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SERVING 88 SOUTH - GEORGIA COUNTIES
The Southern Cross
DIOCESE OF SAVANNAH NEWSPAPER
Vol. 56 No. 27
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OPINIONS BEING SOUGHT
A
Bishops Study Whether To
Change Law On Holy Days
WATCHING HEAVENS - Pope Paul VI looks at lunar landing area through the telescope at the
Vatican Observatory at Castelgandolfo, Italy. The Pope also watched the landing on television and
termed it “a historic day for humanity,” although he warned against idealizing machines rather
than human accomplishments. (NC PHOTOS)
IN TV MESSAGE
Pope Hails Astronauts
As 6 Conquerors Of Moon 9
WASHINGTON (NC) — The National Conference
of Catholic Bishops is seeking to determine what
changes, if any, should be made in current Church
legislation requiring Catholics in the United States to
attend Mass on five holydays of obligation.
In the process, it is sampling the attitudes of
bishops, priests, Religious and laity on the issue.
Since the obligation to participate in Mass on these
holydays touches the laity in a particular way, a
special effort is being made to determine their
feelings in the matter.
It is being suggested that requiring participation in
while the samplings are being Mass on that particular day,
made some catechesis on the or to transfer the celebration
subject of holydays be given, of the feast to a near and
possibly through one or two appropriate Sunday.
Local Survey
Bishop Gerard L. Frey of the Diocese of Savannah has
directed pastors to survey members of the laity regarding their
opinion concerning the changing of Holydays of Obligation in
the U.S. The various pastors will forward the results of their
local surveys to the Savannah Chancery.
Student Network
WASHINGTON (NC) - An information network that will
enable school systems in the 48 mainland states to exchange
records of migrant children within a day’s time is scheduled to
begin operations next April, the U.S. Office of Education
announced (July 21). The network, called the Uniform Migrant
Students Record Transfer System, will establish a central data
bank in Arkansas, linking the participating states and local
school systems electronically. For the first time, schools will be
able to obtain detailed information about enrolled migrant
children as the youngsters travel from state to state or within a
state.
Fr. Louis A. Wheeler, SJ
To Mark Diamond Jubilee
homilies by parish priests.
This catechesis, it is felt,
could serve as a preparation
for the samplings and as a
general instruction for the
people regarding holydays of
obligation.
A survey of the NCCB in
1969 indicated that a
majority of U.S. bishops
favored some change in the
observance of obligatory
holydays, but provided no
clear pattern. For this reason,
an ad hoc committee of the
NCCB was appointed last
November, under the
chairmanship of Bishop
Aloysius J. Wyeislo of Green
Bay, Wis., to explore the
question.
T h e re are two
fundamental choices: either
retain the holydays of
obligation as they are, or
modify existing legislation. If
one opts for a change in the
law, a decision must be made
with regard to each holyday.
This choice will mean either
to make no change regarding
that particular holyday, or to
eliminate the obligation
Christmas will remain as a
holyday of obligation, in any
event.
The question of change
involves five other holydays
of obligation--Jan. 1, which
now becomes the Solemnity
of Mary the Mother of God;
Ascension Thursday; the
Feast of the Assumption,
Aug. 15; All Saints Day, Nov.
1, and the Feast of the
Immaculate Concpetion, Dec.
8.
The NCCB committee is
leaving it to the individual
Ordinary to determine how
he will make the samplings in
his See, through the liturgical
commission or some similar
group, through parishes, or
through some lay
organization. A questionnaire
is provided by the committee,
but the Ordinary may use his
own. The results of the
samplings are to be tabulated
by local personnel and only a
general report submitted to
the committee.
Some material has been
(Continued on Page 2)
Ordained on June 27,
1923, by John Cardinal
Glennon, he taught four years
in New York and served as
Student Counsellor at Xavier
High School. He was
appointed to Retreat work in
1929 and served in this field
until 1946.
From 1946 to 1952,
Father Wheeler was pastor
and superior at St. Aloysius
Church and Community at
Leonardtown, Maryland. He
retired from parochial work
in 1952 and from then until
1966 was again engaged in
Retreat work.
LAFAYETTE, La., (NC) — An appeal to Catholics of the
Lafayette diocese and of the state to join hands in solving
school integration difficulties has been made here by Auxiliary
Bishop Warren L. Boudreaux. Bishop Boudreaux, vicar general
who has been administrator of diocesan affairs while Bishop
Maurice Schexnayder of Lafayette is in Europe, issued a letter
read in churches and chapels of the diocese, on July 20. Many
localities in this southwest Louisiana diocese, and throughout
the state, have been in turmoil over latest public school
desegration guidelines.
FR. LOUIS A.
WHEELER, S.J.
In 1966, Father was
loaned to the Diocese of
Savannah, where he was
assigned to parochial work at
the Cathedral of St. John the
Baptist.
In October of last year,
Father Wheeler suffered a
stroke and following a period
of convalescence in Maryland,
has recently returned to
Savannah where he is serving
at the Little Sisters Home.
UNDER THE BIG TOP - Little Christie Spencer of Salinas, Calif., attended an annual celebration
to keep alive the customs of the Old West. Here she is on her way to the barbecue: Good luck,
Christie! (NC Photos)
AUGUST 14th
Father Wheeler says that
he is not issuing formal
invitations to the Jubilee
Mass but cordially invites all
his friends to join him in the
obervance of this joyous
event.
Born in Baltimore,
Maryland, on September 8,
1892, Father Wheeler is the
oldest priest in age and date
of ordination in the Maryland
Province of the Jesuits, of
which he is a member.
His Novitiate was served at
Poupkeepsie, N.Y. and his
classical studies were also
made there. He completed
Philosophical studies in 1913.
From 1913-1916 Father
Wheeler taught in High
Schools in the New York area
and from 1920-24 attended
the St. Louis University
Divinity School.
The Father Louis A.
Wheeler, S.J. will observe his
Diamond Jubilee as a member
of the Jesuit Order on
Thursday, August 14th.
Bishop Gerard L. Frey,
Bishop of Savannah, will
concelebrate the Jubilee Mass
with Father Wheeler at 10:00
a.m., on that date, in the
Chapel of the Little Sisters,
Savannah.
CASTELGANDOLF
NC) — Pope Paul VI hailed
the landing of the U.S.
astronauts on the moon with
a special message (July 20)
over television in which he
described them as
“conquerors of the moon.”
Pope Paul had followed
the journey of the three U.S.
astronauts in its various
phases with great interest and
fervent prayers.
On the day of the lunar
landing, at his noon
appearance on the balcony
overlooking the courtyard of
his summer residence at
Castelgandolfo, the Pope
devoted almost all of his talk
to the moon trip. Later that
evening, the Pope went to the
observatory that is on the
grounds of the papal villa. He
visited there for more than
half an hour, talking with the
observatory director, Father
Daniel Joseph O’Connell, S.J.
While at the observatory
the Pope looked through its
powerful telescopes to view
the surface of the moon, and
particularly the designated
landing spot in the Sea of
Tranquillity. He also watched
television coverage on a
special television set which
had been installed for the
moon-landing coverage.
After the lunar module
(Lem) successfully landed on
the moon, Italian television
broadcast a pre-taped film of
the Pope in which he
expressed his enormous
satisfaction and admiration
for the lunar achievement. He
spoke both in Italian and in
English.
In English, Pope Paul said:
“Here Pope Paul VI speaks to
you astronauts from his
observatory at Castelgandolfo
near Rome. Honor, greetings
and blessings to you.
Conquerors of the moon, the
palid light of our nights and
of our dreams! May you bring
to it with your living presence
the voice of the spirit, the
hymn to God our Creator and
our Father. We are close to
you in our good wishes and
with our prayers.
We, Pope Paul VI salute
you together with all the
Catholic Church.”
In his initial Italian
comments the Pope opened
with the words: “Glory to
God on high and peace on
earth to men of goodwill.”
Then he continued: “We
the humble representative of
that Christ who, coming
among us from the abyss of
divinity, made this blessed
voice echo throughout the
firmament, we echo again to
you today, repeating these
words as a festive hymn on
the part of all of our terrestial
globe, no longer the
impassable boundary of
human existence but the
threshold opening on the
vastness of unlimited spaces
and of new destinies.
“Glory to God! And
honor to you, the men who
have wrought the great
spacial undertaking! Honor to
the men who are responsible
(Continued on Page 2)
INSIDE STORY
Nixon On B.C Pg* 3
Nuns Take Jobs Pg. 5
Waterfront Chaplain Pg. 6
Flannery O’Connor Pg. 8
NATION
Asks Unity