Newspaper Page Text
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PAGE 8
GEORGIA BULLETIN' THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 1963
DESPITE SUFFERING
Final Agony Of Pontiff
One Of Serene Acceptance
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1)
Radio at 9:45 p.m. Saturday,
the Pontiff remained unconsc-
ioua. His pulse was fairly st
rong and his temperature re
mained at 101.4 degrees. His
breathing was being aided by
oxygen. "The general impres
sion is of a progressive wor
sening and that everything rests
in the Hands of God."
CARDINALS were then being
admitted to the sickroom to Join
members of the Roncalli family
and of the papal housenold. Am
ong those taking care of the Pope
was Augustinman Brother Fed
erico Bellottl, who had been
assigned to papal duty for afor-
tnight. It was on the eve of
Pentecost that Pope John greet
ed Eugene Cardinal Tlsserant,
Dean of the College of Cardi
nals, with words based on the
87th Psalm: "Incline Your ear
to my call for help, 0 God,
for I am afflicted and miser
able."
f\ bum
Henry Berrien Zettler,
former Atlanta resident will be
ordained to the priesthood In
Rome, Italy on Saturday. A gra
duate of Marist College, class
of 1953, Father Zettler Is a
member of the Marist Fathers
who conduct the Marist Sch
ool on Ashford-Dunwoody Road.
Aloyslus Cardinal Fraglia,
Pro- Vicar of the Holy Fa
ther for the Diocese of Rome
will officiate. The ceremonies
will take place in St. John La-
teran Church in Rome, Italy.
Father Zettler will celebrate
his first Mass on Sunday in the
Church of (Xir Lady of the Ro
sary In Rome.
Mrs. Elizabeth Conway, mo
ther of Father Zettler, and John
Conway, sophomore at Marist
and half brother of the new
priest, left Atlanta on May 19
to attend the ordination. The
Conways are members of Im
maculate Conception parish.
After his ordination. Father
Zettler will remain in Rome
one year for higher studies.
He will then be assigned a post
by the order.
Father Zettler was born at
Atlanta In October 1935. He
attended the Immaculate Con-
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A 10:30 p.m. bulletin repor
ted a rise in temperature, but
no other change. The atmosp
here of the papal apartment was
described as one of calm, ser
enity and quiet.
With the dawn of Pentecost,
the birthday of the Church, the
Pope was again conscious and
lucid. Ten days previously,
Pope John had planned to re
tire from all but the most pres
sing business to devote himself
to private prayer and rest in
preparation for the great feast
of the Holy Spirit. Instead, his
last nine days had been a no
vena of prayer and pain which
were closely observed by an
anxious and sympathetic world.
AT 6 A.M. Sunday Vatican Ra
dio in the first commuhlque In
seven and a half hours report
ed that the Pontiff's condition
remained unchanged after a
calm night. Drs. Valdonl and
Mazzoni were on duty through
out the night, as was Arch-
FA fHER zettler
cepclon ParochlalSchool.'He was
an honor student for eight ye
ars. From the "1C.", Berrien
entered Marist College, and
graduated in 1953.
Having completed two years
of scholarship work at Emory
he left the University to enter
Saint Mary’s Manor, Marist
Seminary at Pendal, Pennsyl
vania and the Marist Novitiate
at Staten Island. Upon the com
pletion of his novitiate, went
to the Society's House of Stu
dies at Washington, D.C., where
he remained for almost five
years.
Father Zettler has one sis
ter, Mrs. Gerald P. Cleary of
Boston; two brothers, Lt.j.g.
Thomas R. Zettler U.S.N. pre
sently assigned to the USSBox
er, and half brother John K.
Conway, a student at Marist
College, Atlanta.
bishop Dell'Acqua. The Pope’s
breathing and pulse had become
slightly more normal. During
his brief periods of wakeful
ness, Pope John sipped water
and recited brief prayers. But
the outlook was "positively un
favorable.’’
Cardinal Cicognanl offered
the Mass of Pentecost at 6 a.m.
In the Pope's bedroom, and Pope
John was able to follow it atten
tively. But he was unable to re
ceive Holy Communion.
At the conclusion of the Mass
the Pontiff "with fervor" re
cited the Magnificat, the great
prayer which Mary recited when
her cousin Elizabeth greeted
her with the words, "Blessed
art thou among women. ..."
The Pope repeated ejaculatory
prayers, Then he again impar
ted his blessings on the whole
Church, the College of Cardi
nals, the bishops, the clergy,
the sick, children and all the
faithful— especially to mem
bers of Christian labor organi
zations throughout the world.
To his nephew, Msgr. Giam
battista Roncalli, the Pope en
trusted again a special blessing
for his home diocese of Ber
gamo and for all his relatives.
ADDITIONAL Masses were
celebrated in the room in the
course of Pentecost.
At the end of one of them,
the Pope asked that the Introit
and Lesson be read again. The
Pentecost Introit, based on the
first chapter of the Book of Wis
dom, begins, **The Spirit of
the Lord fills the whole wor
ld. . ." The Lesson, from the
Acts of the Apostles, tells of
the descent of the Holy Spi
rit upon the Apostles and the
amazement of men of all nat
ions at hearing them speak in
their own languages.
The Pope years earlier had
remarked that many of the peo
ples mentioned in this Lesson
had come from what is today
Turkey, It was reported that on
his sickbed he turned his mind
and affections toward the Turks
and the other Eastern peoples
he had lived among as a pap
al diplomat—the Bulgarians and
the Greeks. And he told those
at his bedside of having himself
celebrated the Mass of Pente
cost in the Catholic Cathedral
of the Holy Spirit in Istanbul.
At 7:40 A.M. communique
from the papal apartment re
ported that "the robust consit-
tutlon of the Holy Father conti
nues to resist tenaciously the
advance of the disease which is
consuming him." His tempera
ture was 101,3 and the pulse
was good. All three physicians
were then in constant atten
dance.
Due to the Pope's illness,
the Italian government can
celled an immense parade sche
duled for the 17th anniversary
of the Italian Republic, which
fell on June 2. Normally, over
100,000 Italian troops, squadr
ons of tanks, mounted missi
les and other armaments would
have passed through downtown
Rome to be reviewed by Pre
sident Antonio Segnl and other
top government officials.
But in respect for the Pope
whose constant appeal was for
peace, the display of weapons
of war was called off. Presi
dent Segni also cancelled a gala
garden reception for 3,000
guests at the Qulrinal Palace.
Meanwhile, the crowds which
had never completely vanished
from St. Peter’s Square swel
led slowly on the warm holi
day morning, even though rain
soon beat down upon them.
SHORTLY before 10 a.m. it
was announced that the Pope
remained fully lucid. And a few
minutes later it was announced
that he had again given his bles
sing to the Church and the world.
But by Sunday noon, the rain-
drenched faithful in the square
learned that the Pontiff's tem
perature had gone well above
103. His pulse was varying bet
ween 130 and 135 beats a min
ute. Dr. Valdoni, at the Pope’s
bedside at 11:30, said his men
tal facllties were still "fairly
good."
BREATHING with the aid of an
oxygen mask, Pope John ap
peared to be praying from time
to time, his hands stretched
out at his sides with palms up-
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MSGR. JOSEPH P. Moylan, V. G. , P. A. pastor of Our Lady of Assumption Church, shown
celebrating a Solemn Requiem Mass for Pope John XXIII at the Abbey Church of Our Lady of
the Holy Ghost, Conyers. Assisting him are priests of the Archdiociese on the annual retreat at the
monastery.
ward as if in a prayer of
supplication and of selfoblation.
During his long moments of
prayer, his gaze often rested
on a large photograph of Pope
St. Pius X which that pope of
his early priesthood had Insc
ribed to him on another Pen
tecost 58 years earlier. The
Inscription Reads: "To the be
loved priest Angelo Roncalli,
invoking every good wish for
him We willingly Impart the ap
ostolic blessing."
Pope John's mind continued to
be clear as the afternoon wore
on. But he seemed, as Vatican
Radio put it, "to live only with
God, speaking with Him and of
Him."
THE lights were low in the
sickroom. The Pope lay on the
plain brass bed which had been
Pope Pius XH's. He was usu
ally kept in a half-sitting posi
tion to make his breathing eas
ier. From time to time he would
make a signal to have the oxy
gen mask removed. Sometimes
he would rest his weight on his
hands to sit up free of the pil
lows plied behind his head and
shoulders.
The once-full face was thin
and angular against the pillows.
His perspiring forehead was as
pale as the bed linen. The-sight
of his hands, turned heaven
wards in an unmistakable ges-
tuer of prayer, moved many at
his bedside to tears. From
time to time his eyes closed
as if he were asleep.
On the telephone table next
to his bed was a bottle of min
eral water. A row of medic
ine bottles stood on another
table in a corner. The doctors
stood by, alert but only able to
watch.
IT SEEMED in those hours
that John XXIII no longer re
cognized his associates as they
came near his bedside. But Vat
ican Radio said later that ab
out five o'clock Sunday after
noon the Pope gave signs of
following the Eastertime pra
yer, the Regina Coeli, and the
litany of the saints.
Throughout the city every ra
dio was turned to Vatican Ra
dio to hear the bulletins on
the Pope's condition, which
were repeated without interr
uption in every major language
of the world.
As night fell on the city on
Pentecost Sunday estimated 80,
000 persons were in St. Peter's
Square awaiting the end, which
was then expected momentarily
Many of them were prepared to
pass the night there. Two am
bulances were stationed in the
square to attend any eventual
ity among the watchers. Police
entered the square to maintain
order. Traffic police diverted
vehicles from the approaches
to the Vatican as a constant
silent procession moved in its
direction.
IT WAS now three days and
the beginning of the third night
of the vigil as the Pope’s de
ath was expected from minute
to minute. Tlhe night dragged
on and the ranks of the watchers
thinned out in the square.
Pope John was now consider
ed to be in his final agony
and the oxygen mask was re
moved from his face. Medi
cal bulletins detailing the Pont
iff's temperature, pulse and re
spiration were repeated almost
hourly.
At 7:45 p.m. Sunday a spe
cial bulletin over Vatican Radio
said: "The Holy Father’s con
dition is very grave indeed and
all are asked to pray for him."
As the crisis deepened the
Pope revived momentarily to
pray the prayer of Christ at
the Last Supper "that they all
may be one." He was to re
peat the prayer again during the
night, showing a watching world
that he was offering his severe
pain for Christian unity, which
he, more than any other pope
since the Reformation, had
come closest to accomplishing.
POPE JOHN would certainly
die soon, but he was clearly
dedicating his last hours to an
attempt to persuade the powers
of heaven and earth that the first
step toward Christian union
would not be abandoned.
Archbishop Antonio Samore,
Secretary of the Sacred Con
gregation for Extraorinary Ec
clesiastical Affairs, who was
stationed in the papal apart
ments throughout the Pope's ill
ness, stepped out of the scene
for a moment and described it
as "almost like a church."
Bishop Alfredo Cavagna, the
Pope's confessor, knelt at the
bedside. Behind him around
the room were Pope John's re
latives and his closest collab
orators—his Secretary of State,
Amleto Cardinal Cicognanl, and
his faithful personal secretary,
Msgr. Loris Capovilla, among
them.
At 8 p.m. Sunday the Pope's
respiration collapsed and it was
thought that he had expired.
But his breathing revived, and
his strong constitution pushed
him on through the night.
NOW came the sound over
Vatican Radio which those who
remembered the death watch of
Pope Pius XII in 1958 recogn
ized as a sign that death was
expected within minutes; the
sound of voices outside the dy
ing Pope's room reciting the
Rosary.
At 10 p.m., Archbishop Dell’
Acqua left the Pope's room and
told reporters that "His Hol
iness has full use of his mind
and is following the prayers be
ing recited. He has renewed
his blessings for the world.
He is suffering greatly and Is
offering It with full conscious
ness of his pain."
Midnight passed. It was now
early in the morning of Pente
cost Monday, June 3. A Vatican
Radio bulletin at 1 a.m. re
ported: "The Pope is sinking
gradually and perceptibly. The
weak flame of his life is slowly
dying out."
THE communiques became
less frequent in the early hours
as many men, wearied by the
long vigil, sought a few hours
of rest. Vatican Radio remain
ed on the air with a program
of organ music until its next
bulletin, at 3 a.m.: "There is
little change. There Is little
hope. One awaits only the ac
complishment of God's will.''
At that same hour, Pope John
suffered a severe seizure of
pain. A crucifix was placed in
his hands, and, remaining con
scious until dawn, he never let
it go.-
The first light of the fourth
day was showing in the sky
as churchmen and newsmen—
with a promise from their col
leagues that they would "phone
as soon as anything happens"
—threw themselves fully dres
sed and exhausted on their beds.
At 5 a.m. the radio organ
music stopped for a bulletin
saying: "The Pope continues to
live through his slow agony.
For the fourth time, the dawn
rises on the sufferings of Pope
John XXIII supported by prayer.
'Hie Lord of mercy and the Re-
warder of the just will not fall
to heed the sufferings and pra
yers which His faithful servant
has raised to Him with such
lofty intention both for the union
of believers and for the sal
vation of souls. He will hear
also the prayers of the faith
ful raised this night before His
throne."
MONDAY morning Mass was
celebrated In the study adjoin
ing the Pope's sickroom by
Msgr. Capovilla, by Cardinal
Cicognanl, by Bishop Cavagna,
and by Msgr. Roncalli, Those
present said that the Pope
showed signs on more than one
occasion that he was joining in
spiritually in the Masses and
in the prayers being recited
continually at his bedside.
A bulletin by Drs. Gasbarrini,
Valdoni and Mazzoni was issued
at 8: 20 a.m. Monday. The Pope
was lapsing into unconscious
ness frequently and his react
ion to stimulants was poor, It
said. His fever was high, and
his pulse and respiration were
becoming more more rapid.
Inthecourse of Monday morn
ing, Vatican officials met to
consider the steps to be taken
upon the death of the Pope. Am
ong them were Benedetto Car
dinal Alois 1 Masella, who as
Camerlengo of the Holy Roman
Church would have the duty of
summoning and directing the
conclave and of administering
the Church pending the elect
ion of a new pope. Cardinal
Alois! Masella, 83, is also Cam
erlengo, or Chamberlain, of the
College of Cardinals.
Those who met with him in
cluded Archbishop Francessco
Carpino, Secretary of the Col
lege of Cardinals; Msgr. Fede
rico Callori di Vignale, the
Pope’s Majordomo (Perfect of
the papal palaces); and Arch
bishop Enrico Dante, acting in
his capactiy as Perfect of the
Pontifical Masters of Cere
monies,
AT NOON, Vatican Radio is
sued a bulletin stating that the
Pope was unconscious, and that
his fever had increased.
At 2:30 p.m. Monday Vatican
Radio said:
"Prayers are now the only
comfort that can be offered the
Holy Father. Hie strong consti
tution which has resisted the
disease so tenaciously is now
to be inexorably overpowered.
The ] possibility* of intervention
on the pen of the attending
doctors is decreasing minute
by minute."
The Pope's blood pressure
had by then dropped to a count
of 95.
At 7 o'clock that evening,
Luigi Cardinal Traglia, the
Pope’s Pro-Vicar General, for
Rome, offered Mass on the st
eps of St. Peter's basilica so
that the throng of 80,000 gather
ed sorrowfully in the square
could pray for the dying Bish
op of Rome.
The Pope died at 7:49 p.m.
Rome time, (2:49 p.m. EDT)
on Monday, June 3. His death
was officially certified by Car
dinal Alois! Masella and was
made public a minute later.
With the Pontiff when death
came were his three brothers
and his sister.
The minutes later, at 7:53
p.m., Vatican Radio in a spe
cial hookup with the Italian
network gave the solemn newe:
"With soul profoundly moved,
we give you the following an
nouncement:
"The Supreme Pontiff, John
XXIII, is dead. The Pope of
goodness expired in a saintly
way and serenely after receiv
ing the sacraments of the Holy
Roman Church."
CATHOLIC
TRAVEL
OFFICE
Announces
Pilgrimage to Rome
for election
and coronation
of the new Pope
June 16 - 29, 1963.
All inclusive
cost - $798.
CATHOLIC TRAVEL OFFICE
Dupont Circle Building,
Washington 6, D.C.
Will The Real Lebanese-Americans Stand Up?
THE LEBANESE-AMERICANS, a friendly close-knit group,
meet in varioua cities to enjoy their traditional foods and son**.
lor the older folka, born in Lebanon*
there are bits of news of the old
country to share ... Did you know
that many of their inercuauts were re
sponsible for the popularity of ki
monos, lacea, linens, Oriental ruga
and Near East foods in this country?
So says the famed scholar, Dr. Philip
K. Hitti, in the Encyclopedia of Islam
• . . We think of these people when
wc get an appeal such aa the one
from the village of AIC11IEH in
TIRO diocese in Lebanon. The vil
lagers, mostly poor farm workers,
about 1,000 in number, are trying to replace their ■mall, inade
quate and very rundown church with a larger more sultuble
one . . . Encouraged by their Bishop, they appeal to us for
$4,000 to build outside wails. They have the land and if they
can have help with the walls, they feel they will be able to
finish the building from their own small earninga and labor.
Will you help them? Any amount will be appreciated . . . Per
haps one of the many Lebaneae-Americnn groups would like to
make thla a special work of charity* Please help now!
“Men always ring a little bell
When the sacring time la here,
And then shalt thou do reverence
To Christ Jesua’ own high presence."
(From i 13th century Maas Book).
In 18 Near and Middle East countries,
our MISSIONARY PRIESTS, 15,000 in
number, struggle against difficulties of
climate, lack of finances, need for helpers,
to bring the "high presence" of Christ Into the midst of their
people. Your MASS STIPENDS are often their only meana
of daily support. Please remember them from time to time.
Thanks!
JUNE IS FOR BRIDES
We have the names of many young women wishing to become
"Brides of Christ.” They need help to pay expense* of their
two-yesr novitiate, which are $130 a >eur . . . Name* such ms
SISTER ROSE MARY and SISTER MARY CYRIL or the C{|
mslite Slaters of Kothamangalam, India! We have also many
seminarians desirous of becoming priests . . . Their education
costs $600 each ($100 a year), In the case of ANTHONY GEORGE
F.ET1CKAL and JACOB PAUL VADA8SERY of Bangalore, lu*
FATHER’S DAY IS SUNDAY JUNE 18. Why nut
a Mass said for his intention? A MEMORIAL GIFT
too will keep on remembering him when placed in
some mission chapel. U’o’ll send a lovely FATi11 U S
DAY GIFT CARD to let him know what you haw
done. We suggest:
Vestments <S50>, Monstrance ($40), Chalice ($4U).
Ciborium ($40), Tabernacle ($25), Censer ($2U),
Stations of the Cross >$25, Altar Linen* l$lo)
Sanctuary Lamp i$15>, Sanctuary Bell ($5).
. QUOTABLE QUOTE. "What’s wanted now la a lot of little
people, In a lot of little places, doing a lot of little thluq**.’’
Monsignor Luigi Llgutti, quoted In AMERICA magaxlne.
SOME LITTLE WAYS TO HELP
Join ons of our MISSION CLUBS. For a dollar a month,
you can help any of these:
DAMIEN LEPER CLUB (caroa|for lepers)
PALACE OF GOLD (provides for aged)
ORPHANS BREAD (feed orphans)
THE BASILIANS (supports mission ichoois)
MONICA GUILD (providei chalices, altais
and other Items for chapels),
Tht Holy Fatktr1 Mlsam AH
f<* tbt Orimlal Chunk
imillear fist (Dissions
FRANCIS CAROtNM SFIUMAN, Freildent
Josopk T. lyes, Noil
Seed ill cesimsilaodsse fes
/V
m
CAIHOUC NIAK IAST WIIFAM ASSOCIATION
480 loxlngton Av*. at 46th St. N.w York 17, N. Y.