meat. . .
Pope Paul dashed expecta
tions in many quarters by de
ferring a long-awaited pro
nouncement on proposals aim
ed at modifying Catholicism’s
ban against contraception.
Pope Paul’s concern over
Vietnam and other areas of
conflict was evidenced when he
made his fourth encyclical
(Christi Mater Rosarii, dated
Sept. 15) the occasion for pro
claiming October a month of
prayer for peace. He sent an
envoy (ArchbishopSergio Pig-
nedoli, Apostolic Delegate in
Canada) to Saigon, where, in
addition to presiding at a
meeting of the South Vietna
mese bishops, the archbishop
held discussions with top-
level government leaders,
clearly designed to help the
cause of peace.
In the United States, the
newly-formed Inter-Religious
Committee Against Poverty —
composed of leaders of the
National Catholic Welfare
Conference, the National
Synagogue Council of Amer
ica — pledged full support
of President Johnson’s na
tional war against poverty. A
year-end estimate was that
about ten per cent of all anti
poverty projects were in the
hands of church-related or
ganizations.
The racial issue in the U.S.
took on bitter overtones when
the chant of “freedom now”
by frustrated Negroes turn
ed into the chant of “black
power.” This was largely a
reaction to the demise of the
Civil Rights Bill in the 89th
Congress, principally because
of opposition to a “fair hous
ing” provision which church
men across the nation strongly
supported. (Church-sponsor
ed attacks on housing dis
crimination assumed a wide
variety of forms during the
year. The Catholic hierarchy
published a statement endors
ing open housing and equal
opportunities for all regard
less of race, color or creed.)
In the broader areas of
Christian unity, Pope Paul
sent hopes soaring in Novem
ber when he directed the Vat
ican Secretariat for Promot
ing Christian Unity to study
how it could cooperate with
Protestant Bible groups in
producing a common Protes
tant-Catholic Bible. This was
regarded as the most impor
tant concrete unity step since
the end of Vatican II. It came
after the Vatican had also
agreed to set up a joint Angli
can-Catholic commission to
prepare for an official ex
ploration of Christian unity.
This was an aftermath to an
historic meeting in March be
tween the Pope and the Arch
bishop ofCanterbury.
The year was rich in ecu
menical progress. In the U.S.,
the Catholic hierarchy created
a General Secretariat for Ecu
menical Interreligious Af
fairs, and announced* that the
Vatican would soon issue a
VATICAN CITY (NC)~
Pope Paul VI will celebrate
Christmas midnight Mass in
the flood-damaged cathedral
of Florence.
Shortly afterward he will
return to Rome for Mass inSt.
Peter’s basilica.
It will be his first visit
since his election to the papacy
to the capital of the Tuscan
region of north-central Italy,
which suffered the gravest
blows of the food disaster of
Nov. 4, including the loss of
several lives.
Sixty percent of the city it
self was under several feet of
water during the height of the
flood. Many priceless art
treasures and historic docu
ments we^e destroyed or se
verely damaged.
The Pope will leave Vatican
City at 6 p.m. Christmas eve,
according to an announcement
“directory of ecumenism.”
For the first time, the Na
tional Council of Churches
named a Catholic priest —
Father David J. Bowman, S.
J. — to its staff as assis
tant director of the Depart
ment of Faith and Order.
The year was made memor
able for Catholics also when
a Vatican decree in February
modified the traditional 40-
day Lenten fast by limiting
it to Ash Wednesday and Good
Friday. The Vatican also gave
authority to national episco
pates to abolish meatless Fri
days. In France, the bishops
gave the faithful permission
to eat meat on Fridays, be
ginning January , 1967. The
Canadian hierarchy abolished
the Friday abstinence ef
fective Oct. 14. The U.S. bis
hops followed suit in Novem
ber, their decree coming into
force Dec. 2.
For Catholics everywhere,
1966 was the year when the
decrees of the Vatican Coun
cil began to be put in force,
when national episcopal con
ferences the world over met
to weigh the ways and means
of aggiornamento. In the
meantime, the Pope warned
against what he said were
dangerous, ultra-liberal ten
dencies in the Church; cau
tioned against liturgical inno
vations unless approved by the
bishops in council or the Holy
See, and deplored the “nega
tive spirit” of those who
adopted a “perverse” attitude
toward the Church’s legisla
tive and disciplianry codes.
(Religious News Service)
of the press office of L’Os-
servatore Romano, Vatican
City daily, and will make the
three - and - one - half-hour
freeway trip by car.
Following the midnight
Mass, he will repair to the
residence of Ermenegildo
Cardinal Florit across the
square. This residence of Flo
rence’s archbishop was also
damaged by flood and was
one of the centers for res
cue and relief operations
afterward. Early Christmas
morning the Pope will return
to Rome to celebrate Mass in
St. Peter’s basilica at 11:15
a.m. and then give the bless
ing “to the city and the world”
from the basilica’s central
balcony overlooking St. Pe
ter’s square.
There was no indication yet
of where the Pope will say
the last of the three Masses
permitted to priests on
Christmas.
TO THE PRIESTS, RELIGIOUS AND LAITY
OF THE DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH:
MAY THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM BRING EVERY PEACE
AND JOY ON CHRISTMAS DAY. AND MAY MARY, HIS IMMA
CULATE MOTHER AND SAINT JOSEPH GUIDE YOU TO HIS
HOLY MANGER.
DURING THIS HOLY SEASON YOU AND YOUR LOVED
ONES WILL HAVE A SPECIAL REMEMBRANCE IN MY MASSES
AND PRAYERS.
IMPARTING TO YOU MY BLESSING, I AM,
DEVOTEDLY YOURS IN CHRIST
Bishop of Savannah.
SAVA mill CATHEDRAL
Concelebrated
Midnight Mass
ON CHRISTMAS
Pope To Offer
Florence Mass