Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6 — The Southern Cross, January 9, 1969
Alida Smith
Diocesan Vice Chairman Public Relations
“THE DARK YEARS”.
This is the title of an article
in the January issue of Word
magazine which concerns the
desperate needs of this
nation’s 5.4 million elderly
poor. The author, Joanne M.
Moran, tells us, “It is not too
difficult to understand why
the aged, particularly
impoverished ones, have
come to be called ‘the
forgotten Americans’. Skills
which many of today’s
elderly possess and which
were once so essential to the
growth of our economy are
now rendered obsolete. Their
children venture forth to
other areas in he hope of
putting their educations to
use; friends and neighbors
pass away often leaving them
with few alternative social
resources to fill the empty
sense of loss.
“‘Depression is a
widespread symptom among
elderly seeking help,’ reports
the National Institute of
Mental Health. ‘Having lost
supportive experiences, which
maintain many in society, the
elderly may develop feelings
of self-rejection . . . and
depression, if severe, may
trigger other emotional
problems.’
“Clearly, this is a social
problem that can no longer
be neglected. Old age is
becoming the destiny of most
of us, not the achievement of
a chosen few. At the turn of
the century no more than
three million Americans lived
beyond age 65. Today,
almost 20 million are 65 or
over and the proportion is
expected to increase as
science adds more and more
years to life. And while
almost all must suffer a
substantial reduction in
income, four out of ten are
actually poor.”
The author interviewed
Miss Genevieve Blatt,
assistant director of the
Office of Economic
Opportunity for Older
Persons Programs, and she has
given brief mention of some
of the OEO-sponsored
programs currently
underway. First, she describes
Project FIND and states that
“the purpose of Project FIND
is to actively seek out those
isolated elderly poor, to
identify their individual needs
and problems, determine
their skills and resources
(with an eye toward training
and/or part-time
employment), and to incite
community support for the
development of ameliorative
programs.” Other programs
under the aegis of the OEO
include Foster Grandparents,
Green Thumb, Senior
Community Service Aides,
Senior Centers, and the newly
proposed Late Start.
“As heartening as these
programs are, ‘progress is still
painfully slow,’ concluded
Miss Blatt. ‘If we could only
get people who simply don’t
realize what the situation is,
and who should-such as your
dedicated churchwomen-to
take an active part in
promoting and helping
administer these and similar
community programs, so
much more could be done.
Then we could really help our
senior citizens live out their
last years in peace and in
dignity.’ ”
Along these same lines, I
noted in the Affiliates’
Affairs section of Word that
one parish council in
Madison, Wisconsin, was
offering daily telephone
contact on a one-to-one basis
to elderly persons living
alone. The calls are placed
each day by the volunteer
“telephone friends” to
reassure senior citizens that
someone cares about them.
The primary purpose of the
program is to keep a daily
check on the well-being of
the person to whom the
volunteer is assigned. If any
parish council is interested in
setting up such a program,
page 12 of this month’s Word
magazine gives suggestions for
organizing the project.
NAMED TO ALL-STAR TEAM - Lester “Tabby” Paige,
member of St. Pius X (Savannah) High School Basketball team,
was named to all-star team following Savannah Morning News
Christmas Tournament. He is pictured showing award to Father
Fred Nijem, St. Pius X Moderator. (Photo by Bob Ward)
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U.S. Catholic Chaplain Tries To
Fill Morality Gap On Vietnam
Catholic Press Features
NEW YORK (CPF) - A
Catholic chaplain who
returned from Vietnam
surprised that there was no
“reference text supporting
the moral rightness of our
position” has filled that
information gap and, he
hopes, the credibility gap
concerning U.S. involvement
in the Vietnam conflict.
Msgr. John J. O’Connor, a
Commander in the U.S. Navy
who claims an M.A. in
Advanced Ethics as well as
first-hand experience in
Vietnam, put together a
moral defense of U. S.
involvement that has, so far,
induced one Catholic
newspaper to change its
editorial position on the
morality of U.S. involvement
and caused a U.S. Senator to
describe it as the best
treatment of the moral
implications of the war that
will ever be written.
“We had been opposed to
this nation’s involvement
there,” wrote the editor of
“The Eastern Kansas
Register” of the Kansas City,
Kansas, See, but after reading
‘A Chaplain Looks at
Vietnam,’ we . . . changed our
mind about the morality or
legality of our commitment.”
Senator Everett M.
Dirksen of Illinois wrote in a
foreword to Msgr. O’Connor’s
book that “The moral
implications of the conflict in
Vietnam and the United
States’ involvement there
have not, to my knowledge
been presented clearly to the
American people—until now.
And that is precisely Msgr.
O’Connor’s case: that all the
arguments against the
morality of U.S. involvement
have been in the form of
half-truths, false assumptions,
misquotations and
exaggerations. He is especially
severe in challenging
arguments presented by the
Rev. John Sheerin, C.S.P.,
whose column is syndicated
in many Catholic papers and
by “Vietnam: Crisis of
Conscience,’’ an
anti-involement book written
by a Catholic layman
(Michael Novak), a Protestant
minister (Robert McAfee
Brown) and a Jewish rabbi
(Abraham J. Heschel).
“I, for one, must question
the morality of their
method,” Msgr. O’Connor
writes of the Brown-Heschel-
Novak book but which would
also apply to other critics of
U.S. policy in Vietnam.
“They bombard the emotions
with half-truths; which,
though multiplied by the
hundreds, never becomes
whole. They ‘hit and
run’---throw the most
shattering statements on their
pages, then rush on, without
reasoned demonstration, clear
evidence, scholarly support
for their charges. The average
reader can hardly be expected
to have the personal
background or experience to
question their dogma-and
dogma it is, more often than
historic fact.”
As a case in point, he cites
the frequent statement that
the U.S. has dropped more
bombs on North and South
Vietnam than on Germany
during all of World War II.
Msgr. O’Connor argues that
no one stops to find out that
“it is precisely because of our
care, our determined effort to
avoid killing the innocent,
that we use more bombs.”
Msgr. O’Connor, currently
working on a special project
for the Navy at Georgetown
University, takes on all the
arguments that have been
presented against the
morality of U.S. involvement
in Vietnam--the violation of
the Geneva Conference
agreement; whether or not we
are wrongly intruding on a
civil war; our support of the
Diem government; whether
we ever made a definite
commitment to defend South
Vietnam; the killing of
innocent Vietnamese,
etc.---and concludes that
“even a superficial reading of
official documents dating
back to at least 1950 would
adequately answer these
charges” that U.S. presence in
Vietnam is immoral.
no
COMMANDER (MSGR.) JOHN J. O’CONNOR, before being decorated with the Legion of Merit,
for outstanding performance of duty in Vietnam,
Commandant of the Marine Corps.
by Lt. Gen. Lewis W. Walt, now Assistant
substitute for fact in trying to
evaluate our position in
Vietnam,” Msgr. O’Connor
writes at one point.
“Opinions, interpretations
and educated guesses all have
their own validity, within
certain confines. Moral
judgment, however, always
demands precision and
accuracy.”
“What has astonished me
most,” he observed, “has
been the frequency of
misquotation of essential
documents pertaining to the
war. Entire arguments have
been built on such
misquotations. I am not
talking about mere chance
references by the
unsophisticated. Scholars,
writers, clergymen,
Congressmen and professional
diplomats have argued
forcefully and persuasively,
but unwittingly, on the basis
of ‘facts’ that have been born
of misquotations.”
And where documents
have not been misquoted, he
continued, they have been
ignored altogether. He cited
one particular meeting of the
influential World Affairs
Council to study the Vietnam
situation, at which it was
discovered that “not one of
the 1,000 persons present had
actually read the text of the
Cease Fire Agreement or the
Final Declaration of the
Geneva Conference of 1954.
Few documents are more
critical to an understanding
of the Vietnam conflict than
the Cease Fire Agreement and
the Geneva Conference
Declaration.”
Msgr. O’Connor argues
that the Geneva Conference
documents provide a definite
affirmative answer to the
question: does the U.S. have
a moral and legal right to be
in Vietnam?
He said similar statements
may be made about the
so-called “commitment” that
was or wasn’t made by
President Eisenhower, the
commitment upon which
much of the U.S.
participation has been based.
In his book, Msgr. O’Connor
reprints portions of
Eisenhower letters that prove
that the President did indeed
commit the U.S. to a defense
of Vietnam. He also attacks
those who cite President
Kennedy’s description of the
conflict as “their war” but
who ignore another portion
of the identical statement in
which he added, “I don’t
agree with those who say we
should withdraw.”
Msgr. O’Connor concludes
that “It seems to me that we
are without a doubt
committed morally,” if for
no other reason than those
that we have given the South
Vietnamese to believe that we
would defend them—no
matter what our second
thoughts might be.
“To build a family a
house, move them into it,
guarantee them security, then
burn the house down in a
burst of moral scrupulosity
over having made a mistake in
building it in
Pi ace---is this
justified?”, Msgr.
asked.
the first
morally
O’Connor
He argues that terms like
‘‘escalation’’ and
“de-escalation” have become
cliches that are not really
understood by critics of the
war. “If our massive—but
still, extremely discrimina
tive-use of force shortens the
war and reduces the number
killed,” he asked, “is this
escalation or de-escalation?
Would it assuage moral
sensitivities if more people
were killed—but quietly,
without fuss, and over a long
period of time?”
Msgr. O’Connor insists
that increased military
pressure must be put on the
enemy even during peace
talks, citing the fact that in
the Korean War, 95,000
Americans were killed or
wounded during the period of
negotiation alone.
In “A Chaplain Looks at
Vietnam,” Msgr. O’Connor
also challenges the
oft-repeated charges that the
U.S. is guilty of napalm
burning of civilians and the
bombing of civilians (“I
found these reports were
highly exaggerated”), that we
are spending too much
money there (“Whose
computer has determined
that we are ‘exhausting’ our
national resources in Vietnam
when currently we are
spending little more than 3
per cent of our gross national
income on the conflict?”)
and that Vietnam is the first
“unpopular” war for the
U.S.:
“Was Valley Forge
popular? How many
Americans raised vehement
voices against risking war
with England? How many
people in the North were
opposed to the Civil War?
What was ‘popular’ about
Korea?”
“Immoral activities have
been associated with this war,
as with every war-activities
ranging from profiteering to
atrocities,” Msgr. O’Connor
summarized. “No one has yet
made it clear that any such
activities have been a basic
design in pursuing the aims of
the war ... I believe the war
in Vietnam is very much the
lesser of the many evils that
would engulf us if we chose
not to fight it.”
FASHION SHOW
Benefit For
Trinity Shrine
Fieldcrest Mills, Inc., will
present a Fashion Show
sponsored by Fort Benning
Volunteers on January 12, at
2:00 p.m. Directed by Mrs.
Patricia Mudd, wife of Major
William C. Mudd, Jr., 200
Austin Loop, Fort Benning,
the show will be held at
Blessed Trinity Shrine
Retreat off Route 165 in
Holy Trinity, Alabama.
Former model, Mrs.
Shirley Robocker, a Fort
Benning Waiting Wife, will
supervise the professional
models appearing gratis in
Fieldcrest’s unique Fashion
Show featuring apparel made
from quality towels and
linens. Explicit “how-
to-do-it” instructions will be
available for those in
attendance who might care to
reproduce the models’
wardrobe.
Roselle has been invited to
display her favorite cook
book for sale following the
show. Miss Chely Aviles of
Columbus, will be responsible
for the shrine decorations for
this occasion and Mrs. Joan
Wolz, of Fort Benning, will
be in charge of publicity.
The Public is invited to
attend. Admission is $.50 per
person. Light refreshments
will be provided courtesy of
Mr. Leo Brooks of Black
Angus Inn. Fashion Show
proceeds will benefit Blessed
Trinity Shrine, an Interfaith
Retreat Center.
Obituaries
Mrs. Lydia Maria Cummings of Columbus, December 13th
Mrs. Henrietta English of Savannah, December 31st
Mrs. Lucy McCreevy Senchel, formerly of Savannah,
December 31st
Mrs. Mary Crawford York of Savannah, December 31st
Mrs. Ruth E. LeDuc of Columbus, January 1st
Mr. Lawrence J. Gossage of Garden City, January 2nd
Mr. Emory Joseph Jordan of Savannah, January 2nd
Mr. Gardner Semes Hale of Savannah, January 2nd
Miss Catherine Loretto O’Leary of Savannah Beach,
January 3rd
Marriages
of
Miss Patricia Ann Gallman of Atlanta, Ga., and Mr. William
Kittrell Winstead Jr. of Doraville, Ga., December 21 at The
Church of the Holy Family, Columbus, Ga.
Miss Lucy Lynn Adams of Fayetteville, N.C., and Mr. Neil
Anthony McLean III of Fort Benning, Ga., December 27 at
the Main Post Chapel, Fort Benning.
Miss Linda Nell Clements of Vienna, Ga., and Mr. John
Aloysius Rox III of Augusta, Ga., December 28 at St.
Mary’s on the Hill Church, Augusta.
Miss Nancy Ruth Mock of Savannah, Ga., and Mr. John
Warren Wall of Fort Valley, Ga., January 2 in the Blessed
Sacrament Church, Savannah.
Catholic Women’s Club
The regular monthly meeting of the Catholic Women’s Club
Savannah will be held on Tuesday, January 14th, at 8:15
p.m. in the Cathedral Meeting Room.
Commission For Burns
Edward J. Burns III received his commission in the U.S. Air
Force on December 20th. A graduate of Benedictine Military
High School, Savannah and North Georgia College, Dahlonega,
Burns took his Officers training at Lackland Air Force Base in
Texas. Married to the former Pauline Louise Canant of
Charleston Air Force Base, he is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward
J. Bums, Jr. of Savannah. He will take his pilot training at
Reeves Air Force Base, Lubback, Texas.
Holy Family Communion
Savannah’s Holy Family Council 5588 Knights of Columbus
will celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family with the Fifth
Annual Family Communion and Breakfast on Sunday, January
12th. Mass will be offered at 10:00 a.m. at Nativity of Our Lord
Church and breakfast will follow in the Church Hall. Father
Michael Smith, vice-chancellor of the Diocese and Assistant
coordinator of the Diocese’s Christian Formation Department
will be the principal speaker. Members of the council - from
babes-in-arms up - will attend the Mass and breakfast.
Sav. Deanery Meeting
The Savannah Deanery Council of Catholic Women will hold
its winter meeting at Way cross on Sunday, January 19th. Mass
will be celebrated at St. Joseph’s Church at 12 noon by the
Most Rev. Gerard L. Frey. A luncheon and business meeting will
follow at 1 P.M. at the Holiday Inn. The Rev. John Gilmore,
Rector of the Grace Episcopal Church in Waycross, will be the
guest speaker. Reservations should be made by January 15 with
either Mrs. James H. Paradise, 1203 Elizabeth Street, Waycross,
or Mrs. Gordon Whelan, Jr., 8305 Dale Drive, Savannah (Phone
354-7096). Transportation may be arranged through Mrs.
Whelan. A large attendance is anticipated as this will be the last
out-of-town meeting of the Deanery. Because of the recent
change in boundaries, the local Deanery will in the future be
composed only of Chatham County.
Credit Union
The Second Annual Meeting of the St. James Parish Federal
Credit Union will be held on Monday, January 13, at 7:30 P.M.
in the Audio-Visual Room of St. James School. Guest speaker at
the meeting will be Mr. John Sullivan, Treasurer of the Union
Bag-Camp Paper Corp. (Savannah) Federal Credit Union.
Among the items of business on the agenda will be presentation
and discussion of the yearly financial report, and the election of
two board members and one credit committee member. Door
prizes will be given away. All persons in both St. James and St.
Frances Cabrini Parishes are eligible to become members of the
St. James Parish Federal Credit Union, and all parishioners are
invited to attend the annual meeting and ask any questions they
may have regarding the Credit Union’s organization, operation,
benefits, etc. Full membership privileges include regular share
accounts, Christmas savings accounts, and loans.
Albany PCCW
Mrs. George Clark, director of Volunteer Services of
Southwestern State Hospital was the guest speaker at the
January meeting of St. Teresa’s (Albany) P.C.C.W. She outlined
the ways various organizations and clubs could be helpful to
patients at the Thomasville Hospital. Mrs. Tom Mazur and Mrs.
Herman Turner were named co-chairmen of a Bridge and Style
Show to be held during February. Mrs. Keith Burnett was
named chairman of refreshments; Mrs. Ed Walsh and Mrs. Ralph
Muir for obtaining prizes, with Mrs. Ken Markert and Mrs.
Norman Stanek in charge of publicity. It was announced that
First Friday Adoration would be held at the Church starting in
February. The next meeting will be held on February 1st.
Inquire About the . . .
BON AIR
Retirement Club
Walton Way at Hickman Road
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA 30904
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with sample weekly menu, Recrea- I
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Street Address
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Dial 733-3661
City
State
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AUGUSTA, GA.
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WALTON WAY AT HICKMAN ROAD
NESTLED HIGH ON A HILL OVERLOOKING THE CITY OF AUGUSTA
“There can be