Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 8 — The Southern Cross, October 30,1969
BY ALIDA SMITH
DIOCESAN VICE CHAIRMAN, PUBLIC RELATIONS
WORLD PEACE. Look at
a world globe and place a pin
on every spot where trouble
has occurred during the past
year. It’s shocking, isn’t it?
And frightening. The danger
of all-out nuclear warfare is
very real.
This thought has been in
my mind ever since the
Moratorium Day a couple of
weeks ago. The Southern
Cross issue of Oct. 16 carried
an excellent editorial about
the Moratorium which
advised: “Americans should
heed the call of President
Nixon to make .. .Wednes
day, Oct. 22, a national day
of prayer for ‘peace with
justice for all people
throughout the world’ and
make the next twelve months
a ‘year of prayer for peace’.”
The necessity of prayer for
peace in the world was
re-emphasized to me when I
watched the Merv Griffin
show on TV one night. The
last guest to appear was
Harrison Salisbury, Pulitzer
Prize-winning journalist who
is considered to be an expert
on Communist Russia and
China. Mr. Salisbury had just
returned from a trip to
Russia, and his observations
on the Sino-Soviet tensions
were enough to cause at least
a mild alarm over the possible
threat of all-out nuclear war
between these two giants. He
reported that both countries
are preparing for this
eventuality by such tactics as
arms build-up, installation of
missile-launchers, and
dispersal of industry. Mr.
Salisbury’s warning of the
possibility of total
destruction of the entire
human race, in the event of a
major war between Russia and
China, should make us all
want to do something to
prevent this catastrophe. The
only thing we can do is pray.
This is where the phone
call from Stella Schneider
comes in. You all know
Stella. She is past President of
the Savannah Deanery CCW
and is presently serving as
Deanery International Affairs
Chairman. Her call concerned
the very thing that had been
so much on my mind-prayers
for peace. Stella suggested
recommending to every
PCCW in the Savannah
Diocese that they close every
meeting with a prayer for
peace, as is recommended by
the Savannah Diocesan CCW.
Stella sent along a prayer
which she thinks would be
suitable for this purpose, and
if you like it, why not adopt
this as your PCCW’s closing
prayer? This is the beautiful
Prayer of St. Francis.
“Lord, make me an
instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me
sow love; where there is
injury, pardon; where there is
doubt, faith; where there is
despair, hope, where there is
darkness, light; where there is
sadness, joy.
“Oh Divine Master, grant
that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to
understand; to be loved as to
love; for it is in giving that we
receive; it is in pardoning that
we are pardoned; and it is in
dying that we are bom to
eternal life.”
***
SEWING CLASS. Sr. Mary
Catherine Moore of the
Office of the Social
Apostolate in Savannah has
announced that she plans to
start a class in basic sewing,
and she needs your help in
supplying sewing notions
such as scissors, tape
measures, pins, needles,
thread, patterns, and
material. If you have any
sewing notions you’d like to
donate, please contact the
Office of the Social
Apostolate, phone 233-1877.
If you don’t sew, perhaps you
or your PCCW would like to
make a contribution to help
Sr. Catherine purchase some
to the necessary supplies.
While we’re on the subject,
the Social Apostolate still
needs volunteers to staff the
office, sort and price clothes
for the Thrift Shop, provide
transportation for the elderly,
etc. If you can offer even an
hour or two a week, call the
Social Apostolate and let
them know when ybu cart
help. The work that these
dedicated people do is truly
astounding, but they want to
do so much more, and for
this they need your help.
SCHOOL GRIPPERS
St. James In
2-Game Lead
St. James defeated Blessed
Sacrament 12 to 0 and
remains the only team
undefeated in the Knights of
Columbus Parochial School
League in Savannah.
In the second game played
last Saturday, Cathedral -
Sacred Heart edged Tybee 6 -
0, scoring with one minute
left in the game. In the game
played on Sunday afternoon,
Nativity suprised St. Marys
22-8.
After five weekends of
play, the midway point of the
football season, the team
standings are:
WON LOST
St. James 5 0
Blessed Sacrament 3 2
Nativity 3 2
St. Marys 3 2
Cathedral- 1 4
Sacred Heart
Tybee 0 5
SCHEDULE
Games scheduled to be
played this weekend are:
Saturday, November 1st,
10:00 A.M., Nativity vs.
Blessed Sacrament; 11:30
A.M., Cathedral - Sacred
Heart vs. St. James; Sunday,
November 2nd, 3:00 P.M.,
Tybee vs. ST Marys.
Now get
top interest
on your
Savings Account
And you start earning, interest the
day you open your Liberty Bank 5%
Golden Savings Account, -bnd it's compounded .daily.
Liberty Bank will give you 5% plus every-day interest, plus the
convenience of full-service branches where you can make
deposits. You can open your Golden Savings Account
for just $25'. From then on, the amount you deposit is up to
you. You get automatic quarterly statements.
You can withdraw any money which was on deposit at
the beginning of any calendar quarter during the ten day withdrawal
period ,at the^beginning of the next quarter. Inte/est is paid
quarterly and can be withdrawn at end of any
quarter. Deposits are insured up to $15,000 by the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation. Open your Golden
Savings Account—at any branch of the
Liberty National Bank
■NUN FOR 65 YEARS
Jubilee ‘Continuing Feast’
CONFRATERNITY DRIVE — Pictured are two-hundred
workers of St. Mary’s on-the-Hill Parish, Augusta, before they
set out to collect cash donations for the Confraternity of the
Laity Drive. The parish quota was $12,000.00 which was
exceeded.
For Sister Hildegarde
BY MARY MARGARET BYRNE COLUMBUS LEDGER ENQUIRER
Sister M. Hildegarde likes
hearing the Mass in English,
wouldn’t go back to wearing
her order’s old-style habit and
heartily approves of
congregational singing.
Hardly surprising in this
era when nuns are donning
secular dress, speaking out on
social issues and are generally
independent, you say.
But Sister Hilegarde is not
exactly “new breed,” as the
postconciliar nuns and
priests are labeled. She has
been a nun for 65 years, is 83
years old and is in the midst
of a “Diamond Jubilee”
celebration of her first
reception of the religious
habit.
A diamond jubilee in the
ordinary sense refers to 75
years, “but my goodness,”
says the tiny, sprightly Sister,
“even if you’re still around
after doing the same thing for
75 years, you’re not likely to
know what’s going on! So our
order has made a rule that a
diamond jubilee may be
celebrated after 60 years.”
For Sister Hildegarde, her
jubilee has been both a
moveable and a continuous
feast, with events being held
at St. Francis Hospital here
at the motherhouse of the
Third Order of St. Francis in
Pittsburgh, Pa., and at the
tiny Church of Christ the
King, Pine Mountain, Ga.
On Oct. 2 she flew to
Pittsburgh, where on Oct. 4
she joined a group of 20
other jubilarians for a special
Mass composed in honor of
St. Francis of Assisi, patron
saint of the order, and for
other celebrations including a
musical entertainment and a
couple of dinners.
Her joy in these
observances was further
heightened by the fact that
they were shared by her
younger sister, who entered
the convent three years after
Sister Hildegarde, and became
Sister M. Marcelline. They
were joined by their other
sisters, Miss Clara Laaks and
Mrs. Jacob Bradwell, who still
live in the Laaks family’s
home town, Carnegie, Pa.
Sister Hildegarde came
home to another celebration
in Pine Mountain, where she
has taught Confraternity of
Christian Doctrine classes --
Sunday School - each
Sunday for the past five years
and now has some 12
children in her class. Her
young students put on a skit,
“This Is Your Life, Sister
Hildegarde!” One of them,
seven-year-old Patrick Taylor,
hauled in a jubilee gift, a new
portable typewriter, in a red
wagon. “And Patrick made a
speech and said ‘we want to
thank you for teaching us
about God and Jesus and the
Bible and we want you to
know we love you,”’ Sister
reports with a delighted
smile. To wind things up,
there were two parties at the
hospital honoring Sister
Hildegarde. One was attended
by priests and religious in the
two-state area, and another
was for the staff and
employees of the hospital.
Sister’s long life began
Sept. 30, 1886, in Carnegie,
where she was born Anna
Catherine Laaks, the eldest of
five children in a family of
German descent. She does
not remember a time when
she did not want to become a
nun. Her vocation, or the call
to the religious life, was
direct and clear. “I used to
look at the Sisters, and think
how wonderful it would be to
be one of them,” she recalls.
When she was about 10, she
heard a sermon that made a
profound impression on her
and which she has never
forgotten. “The priest said,
‘The virgins will sing a song in
heaven that no one else
will.’” The metaphor was not
lost on young Anna, for
music has been her life-long
love. She studied hard at the
piano, and when she was
confirmed, chose Cecelia as
her confirmation name for
the patron saint of music.
But undeniable as Anna’s
vocation was to her, she had
plenty of opposition when
she decided to enter the
convent. “My mother died in
1900. She knew what I
wanted to do, and her last
words to my father were
“Don’t stand in Anna’s way.’
But I was so young, and my
father found it hard to let me
go. My pastor wanted me to
wait. ‘See more of the world,
Anna,’ he told me. But I told
him I wanted to enter the
convent.”
In the end, the young girl
got her way. She had at first
wanted to join the order of
the Sisters of St. Agnes. “But
their motherhouse was in
Fond du Lac, Wis., and my
father was so sad, and said,
“So far away, Anna?You’ll
only come back to see me in
my coffin.’” A first cousin of
her mother’s had some years
earlier become a Franciscan,
and it was because of this
relative, Sister Genevieve,
that Anna Laaks entered the
Third Order of St. Francis,
with a motherhouse in nearby
Pittsburgh. “And I’ve always
been glad,” says Sister
Hildegarde, looking back.
Since she was only 15, the
future nun spent two years in
preparatory school, and
entered the convent on July
2, 1903. She received the
religious habit Dec. 28, 1904,
took temporary vows on New
Year’s Day, 1907, and made
her perpetual vows exactly
two years later. Her pastor
from Cameigie, who had told
her to wait, was on hand
“and he was so happy for
me,” Sister Hildegarde
reminisces.
There folowed busy,
fulfilling years. Music
continued to be her great
love. Sister Hildegarde got a
bachelor of science degree in
public school music with a
major in organ at Duquesne
University in Pittsburgh, was
a teacher, an organist, an
assitant mistress of novices, a
school supervisor.
She organized music
classes, taught orchestra,
taught the beautiful art of
Gregorian chant to novices.
Occasionally she was deprived
of her music because of the
press of other duties, but it
has been a sustaining force
throughout her life. In a
realistic appraisal of her
talent, Sister Hildegarde says,
“I’m not a good executor,
but I can teach.”
While one Hildegarde was
busy in the religious life,
another Hildegarde was
climbing to fame as a cafe
singer. Confusion was
inevitible. “Sister, do you
sing over the radio? an
earnest little boy once asked
Sister. “No, I’m not that
Hildegarde” said the nun. The
“other” Hildegarde, usually
billed as “The Incompar
able,” can still be heard in
such New York smart spots as
the Plaza’s Persian Room and
the St. Regis Maisonette.
Sister Hildegarde came to
Columbus and to St. Francis
19 years ago. She has no
intention of retiring. She
visits patients in the hospital,
take care of the chapel,
teaches her weekly CCD class.
And she keeps up with what’s
going on. Sister admits that
the change in the Franciscan
habit was not easy for her.
“That habit was dear to me. I
had been wearing it for 60
years. And I had never worn
short dresses, even as a girl,
for when I entered the
convent everyone wore
dresses to the floor.” But, she
reasoned, “When the Pope
asks you to do something he
has a reason for it.
“I thought and thought
about it. We Sisters here were
allowed to proceed at our
own pace in making the
change. I just said, ‘I’m
waiting for Pentecost Sunday,
and I’m going to ask the Holy
Spirit to sit on my head.’ And
at dinner time on Pentecost
Sunday, I walked in with the
new look!” Sister says with a
twinkle. “I started with my
hems up to ankle-length, and
then went a little further.
Now they are 14 inches from
the floor, but I’m not going
any higher.”
After she took the plunge
Sister Hildegarde decided she
liked the new look. “I see the
advantages now. And when
you see some Sisters in a
gathering who have not
altered their habits, they look
out of place. They’re not
right for the times.”
The changeover from
Latin to English in the Mass
was much easier for her. “I
don’t miss Latin at all,” says
Sister decidedly. “I never did
understand it much, anyway.
As soon as the English started
I was ready for it. I heard a
Latin Mass not long ago and
thought how strange it
sounded.”
Another change that Sister
greeted warmly was the
introduction of
congregational singing, an
innovation for Catholics, who
were accustomed to
remaining mute as mice in
church. Most of them still do
not sing very well, it must be
admitted. No matter, says
Sister Hildegarde
emphatically. “Singing is
twice praying. Congregational
singing is wonderful. God
looks at the desire and the
will - you should just use the
voice He gave you.”
ALBANY DEANERY MEETING - The Fall Meeting of the
Albany Deanery Council of Catholic Women held (Oct. 12) at
Immaculate Conception in Moultrie. L-R Mrs. Henry Gallman,
President of Savannah Diocesan Council; Mrs. Charles
Oberleitner, President of Immaculate Conception Parish C.C.W.;
Fr. Thomas J. Giblin, O.F.M., Pastor of Immaculate Conception
Church, Moultrie; Miss Ethel Gonzalez, President of Albany
Deanery Council and Msgr. John D. Toomey, Spiritual Director
of Savannah D.C.C.W.
Obituaries
* Miss Catherine G. Caye of Cochran, Sept. 23th.
* Mr. William J. Heffeman Sr., of Augusta, October 20th
* Mr. Michael Caterina of Savannah, October 21st.
* Mrs. Delia Roche Bart of Savannah, October 24th.,
* Mr. William J. Oetgen of Savannah, October 25th.
Marriages
* Miss Jacqueline Marie Bailey and Mr. Walter Louis
Patterson III., both of Savannah, Ga., October 17 in St.
Benedict’s Church, Savannah.
* Miss Margaret Elaine Turner of Savannah, Ga., and Mr.
Angelo Joseph San Fratello of Augusta, Ga., October 24 in
Blessed Sacrament Church, Savannah.
* Miss Florinda Rubang Sicay of Savannah, Ga., and Mr.
Robert John Roffey of Cleveland, Ohio, October 25 in the
Hunter Army Airfield Chapel, Savannah.
* Miss Therese Denise Lewis of Port Wentworth, Ga., and Mr.
Glenn Edward Smith of Savannah, Ga., October 25 in Our
Lady of Lourdes Church, Port Wentworth.
Necrology
* Rev. Joseph Kaddah, November 2, 1928.
* Rev. Stephen Beytagh, November 5, 1876.
* Rev. Jeremiah F. O’Neal, November 6, 1868.
* Very Rev. Harold J. Barr, November 7, 1952.
St. James P.C.C.W.
The monthly meeting of the St. James PCCW will be held on
Monday, Nov. 3, at 8 P.M. at St. James School, Savannah. Guest
speaker will be the Rev. J. Ronald Pierce, pastor of John Knox
Presbyterian Church. All ladies of the parish are invited to
attend.
St. Michael’s Bazaar
The annual Bazaar of St. Michael’s Parish will have a Turkey
Dinner with all the trimmings on November 1st from 5 till 9 in
the American Legion Hall, Savannah Beach, Ga. This affair is
held in support of the school. Donation $1.00.
Pius X Student Honored
Kenneth Jackson, student at St. Pius X High School,
Savannah has received a letter of commendation from the
National Achievement Scholarship Program, according to Father
Fred Nijem, St. Pius X Moderator. Students receiving letters of
commendation rank just below the 1500 semi-finalists. Their
names are submitted to accredited colleges and universities as
excellent prospective students. Jackson is the son of Mr. nd Mrs.
William Jackson of Savannah.
Adult Sunday School
The Sunday School for Adults continues at Blessed
Sacrament Parish, Savannah, with Sister Angela Marie, R.S.M. of
St. Vincent’s Academy conducting the classes at Blessed
Sacrament school library from 10:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. on
the Sundays of November. Sister Angela Marie’s subjects will be
The Book of Job - November 2nd; Canticle of Canticles -
November 9th; Book of Psalms - November 16th; and Epistle to
the Hebrews - November 23rd. The Adult Sunday School for
October taught by Father Fred Nijem on the Prophets was well >
attended. This program is open to the public.
Form Inter club Council
Representives from various Catholic Youth Clubs in
Savannah met on October 22nd, at Blessed Sacrament Church
to discuss plans for an Interclub Council. The group felt the
need for such a Council because it could provide an exchange of
ideas among the various clubs throughout the city and in this
way each club could provide a more interesting program for its
members. The Council itself could sponsor better organized
city-wide activities. Present were representatives from Blessed
Sacrament, Nativity, St. Frances Cabrini and St. James Parishes,
Representatives from each youth club in the Savannah Deanery
are invited to attend the next meeting. It is hoped that each
parish will have at least one representative in attendance. The
next meeting will be held after the 8:30 a.m. Mass, approx. 9:30
a.m. at St. James Church on November 9.
NOV. 2ND-7TH
Warner Robins
Parish Mission
A Parish Mission will be
held at Sacred Heart Church,
Warner Robins, Ga. on
Sunday, November 2nd,
through Friday, November
7th, beginning at 7:30 p.m.
each evening. The preacher
will be Right Reverend
Monsignor William E. Powers.
Monsignor Powers was
born in Saginaw, Michigan in
1911; graduated from St.
Gregory’s Seminary in
Cincinnati in 1932 and from
the Grand Seminary in
Montreal, Canada with a
S.T.B. degree in 1935 and
ordained in Detroit, Michigan
in 1936.
Following seven years in
the diocese of Grand Rapids,
Michigan, he was appointed
to the cavalry in Fort Riley
after entering the army in
1943. He was assigned to the
China-Burma-India Theater in
May 1945 with duty in
Assam after a tour with the
Hospital Ship Wisteria across
the North Atlantic and
Mediterranean areas.
Monsignor Powers’ next
assignment in 1946 led him
from Persia to Australia
through the South Seas and
Spice Islands, reclaiming the
American dead as a member
of the American War Graves
Registration Service. His first
assignment in the Air Force
came after attending Chaplain
School at Carlisle Barracks,
Pennsylvania in 1947.
In January 1959
Monsignor Powers drove the
Alaskan Highway to
Elmendorf Air Force Base at
Anchorage where he assumed
the duties of Assistant
Command Chaplain. During
this tour of duty he was made
a Domestic Prelate with title
of Right Reverend Monsignor
at the request of His
Eminence, Francis Cardinal
Spellman, then Military Vicar
for the Armed Forces.
Upon his retirment in June
1964, Chaplain Powers
returned to the Diocese of
Grand Rapids, Michigan for
an assignment at St.
Gregory’s Church, Hart,
Michigan until his transfer to
St. Paul the Apostle Catholic
Church, Grand Rapids
Michigan in June 1965.
MONSIGNOR POWERS