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ARCHB. HALLMAN IN GROUP Draw Up English Liturgical Text SPECIAL TO THE GEORGIA BULLETIN FR. JAMES a McCOWN, S. J. has been assigned to Ignatius Retreat House in Atlanta. Born in Mobile, Ala., Fr. McCown worked in the oil industry after graduation from Spring Hill College. Later, as a member of the Society of Jesus, he ser ved as a student counsellor in the South and was attached to St. Joseph* s parish, Macon. He built and was pastor of St. Juliana Mission Church in Fort Valley, Ga. Fr. McCown is cur rently writing a book about Mex ico. Rome, October 18, 1963- Plans were begun this week for a 'liturgical English*’vernacu lar to be used in the Catholic Mass and sacraments. Bishops of ten English-speaking na tions met Thursday evening, Oct. 17, at the English Col lege, at the invitation of Arch bishop Francis Grimshaw of Birmingham, England. American representatives were Archbishop Paul J. Hal- linan of Atlanta, Ga., and Bis hop James Griffiths of New York, Archbishops Denis E. Hurley of Durban, S. Africa; Guilford C. Young of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia; Joseph Walsh of Tuam, Ireland; Mi chael O'Neill of Regina, Can- HISTORIC DECLARATION Ready Statement On Anti-Semitism VATICAN CITY (RNS) — An historic declaration condemn ing anti-Semitism and aimed at improving relations between Roman Catholics and Jews is ready for distribution to Bi shops attending the Second Vati can Council, but how soon it will be discussed remains an open question. Prepared by the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity headed by Augustin Cardinal Bea, the draft document — al ready warmly hailed in offic ial Jewish quarters — is en titled "De Catholicorum Ha- bitudine ad non-Christianos et Maxime ad Judaeos" (On the Catholic Attitude Toward Non- Christians and Especially To ward Jews). DEBATE OF ANY part of the schema on ecumenism at the Council’s current session is considered unlikely, in view of the extended debate on De Ecclesia, the schema on die nature of the Church which is expected to occupy the Coun cil Fathers until the second session concludes on Dec. 4. However, authoritative sour ces said there was some possibility that Cardinal Bea shortly would appear before the Council to discuss the do cument on the Jews, which, at all events, is now a part of the Council's official record. SOME OF THE points stress ed in the document — accord ing to reliable sources — are; 1. The Catholic Church owes its origins to Judaism, with which It shares the heritage of the Old Testament, and Ca tholics should never forget that Jesus, His family and the Apost les were Jews. ‘ 2. The guilt for die Cruci fixion of Christ falls more pro perly on all humanity than on the Jews. The Church condemns anti-Semitism in any form. It has an abiding affection for the Jews, and deplores in the strongest possible manner the attitude of those who hate, per secute or show contempt for the Jews. ADOPTION OF the draft de claration would climax previ ous action by the Church in deleting from its liturgy’ re ferences that could be constru ed as offensive to Jews. In March, 1959, Pope John XXIII ordered removed from the prayers of Good Friday the phrase "perfidious Jews'* in an ancient text referring to those who crucified Christ. The Pope’s order was later im plemented by a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites. Earlier, Pope Pius XII had ordered the phrase j to read, "the unbelieving Jews." Mrs. Kennedy Sr. Gets Seton Award GREENSBURG, Pa. (RNS)— Mrs. Joseph P. Ke-medy, the President's mother, was awar ded die Elizabeth Seton Medal from Seton Hall College, a Ro man Catholic women's school conducted here by the Sisters of ■Charity. ada; Gordon Gray of Edinburgh, Scodand; and Bishops Leonard Raymond of Allahabad, India, and Owen Snedden of Welling ton, New Zealand were the oth er representatives of the En glish-speaking hierarchies. The objective of the group is to lay the foundation for a long- range liturgical text to serve the Church in the English- speaking world. Liturgy ex perts will meet regularly with the group in Rome, and plans are being made to include Bib lical scholars, musicologists, and stylists to insure an Eng- list text true to the needs of public worship, as well as mu sical and literary require ments. The goal is a text that will win wide acceptance in those parts of the world where English is spoken. Archbishop Grimshaw is chairman of the group, with Archbishops Young and Hal- linan as vice-chairmen. 'The first steps are being taken," said Archbishop Hal- linan, "toward a revitalization of the words of sacred worship, Vatican Council has already pointed the way in two respects: — it has called for a vigorous re-examination of the liturgy that will insure full participa tion of the laity; and it has au thorized a generous use of the vernacular languages. The long-range plan,—a lit urgy in English to suit the pre sent needs of our people in the United States and other lands, —will not slow down the avow ed intention of the Council Fa thers to use the vernacular as soon as possible, it was point ed out. According to the Coun cil decrees now awaiting pro mulgation, each national body of bishops may (upon promul gation) implement them im mediately. This will be done by the enactment of "proper local legislation to suit a whole re gion, and the authorization of suitable translations. "Many of these translations are already available," Arch bishop Hallinan said. "As soon as the national conference of bishops authorize "enabling legislation" for its area, a suitable selection of these translations can be approved for the Mass, and the Sacraments. Meanwhile, the new committee with its specialists will be working on a common text that will suit all English-speaking nations. It is reasonably esti mated that this common text will be ready by the time the postconclliar commission has completed its revision of the liturgical rites. OVER WHELMMGLY DAHLIAS WHICH WON a blue ribbon at the Southeastern Fair were given to St. Joseph's Infirmary patients by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #3027, Atlanta, by Charles Moran, Past Commander and Al. R. Rumph. Commander. Sister M. Eliza beth Anne, RSM: Toni Moran, student nurse and member of VFW Auxiliary; and Sister M. Kristen, RSM, are shown accepting the bouquet. fflM Talk Set Sunday 'The Church: Liberal or Conservative?" will be the sub ject of a talk at the Holy Name Breakfast of Immaculate Heart of Mary parish on Sunday, Octo ber 27. The speaker will be the Reverend Declan Kane, 0. P., from Providence College in Providence, R. I, Father Kane, a native of Hart ford, Conn., attended Catholic University after military ser vice in World War 11 and then entered the Dominican Order. After ordination in 1956, he received the two degrees of Lee to rate and Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Faculty of the Do minican House of Studies in Washlngotn in 1957, Since then, he has been associate professor of philosophy at Providence College, FATHER MULROY OF ST. JOSEPH'S, ATHENS, celebrates Mass facing the congregation. This is symbolic of the liturgical progress which is taking place in the Athens parish and is described in detail in the article on St. Joseph’s on Page 3 of this issue. We hope to have a regular 'Parish Profile' feature ever two weeks in the future. The next parish to be covered will be St. Luke's, Dah- lonega, in the Nov. 7 issue. SCHOLAR EARNS American Bishops’ Image Distorted By Newsmen ROME (NC)—A prominent U, S. Scripture scholar has ex pressed concern about the im age certain reporters are cre ating of American Bishops in the ecumenical council. Father Barnabas Ahern, C. P„ prefect of studies at the Passionist seminary in Louis ville, Ky„ and a former vice president of the U. S. Catholic Biblical Association, said in an interview here: "ALTHOUGH THE press in general has been both generous and sympathetic, I feel that some writers have often miss ed the true spirit of the coun cil and have failed to measure Justly the character and role of the American Bishops." A council expert, Father Ahern has frequently address ed national hierarchies, includ ing the American Bishops. 'THE RECURRING use of the convenient cliches left and right wings,' 'liberal and con servative,’ 'progressive and reactionary,' " he said, "has given a simple and understand ably human explanation of coun cil deliberations. This simplifi cation, however, obscures the fact that most bishops belong to neither group," OPERATION UNDERSTANDING Griffin Men Planning ‘Eyeball To Eyeball’ GRIFFIN — Menof the Sacred Heart Church in Griffin have or ganized a unique "eyeball-to- eyeball" personal call program in connection with Operation Understanding, the November 10, project of the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Men. Parish Chairman Joe Man- sour and Publicity Chairman Jim Hedderman announced plans for personal visitations to Protestant Sunday School Classes in Griffin by men of the Parish, extending invitations to these groups to participate in the project, "Since the majority of us have many friends in the Pro testant Churches throughout the community," said Hedderman, "it is felt that this will be most effective and that this per sonal follow-up of the letters of invitation will enable us to have a most successful venture in Operation Understanding." This latest in the activities of AC CM involves a tour of all Catholic Churches in the Arch diocese, open for the occasion on Sunday afternoon, November 10th, from 2 to 5 pm. Ca tholic laymen of each parish will serve as guides for die tour, offering explanation of the various externals of the Church Church - confessional baptis mal font, stations of the Cross, vestments and sanctuary. Commenting on the Griffin plan ' of personal approach, Archdiocesan Chairman Dr. Norman Beery expressed the hope that all parishes in the Archdiocese will follow suit, stating that this type of invitat ion will assure die success of the project. Fathers Vote Breviary In Vernacular He said the bishops "are seeking the best good and the most effective means of Church reform." HE WENT ON to say that those who interpret the coun cil as a struggle between two opposing sides do not see the total picture. Father Ahern, who goes to all the general meetings of the council, said that in the coun cil hall one senses a real grop ing for truth "through a pro cess of testing and sifting." All the speeches in the council, he said, are the means the Holy Spirit uses to enlighten the "minds of the council Fathers to formulate whatever is best for the life of the Church." THE AMERICAN Bishops, he observed, are fulfilling the role of "impartial arbiters." Those who minimize their contribu tion fail to take into considera tion the distinctive American character of the U. S. hierar chy, he said. ‘To appreciate their contri bution," he continued," one must always bear in mind the unique qualities of the American Hierarchy, qualities which the press many times has failed to place in proper focus." Father Ahern said that these "unique qualities" are: • AS BISHOPS of agrow ing, developing Church, the American Bishops had to be come builders, administrators and financiers. 'To shirk these duties," he pointed out, "would mean a real neglect of inte rests which are essential for the proper functioning of the Church in our country." He said that the fervent spirit of Catho licism in the U. S. is a tribute CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 VATICAN CITY (NC)—The Council Fathers, in an over whelming vote yesterday (Wed nesday), agreed that bishops and priests can say their daily office in the language of their country. Voting by the Fathers also indicated some substantial changes in the breviary, the book containing the Divine Of fice, which priests are obliged to recite every day. OF 13 proposed amendments to the breviary section of the council's document on public worship, the first two were pas sed Oct. 21 and the next six on Oct. 22. The amendments proposed for the text—Chapter IV of the liturgy schema — were: • Emphasis on the fact that Christ continues His priestly activities through the Church not only in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, but in other ways as well, especially in the Divine Office, which offers to the Father both praise and in tercession for the salvation of the world. • Addition of exhortation to those who recite die Divine Of fice to do so with great fervor and devotion. • A statement that priests engaged in the pastoral minis try have a special need to re cite the Office prayerfully, that the Lord will make their labors effective. • Provides that the hour of Matins (originally the night Of fice—which consists largely of psalms and readings from the Bible and the Fathers of the Church) should have fewer psalms and longer readings. • Proposes the suppression of the hour of Prime, which is a second form of morning pray er and somewhat of a duplica tion of the principal morning prayer, which is Lauds. • Provides that an individual who is obliged to pray the Of fice should be bound to recite only one of the three remaining shorter hours of die day. (The "little hours” traditionally have been Prime, Terce, Sext and None. This amendment and the preceding one would con siderably shorten the total length of the Office.) • A new article urging priests and all who take part in the Church's public prayer to make it a source of holiness and personal spiritual growth. • Decrees that the revision of the Latin translation of the Book of Pslams should take into account the nature of Church Latin, the fact that the pslams are chanted, and the tra ditions of the Latin Rite Church, (The point here is that a trans lation, which might be techni cally and literally satisfactory, might not be the best for public worship.) • Proposes that some spe cific but minor details in the original schema relative to the revision of the Office be sup pressed. (The point here is that specifics be left to a post- conciliar commission and that the council concern itself only with general directives and statement of principles.) 10 and 11, According to these amendments, which are really additions to the schema, provi sion would be made (A) to ex cuse from the recitation of some parts of the Office those clerics or Religious who participate on a given occasion in some other liturgical function, and (B) to allow bishops and other Ordi naries to dispense from the ob ligation to recite the Office for good cause. • While insisting that the traditional Latin Office be maintained by the clergy of the Latin Rite, the amendment con cedes a faculty to bishops and other Ordinaries to permit the clergy in individual cases to recite the Office in an approv ed text of the vernacular. • Recommends that the Of fice be prayed in common when possible, especially in the case of priests who live together. AMENDMENT 12, due to be voted on Oct. 23 came in for lengthy discussion at the U. S. Bishops' press panel. It was noted that the bishops might be allowed by law to give permis sion in individual cases to priests to read the breviary in the vernacular. Various report ers interpreted this as being restrlcitive rather than as being in favor of increased use of die vernacular. Father Georges Tavard, A. A., a council expert, pointed out that, although some bishops have given such permissions al ready, there is no basis in Church law for this and they are taking on themselves something that might not be theirs to do. Father Diekmann added that, in practice, the amendment if approved would be "an opening of the door" for wider use of the vernacular. Doctor Bars Birth Pill CLEVELAND (NC) —Use of contraceptive pills is a form of sterilization, and therefore im moral, a public health authority told the Catholic Physicians and Dentists Guild here. Dr. Robert A. Ratner, public health director in Oak Park, HI., said it makes no differe nce that the pill is a tempor ary form of medical steriliza tion instead of a permanent sur gical one. It is still against the order of nature, he added. Dr. Ratner, who is on the staff of the Strltch School of Medicine at Loyola University in Chicago, also said: VEN. DOMINIC Barberi, C.P., (above) will be beatified in St. Peter's Basilica on Sunday, Feast of Christ the King. The Itallan-bom priest died in Reading, England in 1649, four years after he received Eng land's Cardinal John Henry Newman into the Catholic Church.