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CRITICAL SHORTAGE
Parents Have Major Responsibility In Fostering Vocations
BY VERY REV. RAYMOND GOVERN, C.SS.R.
Just prior to the first session of the Vatican
Council, Pope John XXII in an allocution to the
First International Congress on Vocations said:
"This problem of Religious and priestly vocat
ions is the daily worry of the Holy Father”.
It is the intention of his prayer and the ardent
aspriration of his soul. Practically every Bishop
now assembled at the second session of the Council
can say: *'Holy Father, my greatest need is more
priests and sisters.”
Although vocations are increasing in the United
States, it is astonishing to know that the number
of Sisters in France has dropped 6,000 in the past
four years and 600 convents have closed in
France's 90 Dioceses since 1959.
IN THE Arch-diocese of Atlanta, there are
123 priests, of which 87 are religious. Of the
36 diocesan priests, some have come from Ire
land, others from northern dioceses to labor
for souls in die Arch-diocese. In the continental
United States, comprising 141 dioceses, there
are only two dioceses that have fewer diocesan
priests than Atlanta. This indicates the grave
need of more vocations right here and points
up to the fact that it is of the utmost import
ance that all Catholics, of all ages pray to the
Lord of the harvests that He send more laborers
into the vineyard and secondly that they become
personally involved in becoming thoroughly en
lightened on the need, the nature and the glor
ious rewards of a vocation.
The Arch-diocesan Commission on Religious
Vocations under the direction of Rt. Rev. Msgr.
Patrick J. O'Connor has established a far re
aching program. Last August a successful three
weeks course of latin was completed by 53
boys who have their hearts set on becoming fut
ure priests. The advisory council on Religious
vocations for women is represented by a Sister
of each Community in the Arch-diocese. Members
of five committees will meet in the near future
and plans will be formulated to help each youth
to discover God's will.
In September seven young women entered the
religious life from the Archdiocese. Judith Mar
tin and Florence Walsh, graduates of Pius X
School went to the Sisters of St. Joseph. Judy
Burke and Mary Sue Keck, of St. Gerard's,
Fort Oglethorpe joined the School Sisters of No
tre Dame. Vaughan Bockman also from Pius X
was accepted by the Grey Nuns of the Sacred
Heart. Sandra Mathis chose the Sisters of St.
Dominic (Cancer Home). Sylvia Matton entered
the novitiate of the Missionary Servants of the
Sac red Heart of Jesus.
THERE ARE various ways vocations can be
fostered. Parents can and should carefully en
courage religious vocations in their children.
Since the obligation to prepare a child for its
First Holy Communion rests upon the parent,
it is - logical extension of this truth to say that
the Father and Mother are to continue to develop
high ideals, the practice of sacrifice and gene
rosity and they, themselves should desire stron
gly that at least one of their children- enter
the religious life. When parents impress upon
their child that he has a mission to do God's
will, they in turn want to co-operate with that
will in its fulfillment. When a boy or girl is
brought up and taught to be determined to learn
what God wants of him or her and has courage
to do it, then God's invitations will be rarely
refused.
How can a youth find out for sure if he has
a vocation? A seminary or convent is the only
place, the only testing ground where he can find
out with certainty if God wants him in this life
for keeps. The final step is made only after
years of testing, after one has been accepted
and after one has found out that the religious
life makes one thoroughly happy.
To youths who have an inner conviction that
God is calling them. Father Godfrey Poage, C. P.
Secretary for Religious Vocations says, "it
is particularly important that a spiritual dire
ctor develop in these youths a sense of voca
tion. Each one should think, if God is really
calling me, then I should prepare myself im
mediately so as not to lose time in giving
Christ the benefit of my capacities, my facul
ties, my love. I am going to continue in this
conviction until my spiritual director or
religious superior in Christ's name tells me
that I have no vocation.
IT IS very possible that the Council will moder
nize many practices, policies and regulations of
religious orders and bring them into line with
the needs of our times. And it is very probable
that the Council will stimulate and strengthen a
strong catholic family life and then hundreds of
our fine catholic youths in the Arch-diocese will
generously offer themselves to co-operate in the
great work of the church here and throughout
the world. Once youths realize that Christ has
signaled them out with special love to be his
partners, they just can’t refuse committing them
selves to total love of Him. The saints tell us
that once one falls in love with Christ, the work
Christ askes to be done becomes a pleasure;
everything else becomes easy because it becomes
co-ordinated in this one gigantic effort of their
lives. The words of St. Paul: "Lord, what would
You have me do” should be on the lips of every
youth!.
PRAY FOR
THE COUNCIL
the
Archdiocese of Atlanta
VOL. 1 NO. 41
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1963
55.00 PER YEAR
CAIP PRESIDENT
Peace Is Not
'A Dirty Word’
WASHINGTON—"Peace” a
dirty word?
With communists and others
appropriating "peace” for their
own purposes, it sometimes has
seemed that way. For the small
but prestigious Catholic Asso
ciation for International Peace
(CAIP), however, peace is neit
her slogan nor dodge, but a goal
and a commitment.
'THE Catholic approach
i5 positive,” said the CAlP’s
newly elected president,
William E. Moran. 'Today
there is a growing awareness
that true peace is not just the
absence of war, but demands
justice, charity' and dignity.”
Moran discussed his views on
a wide range of international
issues and the role of the CAIP
in an interview in his office at
Georgetown University's School
of Foreign Service, where he is
dean. Among the points he made
were these;
ctor of die entire African divis
ion.
From 1959 to 1961 he headed
the Africa research program at
the Stanford Research Institute,
Menlo Park, Calif. He came to
Georgetown from there.
Moran, 47 is a native of
Herkimer, N. Y., and a grad
uate of Syracuse University,
from which he received a law
degree. He is married and has
two children.
Elected president of the CAIP
at its recent 36th annual conf
erence here, he envisages a
broadened and stepped-up pro
gram for the peace association.
He hopes to increase die mem
bership and organize the CAIP
on a regional basis (with New
York and Chicago the current
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
SITTING peacefully on a hillside in Lagarone, Italy, die church
tower is left intact after floodwaters from the Vaiont dam de
stroyed most of the town. Caused by a massive landslide the
flood took over 3,000 lives. Relief supplies were rushed to the
region by the Pontifical Relief Organization and Catholic Relief
Services-NCWC,
Pope Praises Americans
At Beatification Rites
•Isolationism today is
"arrant nonsense." In this con
nection many Americans, inclu
ding many Catholics, "must be
dragged kicking and screaming
into the 20th century, and some
body had better start to do the
dragging.”
• U. S. Catholics are widely
ignorant about the Church's te
aching on peace and other con
temporary issues "because they
have so rarely been talked to
as Catholics about these
subjects. . . .How often do you
hear a sermon on Mater et
Maglstra or Pacem in Terris,
or on Catholic social teachings
as they apply to any of the ma
jor Issues in the world today?”
• It is Catholic social doct
rine that rich nations are obli
ged to help poor nations. But
the U. S. foreign aid program
isn't above criticism. Foreign
aid is needed—and so, too, are
reforms.
Moran’s background makes
him well qualified to discuss
such issues, He was an FBI
agent from 1940 to 1945, anec-
onomic analyst with the U. S.
Embassy in Brussels from 1945
to 1946, and assistant to the
Atomic Energy Commission’s
security director from 1947 to
1949.
He THEN went into foreign
aid work and served as a U. S.
aid administrator for 10 years,
from 1949 to 1959, in Belgium,
Morocco and at the foreign aid
agency's headquarters here.
From 1953 to 1957 hewasdire-
VATICAN CITY (NC)-Pope
Paul VI hailed the beatification
of John Neumann - the first U.
S. male citizen to be declared
a blessed — as evidence of the
sanctity of the American people.
The pope’s words climaxed a
New Bishop
For L.A.
WASHINGTON (NC)— Msgr.
John J. Ward, 43 Vice Offl-
clalis of the archdiocesan tri
bunal of Los Angeles, has been
named Titular Bishop of Bria
and Auxiliary to J. Francis
Cardinal McIntyre, Archbishop
of Los Angeles,
The appointment, made
by Pope Paul VI, was announ
ced here by the Apostolic De
legation.
Bishop-elect Ward was born
in Los Angeles, and he atten
ded Holy Cross elementary sc
hool in Los Angeles, Los An
geles College (Junior seminary)
and St. John's Major Seminary,
Camarillo, Calif. He was or
dained in 1946, and made post-
ordination studies in Canon Law
at the Catholic University of
America in this city.
day which was full of emotion
and rejoicing for the thousands
of Americans present at the
ceremony and for the Church
throughout the world.
BISHOP NEUMANN, fourth
Bishop of Philadelphia (1852-
1860), was of Sudeten-German
extraction—born in Prachitz,
Bohemia, now part of Czechos
lovakia.
%
He was a pioneer priest in
the Church in the United States,
he opened the first school for
Italian immigrants in Philadel
phia; he opened a special school
for the city's Negro children in
pre-Civil War Philadelphia; he
learned Gaelic so he could hear
the confession of Irish immi
grants.
THE POPE HAILED Bishop
Neumann as a "pioneer ... one
of that wonderful chain of
bishops who prepared the lead
ers of the Catholic Hierarchy in
the United States and imbued
them with those virtues of de
dication, zeal, practical ef
ficiency and absolute faithful
ness which still distinguish the
venerable and exemplary
American Episcopate.”
, Speaking at the afternoon
portion of the beatification
ceremony the Pope paid tribute
to the Sudeten-German origin of
Bishop Neumann. He said in
German: "For you beloved sons
and daughters of Bohemia, to
day is a day of heartfelt Joy and
deep jubilation, for one of your
sons, John Neumann, has been
raised to the honors of the al
tar.”
PRESENT IN THE basilica
were last minute arrivals J.
Kent Lenahan from Phil
adelphia, who was cured through
Neumann's intercession, his
wife and his mother. The three
arrived the night before the
ceremony.
, The ceremonies concluded,
Pope Paul took his place on a
throne erected on the steps of
the papal Altar of the Confess
ion and began speaking in Ital
ian.
NOTING THAT it was his first
beatification ceremony, he said,
"it is necessary to follow here
below the example of the saints
if we want to reach the glory of
the elect above.”
In praising Blessed John's in
America, the Pope declared that
"this beatification is an ex
cellent document which dispels
the erroneous belief that
American Catholicism is not
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
The high court sent back to
the Minnesota Supreme Court
"for further consideration” the
case of a woman sentem ed to
jail on contempt charges be
cause she refused on religious
grounds to serve on a Jury,
IN DOING so the court re
ferred to a ruling it handed
down last June 17. That decis
ion upheld the right of a Sev
enth Day Adventist woman in
South Carolina to receive state
unemployment t ompensation
funds even though she refused—
on religious grounds—to accept
available Saturday work. The
state had denied'her the money.
ON THIRD CHAPTER
Council Debate
Moves Forward
MRS. NELLIE R. TISCHER celebrated her hundreth birthday
this week. Born in Augusta on October 16th, 1863, Mrs. Tls-
cher has been a widow since 1908, She has four living child
ren: Mrs, E. 0. Tallman, Atlanta} Mrs. John Siigh, Savannah;
Mrs, N. H. Hill, Atlanta; and Mr. John A. Tischer, Atlantic
Beach, Fla. ’Way back when Mrs. Tischer was 86 she made a
wedding dress and an entire trousseau for her granddaughter.
SUPREME COURT RULES
State Must Support
VATICAN CITY — The Fa
thers of the ecumenical coun
cil voted by ap overwhelming
majority to end their discus
sion of the second chapter of
the draft proposal—or schema
— "On die- Nature of the
Church” and to go on to debate
the third chapter.
In the council hall die day's
business was prefaced with re
marks by Archbishop Halllnan
who, speaking in the name of
die Liturgical Commission, ex
plained the background of the 10
amendments to the third chap
ter of the liturgy schema which
were to be voted upon.
FOLLOWING THE vote, the
secretary general of the coun
cil, Archbishop Pericle Felici,
announced that the following
day the text of four amend
ments to the second chapter
would be distributed and that a
vote would be taken on them
the day afterward.
Thus, as the council Fathers
heard die final speeches on the
second chapter of the schema
on the Church, they simultane
ously studied the proposed
amendments to chapter two and
voted faborably on four amend
ments to chapter three of the
liturgy schema.
The four amendments:
—ADDED TO THE liturgy
schema’s text a short explana
tion of sacramentals, describ
ing them as distinct from but re
lated to the sacraments; as sac
red signs to express spiritual
effects, to be obtained through
the prayer of the Church, to pre
pare men to receive the sacra
ments and to sanctify certain
circumstances of human life.
• Extended the use of the ver
nacular to the administration of
die sacraments and sacramen
tals, pending the approval erf
regional or territorial episco
pal conferences, but retained
the use of Latin for die pre
cise "forms” of the sacra
ments generally.
•ADDED THAT a special
provision is to be made for
changes in die ritual of Bap
tism for cases in which a large
number of persons are to re
ceive the sacrament.
• Clarified the original text
by stating that the sacrament
of Extreme Unction is also and
better called " The annolnting
of the Sick.”
Votes cast numbered 2,239.
The largest negative vote was
42, cast on the third amend
ment.
ARCHBISHOP PAUL J. HAL-
LINAN of Atlanta, a member
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
Religious
WASHINGTON (NC) -A new
action by the U. S. Supreme Co
urt underlines its conviction
that the state must accommo-
Beliefs
date the religious beliefs of
citizens.
On the first public working
day of its new term Monday
the Supreme Court moved to im
plement this Church-State doct
rine which it had spelled out
anew only four months ago.
ARCHBISHOP PAUL J. HALL IN AN shown at the Vatican Council with Bishop Robert Tracy, of Baton
Rouge, La. and Jerome Hardy (right) an Atlanta seminarian studying in Rome. Rev. Mr. Hardy is the
son of Mr. and Mrs, Jerry Hardy of St. John the Evangelist Parish, Hapeville,
In its action in the Minnesota
case, the high court directed
the state Supreme Court to re
consider the case "in light of”
last June's ruling, which st
rongly reaffirmed the state’s
obligation not to penalize reli
gious beliefs.
The Minnesota court could
CONTINUED ON PACE 8
