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BISHOP ‘ANDY’ McDONALD VISITS
PAGE 7—The Southern Cross, October 4,1973
“Irish Eyes Smile in the Philippines”
SAVANNAH PRIESTS MEET IN THE Philippines. Father Ryan is on duty at the air base, one
PHILIPPINES. Bishop Andrew J. McDonald, former of several stops on Bishop McDonald’s tour of U.S. air
pastor of Blessed Sacrament parish, Savannah and bases in the Far East. Others in the photo are (11 Mrs.
presently bishop of Little Rock, Arkansas (2nd from Florence Allyn, Superintendent of CCD classes on the
left) was the guest of Father Timothy K. Ryan base, and Father Denis M. Dwyer, also a chaplain at
(Chaplain, Capt. USAF) a priest of the Savannah Clark,
diocese (3rd from left) at Clark Air Force Base in the
BY REV. TIMOTHY RYAN
Chaplain (Capt.) USAF
I am sure that the names Andy
McDonald and Tim Ryan are familiar to
many patrons of the Southern Cross.
Arkansas folks still await Tim Ryan!
When I thought of writing this news
article the first thing that came to my
mind was “Don’t waste your time.
Nobody will believe it.” Then I had
another idea. Have a picture taken, then
they got to believe. I do hope as I write
this, the photographer, who had been
working for about twelve hours, had a
film in the camera. If not I’m sunk.
I spent some time trying to find a
suitable title for this report. “Andy, I
hardly knew ya.” “Getting to know
you.” “We’re all playing in the same
band.” “You’ve come a long way,
Baby.” Or perhaps, “Promised rose
garden blooms.”
I finally settled for “Irish Eyes.”
After all, what could be better?
During July 1972 I was informed
about a permanent change of station
from Charleston, S.C. to Clark A.B. in
the Philippines.
I do not know if my coming to Clark
in October had any real significance.
But during August and September the
rainfall in the Philippines was the
greatest recorded in over one hundred
years.
During July of this year we received
word that His Excellency, Bishop
Andrew J. McDonald, Bishop of Little
Rock, Arkansas, would visit various Air
Force bases in Asia. Clark would be one
of those bases.
The Bishop was due to arrive at Clark
at 0315 on Thursday, 20 September.
The Senior Catholic Chaplain at Clark
had been assigned as Project Officer to
meet and prepare a schedule of events.
Out of courtesy, I decided to meet the
plane. As providence would have it, our
Fr. Patrick Shinnick
Dr. Nell Callahan
Dr. Edward Cashin
Project Officer slept through the alarm.
The rear door of a beautiful Boeing
327 swung open, the Bishop emerged,
and there on the ramp we met, two
men, two brother priests, who were to
find and appreciate each other during
the next few days. In one weekend both
of us would see in each other qualities
we had failed to recognize during six
years in Georgia.
The Bishop’s schedule was a busy
one. Our Project Officer, though a slow
starter, was an excellent timekeeper.
Breakfasts, luncheons and dinners with
a variety of persons from our many
parish activities had been programmed.
I listened to the Bishop as he spoke
on numerous topics to the individual
groups. I could not believe my ears. I
began to wonder if I had missed
something in “The Rite of Ordination
of Bishops.” Where did he get all this
wisdom? What a transformation had
taken place. He was speaking like many
men I admire. Men whose books I read
or taped lectures I buy.
During the mornings and afternoons
the Bishop visited duty stations and
flight lines, social actions, race relations,
equal opportunity, alcohol and drug
clinics. An H3 helicopter flew him to
visit the famous John Hay Air Station in
Baguio, historic Corregidor, and
beautiful Manila.
A little time was alloted to the golf
course. Here the Bishop made the
Stations of the Cross if not par.
On Saturday night, a meal in one of
our local restaurants gave him a
bird’s-eye view of the Angeles City
“wayside shrines” frequently visited by
some of our lonely GI’s. The favorite
saints here are Mary Magdalene and the
Good Thief.
Sunday was a busy one. The day
began with a breakfast at 0730 with our
CCD teachers and helpers. A
concelebrated Mass at 0900 and a trip
St. Mary’s on the Hill Church,
Augusta, will begin on October 7, and
continue thereafter for six consecutive
Sundays, a four pronged adult religious
education program.
The aim of these seminars is to
inspire and encourage every adult
parishioner to update his education in
his faith and to keep abreast of
ecumenical happenings.
Four programs will be offered
simultaneously according to an
announcement by the Religious
Education Director Father Patrick J.
Shinnick.
The first program, entitled
CATHOLICS IN AUGUSTA will cover
the history and growth of the Catholic
Church in Augusta. On October 7 and
October 14, AUGUSTA CATHOLICS
IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY will
be presented by Dr. Nell Callahan. On
October 21, Dr. Edward Cashin will
lecture on FATHER RYAN AND “THE
BANNER OF THE SOUTH”, and on
October 28, November 4, and
November 11, he will speak on THE
CATHOLIC LAYMEN’S
ASSOCIATION’
All of these programs will take place
in the Cafetorium of St. Mary’s on the
Hill School on Sunday Mornings from
ten until eleven o’clock.
In St. Mary’s on the Hill Parish Hall,
on the same six Sundays from ten until
eleven o’clock, Mr. William Beatty will
conduct a series of seminars entitled
“Life In the Spirit.” These seminars will
have four aims; to help establish,
reestablish or deepen a personal
relationship with Christ; to recognize
the work of the Holy Spirit in one’s life;
to help one become a part of a
community or group of Christians with
whom one can share a Christian life; to
help one make use of effective means of
Christian growth that is, to hunger for
the things of the Spirit.
The third program, SCRIPTURE,
JESUS MEANS FREEDOM will be
conducted by Father Barry Stanton.
These questions will be discussed:
What is the core message of Jesus of
Nazareth? How did the New Testament
come into being? What is meant by
Revealed Writings? How did Christianity
“happen” for people of the Ancient
World? How is His message and person
applicable to individual and social life
today? This series will take place in St.
to Wagner High School to visit classes
and the opening of our 1973-74 Sunday
School Program.
A visit to the home of the Acting
Commander of 13th Air Force, Major
General Leroy J. Manor, the man who
commanded the now famous “Son Tay
Raid” to free American Prisoners of War
in North Vietnam, was cut short. It was
Anne’s Hall each Sunday from ten until
eleven October 7 through November 11.
The director of the fourth program
will be Sister Patricia Vandenburg. Her
subject will be Comparative Religious.
The general purpose of this course is to
assist the Catholic in becoming more
aware of the richness in each religion so
that the ecumenism urged by Vatican II
might become a reality. The general
outline is as follows:
1. Religion and its various meanings;
the purpose of its study, the similarities
and differences existing among religions.
2. Religions of the East - Hinduism,
Buddhism, Islam.
3. Judaism.
4. Christianity - Eastern Orthodox,
Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Baptist,
Methodist, Presbyterian.
5. World Council of Churches.
6. Ecumenism.
Editor:
I write in response to the letter of Mr.
Louis Mathews, Jr. (Southern Cross,
September 27th) which was published
under the headline “Walked out on
Watergate.”
I listened to the same sermon that
seems to have aroused Mr. Mathews’ ire.
It was a reasonable and relevant
argument, well in line with the social
teachings of the Church. It’s main
theme was not, of course, the Watergate
affair. It dealt with the broader topic of
the need for Catholics to take an
intelligent interest in good government.
Recent Papal teachings, as well as the
Vatican II document on “The Church in
the Modem World” all call for active
time to prepare for the 1200 noon
Concelebrated Mass.
At both Masses, the Bishop, in
homilies filled with warmth and humor,
quickly built a beautiful rapport with
the filled-to-capacity 600 seat chapel.
His deep loyalty to the church, his
concern for God’s people, his
appreciation for the Blessed Eucharist
and his concern for the poor and
Seminars
Sister Patricia Vandenburg will
present these lectures at St. Mary’s on
the Hill School on the above mentioned
Sundays, also from ten until eleven
o’clock in the morning.
The members of the Religious
Education Committee are: Dr. Thomas
McDonald, Mr. William Beatty, Dr.
Edward Cashin, Mr. Thomas McGreevy,
Mr. John Strelec, Dr. William Real, Mr.
John Myers, Brother Richard and
chairman, Father Patrick Shinnick.
Those assisting with the programs are:
Mrs. George C. Kuhl, Mrs. Jack Haecker,
Mrs. Joseph Green, Mrs. Edward
McMahon, Mrs. David Tribby, Mrs.
Albert Gilchrist, Mrs. Emerson Bussey,
Mrs. Eugene Long.
A nursery will be provided during all
the seminars in the Parish Hall. Pat
Gambill president of the young
Theresian group is nursery chairman.
Coffee will be served at all the Seminars.
All parishioners are urged to take
advantage of this educational program
and are invited to bring their friends.
interest, on the part of men of good
will, in the economic and political
affairs of nations. To quote “The
Church in the Modem World”:
“No better way exists for attaining a
truly human political life than by
fostering an inner sense of justice,
benevolence, and service for the
common good, and by strengthening
basic beliefs about the true nature of
the political community and about the
proper exercise and limits of public
authority.”
I hope we continue to have sermons
of this caliber.
Gillian Brown
Savannah
oppressed of the world will long be
remembered by the people at Clark.
I listened and offered a silent prayer
of thanksgiving that God had brought us
together in this time and place. During
the Kiss of Peace I turned to the Bishop
and said, “Andy, Peace be with you,
hang in.” The Bishop replied with his
glowing smile, “If these people out
there only knew!”
Andy and Timothy, in many ways so
much alike, had met where they should
have met years ago, at the Breaking of
Bread.
A Parish Pot-Luck Supper on Sunday
evening was well attended. The Bishop
was the principal speaker. A group of
people had prepared an enjoyable floor
show. It was my privilege to offer a few
remarks. For the sake of posterity I will
try to recall them here. The floor show
kind of set me back a bit so if I stretch a
point or two, you will understand:
My dear friends, it is with great joy
I welcome you all here, and particularly
Bishop McDonald. When I thought of
becoming a priest some of the local
padres in my home diocese in Tipperary
encouraged me to study for The Home
Mission. “We need farmers’ sons, men
who appreciate tradition, men with a
sense of responsibility,” one of them told
me. I get the feeling everytime I go to
Ireland now, they have a “Novena of
Thanksgiving” that I did not listen. You
see, I listened to Monsignor P.J.
O’Connor. He spoke about the 88
priestless countries of Georgia. He
forgot to tell me that these same
countries were almost peopleless as well.
However, the people that are there are
beautiful.
After six years in the seminary I was
ready to be ordained. Prior to
ordination it was the custom of the
senior dean to offer a few words of
advice to the priests to be. He told me,
“Mr. Ryan, lie low for five years, and if
your Pastor admonishes you on
anything say, ‘Sorry, Father, this will
not happen again’”.
I arrived at Savannah Airport at 2300
hours on the first of September 1962.
The then Monsignor McDonald,
Chancellor of the Diocese, met me as I
came off the plane. “Welcome to
Savannah,” he said. Wondering what
would be an appropriate response, I
said, “Sorry, Monsignor, it will not
happen again.” That was probably the
last time we said a civil word to each
other during the next ten years.
Like two brothers we fought about
something, whenever we met. Anxious
to get on with the conversion of
Georgia, I began to get familiar with my
new surroundings. I was taken to
see a movie. I thought to myself, what
strange people these Americans were.
Instead of going to a theater I was taken
to an open field.
The movie was “The Ten
Commandments” and I guess, I saw at
least nine of them broken right before
my eyes. After assignments in Augusta,
Columbus, and Albany, Ga., the new
Bishop of Savannah, Gerard L. Frey,
invited me to the Chancery for a talk.
Bishop Frey began to tell me what a
wonderful fellow I was and that I would
indeed make a great military chaplain. I
mentioned to Bishop Frey the advice of
the senior dean in college “to lie low for
five years.” The Bishop did a quick
piece of calculation. Lo and behold! It
was the sixth year, 1962-1968. So I did
the noble thing and joined the Air
Force.
While stationed in Charleston, S.C., I
received word that Monsignor
McDonald was to become the Bishop of
Little Rock.
On the day of his ordination I drove
to Savannah. This I had to see for
myself. All during the ceremony I saw
this little old lady crying her eyes out.
Remembering the late rector of our
seminary saying “there is no vacation
from a vocation” I went to console her.
When I learned she was from Blessed
Sacrament Parish in Savannah, I thought
she must be very distraught at losing her
beloved Pastor. “Dry your tears, dear,”
I said, “the Bishop will find another
good priest to take Monsignor
McDonald’s place.” Then she cried
louder, and between her sobs, she said,
“That’s what they told us the last
time.”
So here we are this evening together
in the Philippines, Bishop McDonald
from Little Rock, I from the Air Force,
and come to think of it, Bishop Frey
was recently moved to Lafayette in
Louisians. “All the world’s a stage, and
all the Bishops and priests are merely
players. They have their exits and their
entrances and each man in his time
plays many parts. We’re all playing in
the same band.” Unity without
conformity, different opinions without
bitterness, as we offer hope to a world
that is tired of wars and Watergates, the
task is ours, united we can do it.
Bishop Andrew J. McDonald arrived
at Clark on Thursday, 20 September,
and departed on Monday, 26
September. We hope and pray that the
people of Little Rock will count their
blessings in having a leader who is open
to new ideas in a world of rapid change.
Bishop McDonald is a man who is
willing to learn, willing to listen and
willing to let others do their thing in
order to bring man to God and God to
man. Andy, I’m glad you got to meet
me. Hang in.
for a stay
to be remembered
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