Newspaper Page Text
GEORGIA PINES
Operation Understanding
Saints in Black and White ABB0T MUM SAYS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1963 GEORGIA BULLETIN PACE 5
ST. MARGARET OF SCOTLAND
jr
76 j
BY REV. R. DONALD KIERNAN
This is a true story. There is a military school
located within the territorial bounds of Saint
Michael’s parish. Every Sunday some one hundred
arrive by bus to attend the nine o’clock Mass.
Occasionally some of the cadets bring classmates
with them as visitors. For many, this is the first
time that they have ever been in a Catholic
church.
One Sunday while I was hearing confessions,
before Mass, a young cadet entered the confess
ion box. There was absolute silence for about two
minutes. I thought the boy was examining his
conscience. Then, thinking perhaps he did not know
I was in there, 1 decided to clear my throat as
a sort of signal that I was on the other side of the
3creen.
STILL NOTHING HAPPEN
ED. Finally, I said something
like, “do you wish to go to con
fession?’’. “No Sir,” was the
reply. Astonished, I asked what
he was doing in the confession
box if he did not want ot go to
confession.
“Is that what this thing is?’’,
the young cadet replied. Then he
added, “Reverend, have you
ever goofed?’’. (Now I absolute
ly refuse to put the answer to that question in
print.) The young cadet continued,“you see, Rev
erend, this is the first time I have ever been in
a Catholic church. I am a visitor. Some of my
classmates told me to stand in the line outside
and when it was my turn to go behind the curtain,
the priest in there would tell me what seat I
was to occupy”.
IT SEEMS THAT some of his classmates had
an unusual sense of humor. I often wonder though
how many people who visit a Catholic church for
the first time are just about as confused as
this cadet was. There must be literally thousands
of questions in their minds.
Legion are the stories of the Irishman who vsi-
ted a Synagogue for the first time. Then there is
the story about the Protestant boy who went with
his chum to a High Mass and asked hundreds of
questions. When the Catholic boy returned the visit
to his friend’s church he felt obliged to ask some
questions in order to demonstrate his interest.
When the Preacher went up into the pulpit and
took off his watch the Catholic boy nudged his
friend on the side and said, “What does that
mean?”. “Nothing at all”, replied the little boy as
the Preacher continued to speak on and on.
NEXT WEEK IN OUR Archdiocese the Coun
cil of Catholic Men will be giving their non-
Cathoiic neighbors an invitation to visitwiththem
in their parish church.
For months now, men have been meeting
in a sort of “indoctrination course” and on
November 11th, the doors of all Catholic churches
will be thrown wide open and the royal carpet
of welcome will be given to everyone in the com
munity.
GUIDED TOURS WILL be given to all visitors
and a short resume of sacramentals such as holy
water, statues, vigil lights, stations of the cross
etc. will be given by men stationed at various
places round the church.
All in all this gigantic undertaking known as
“Operation Understanding” will be a big hand
shake to our neighbors to come visit with us and
let them know how welcome they are whenever
they want to visit a Catholic church. Come see
us.
QUESTION BOX
True Or False Paper?
BY MONSIGNOR J.D. CONWAY
Q. PLEASE NOTE ENCLOSED MASONIC
PAPER GIVEN TO ME BY A NON-CATHOLIC
CO-WORKER, CALLING ATTENTION TO
ARTICLE, “A PONTIFF FREEMASON,” ON
FRONT PAGE.
MY FRIEND
OR FALSE.”
WANTS AN ANSWER, "TRUE
A. False. The story that Pope Pius IX was
at one time a Freemason is one of those libelous
canards which refuses to remain dead no matter
how often it is shot full of holes.
Poor Pope Pius IX had many enemies who tried
to defame him by many fantastic stories.
The story that he had been a Mason is one of
the more fantastic, though less vicious, of these
libels. It comes in various versions: One has
him joining as a youth at Sinigaglia, which did
not even have a Masonic Lodge at the time. Ano
ther has him joining at Philadelphia, Pa. The
weakness of that story is that the good man was
never in the United States in his life.
The version in your paper, “The Masonic
Chronicler,” of Chicago, is credited to the "Ca-
ifornia Freemason,” and presents the most
tecent version, dreamed up by a Mr. Dudley
Vright, editor of an English Masonic journal,
alout 1922. It has Pius joining at the Eterna
Cttena Lodge of Palermo on 15 August 1839
D. Wright was not very literate, but at least
he had the* Pope’s name right, Mastai-Ferretti.
your paper has it inverted: Derretti Mastai.
There are numerous weaknesses in D. W.’s
story: By 1839 Mastai had been an Achbishop
for 12 years and was within a few months of being
named Cardinal. He was then Bishop of Imola.
and records indicate that he was in that northern
Italian city during the entire month of August
1839: certainly not absent long enough to go all
the way to Palermo (Sicily) to make an utter
fool of himself.
The weakness of these stories is illustrated
by faked photographs, showing Mastai, as a
priest-before becoming a bishop—wearing Mas
onic insignia. It is interesting to that photography
tad not been invented at that time.
Q. gossip is taking about people’s fa-
LTS OR SAYING BAD THINGS ABOUT THEM.
'0 WHAT EXTENT IS IT A MORTAL OR VENI-
L, SIN? IF YOU TELL YOUR HUSBAND (WHO
HLF-WAY LISTENS TO W HAT YOU ARE SAY-
DS) GOSSIP, IS IT A MORTAL SIN?
v. I suppose Idle gossip is mostly in the venial
category. Malicious gossip may well be mortal.
If your husband only half listens, and then only
half believes what he hears, your biggest fault
in telling him gossip is that you distract him from
his newspaper.
Q. YOU HAVE WHETTED MY CURIOSITY*
WHY THE PROHIBITION AGAINST ILLEGT1-
MATE CHILDREN ENTERING MANY RELIGIOUS
ORDERS OR BECOMING PRIESTS, EXCEPT
THROUGH DISPENSATION? WHAT IS THE HIS
TORICAL BACKGROUND OF THIS PROHIBITI
ON?
A. In 336 the Emperor Constantine, hoping
to lessen the number of “irregular” unions
and alliances, issued laws which severely res
tricted the civil rights of children of such un
ions, notably their right of inheritance.
Constantine intended his regulations to be tem
porary, but the great imperial law-maker, Just-
tinian, in the sixth century made them a per
manent part of Roman law. However, he per
mitted illegitimate children to be "legitimated”
by subsequent marriage of their parents, or by
imperial decree. Children born of incestuous or
adulterous unions could not be legitimated in
such manner.
About the twelfth century the Church adopted
much of Roman law into its own discipline, in
cluding the rights of illegitimate children and
the possibility of their being legitimated by sub
sequent marriage or by a rescript of the Pope.
The purpose back of such legislation is not
to punish innocent children, but to form the con
science of society; stressing the sanctity of
marriage, and the evil of sexual relations out
side of marriage.
However, since the primary effect is actually
to punish innocent children, it is surely time
that this entire discipline should be re-thought.
Since my first article is this subject appeared
a few weeks ago I have received many indignant
letters. There general tenor is that there are no
illegitimate children; only illegitimate parents;
and it is not right to visit the sins of the par
ents on the children. Some writers demand how
they can go about getting the law changed. Pos
sibly respectful letters to the bishop might be a
step in the right direction. I cannot guarantee
their efficacy.
Q. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF A PARISH IN
A SMALL TOWN WHICH HAS A CARD PARTY ON
AN EMBER DAY AND SERVES REFRESHMENTS
—FOOD? I WAS REAL SURPRISED.
A. It is all right if all those attending the card
party are past 59.
LITURGICAL WEEK
Whose Is This Likeness?’
Marian Doctrine Should
Draw Christians Closer
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
^ THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, MASS AS ON
SUNDAY. Faith supplies, of course, for our
defects of sign and symbol. Faith sees Christ
at Mass, no matter what the degree of partici
pation or non-participation, no matter how help
ful or unhelpful the surroundings are.
Faith sees Christ at Mass, teaching His people,
making present through them His perfect offering
of His life to the Father, binding them together
in divine life through a Holy Communion. But
how much faith can be strengthened and ener
gized by the proper use of signs, by intelligi
ble language, by altar, by close and commun
al participation.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, MASS AS ON SUNDAY.
Why, then, give back to Caesar what is Cae
sar's, and to God what is God’s” (Gospel).
It is above all at Mass that we see “what is
God’s a community of persons forgiven and
divinized by Christ, manifesting their true dignity
as persons precisely in Community because man
was not made to dwell alone, exercising char
ity in their common prayer and praise, their
common listening to the Word of God, their com
mon celebration of the sacrificial meal.
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9, DEDICATION OF
THE ARCHBASILICA OF OUR SAVIOUR. To
day’s Mass of the dedication of a church which
is the Pope’s cathedral and therefore the cen
tral church of the Christian world draws together
all we have said this week about the church
building and the Eucharistic gathering which is
its purpose. Zacchaeus in his decision— “Lord,
I give one half of my possessions to the poor,
and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I
restore it fourfold” (Gospel)—tells us more about
the nature of the Church than any number of
dogmatic treatises.
Her name signifies
6. Soil
10. Shack
13. Scottish servant
14. Tune
15. Uncle Sam
16. Exist
1 7 . Dismay
19. Contused
21. Flightless bird
23. Type of auto
25. Untidy person
26. Cans
28, Country in Himalaja
Mrs.
30. Trite
i.3. Cotton pod
’5. Forgive
y. After a while
.'8. Containing nitrogen
.0. C rank
i Accomplished
13. Dextrose
•5. S'vi'Mfh Gentleman
* 7 . Formerly called
Acadia; ahbr.
i"3. C.ontr. of I would
V. Particle
!. Sedate
■ i. Clear
s 6. Theme
58. To pass again
61. lofty
63. lawful
65. Furtively
66. She was one
. 68. Crash
TO. Possessive pronoun
71. Dismounted
73. Color qualities
7 5. Seamen $ Organization;
abbr.
76. Painting process
79. She had .... children
81. Musical abbreviation
82. Metal
83. Male foal
85. Bargains
87. Auditory organ
88. Ogled
89. Swiss song
DOWN
1. Jumbled type
2. Guido’s Highest note
3. Mountains
1. To Mellow
5. Director
6. Creole State; abbr.
Circle
8. Manners
9. Abuses
10. She won her
to sanctity
11. Exercise
12. Young boy
1 3. Twins
16. Ty pe of concrete
18 Rover
20. Jot
22. Items
24. Mentions
2~. Spore case
29. Resides
31. Cut of meat
32. Terminates
34. Evening
36. Purport
39. Song
41. Dresses
44. Repulse
46. Retort
48. Formerly
Mesopotamia
49. God (Fr.)
51. Finger
5.3. Fabric
55. Visionary
57. Proa
59. Collapses
60. Sugar solution
62. Yap
64. Mercy
67. Relative
69, Intcgrater
72. System of weights
74. Lean to
~6. Digit
”7. Period
“8. Alegar
«;». Hindu cymbals
8 ». Government Finance
Dept; abbr.
86. " Dcum”
ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE ON PAGE 7
ROME (NC)— “Our Lady
should not be a subject of div
ision between Christians, but a
symbol of unity,” said Abbot
Christopher Butler, O. S. B.,
of Downside Abbey, president of
the English Benedictine Con
gregation.
He spoke at a press confer
ence arranged here by the Brit
ish Hierarchy for a discuss
ion of the council proposal on
the Blessed Virgin.
A VOTE IS to be taken by
the council on whether it should
be debated as a separate schema
or incorporated as a chapter in
the schema “On the Nature of
the Church.”
A proposal on the matter pre
pared at the request of the Brit
ish Hierarchy and a similar one
sponsored by the Bishops of
Chile, Abbot Butler said,
complement each other and may
be combined “to gain massive
support.”
THE ENGLISH draft differs
from the council proposal
in giving greater emphasis to
Biblical sources than to dogma
tic pronouncements on the Assu
mption and Immaculate Con
ception.
Besides the English and Chil
ean proposals, Italian, Spanish
and French Mariological drafts
ARNOLD VIEWING
The Caretakers’
BY JAMES W. ARNOLD
The film is “The Caretakers.” The story con
ference might have occurred last year in an
office some where in Hollywood:
Producer: I’ve called you together to start
thinking on a great new picture idea.
Writer (nastily): You want to make a musical
out of “The Grapes of Wrath.”
Story editor: Why not? Fits right Into the folk
singing craze. More subtle than just filming a
hootenanny.
Casting director: We could
get Burl Ives as Grandpa Jo-
ad. . . Producer: You simple
tons have no idea, do you,
what's really the Coming Thing,
what’s going to be Big next
year.
Writer: On TV it’s doctors,
nurses and lawyers, with teac
hers, social workers and maids
edging up on the outside.
Producer: Superficial, my
boy. Look deeper: into the guts of Jthe thing.
What do they all have in common?
Casting dir.: Pretty girls, tough leading men,
Writer: Tension, souped-up conflict, sex. But
that’s TV.
Producer: You’re missing the point. Uplift,
that’s what they’ve got. The public wants sex,
violence, terror, plus social purpose. Shock, with
a point.
Storyed.: I don’t know, chief. Americans are
jaded. How much juice can you get from an or
ange? I mean, after “La Dolce Vita” and “Cleo
patra”. . . .
Producer: Ahl But you speak of normal, rout
ine shock. There’s a whole world still unexpl
ored. Look at the psychiatrists on TV. Remem
ber “David and Lisa”? Shock with a point. And
it cost only $250,000.
Writer: You mean the trend id to nuts?
Producer: Precisely. Insanity. People are very-
much afraid of insanity, I want to scare them to
bits. They’ll love it.
Story ed.: How do we work in the social pur
pose?
Producer: We’ll make it honest, frank, power
ful, with an idealistic young psychiatrist. . .
Casting dir.: Strong, virile, talks in gutty spurts,
like Hemingway.
Writer: It’s falling together now. Make it a
woman's hospital. Young women. The heroine,
of course, is crazy. Tears off her clothes a
couple of times. Goodness, the possibilities. . .
she tries to run away but gets into the man’s
ward by mistake. They start moving toward her,
leering, snapping their fingers. . .
Producer: Just be sure to save room for the
message.
Casting dir.: This calls for goofy camera angles
and closeups, you know, rolling eyes, sweaty
faces. And loud, jazzy music. We can get Elmer
Bernstein.
Story ed.: My analyst can’t say enough for
group therapy.
Writer: Good. We can work in at least one
prostitute. . .then a sultry Latin type, and a shy
exquisite beauty with droopy hair, like Maria in
“West Side Story." We want a typical group.
Casting dir.: We'll need typical pretty nurses
and a surly young doctors. Lot of kids are out of
work.
Producer: Marvelous. Holds down the budget.
But now about the message. . .
Writer: The heroine’s part is high-powered,
with all that screaming, sweating and tearing.
Demands a gifted, mature talent. Remember, od
dball roles won oscars for Hayward and DeHavi-
lland.
Casting dir.: Got just the girl. Polly Bergen. A
singer who wears clothes well.
Story ed.: Fellows, I know just the right pro
perty. A novel, poorly written, but with a mes
sage, for killings and three rapes. Time said
the author seemed like kind of a madhouse Grace
Metalious.
Producer: Superb, social significance. Magnif
icent.
Writer: You want shock, huh? Why not do it
literally? I mean, actually show some dame going
through electro-shock.
Casting dir,: Sounds horrible.
Writer: Actually it doesn’t hurt a bit. Almost
miraculous cure. But it’ll terrify the custom
ers, especially those with sick relatives.
Producer: Now that’s what I call a message.
Story ed.: Still not enough conflict. We need
something bigger, more cosmic than idealism,
terror or sex.
Writer: How about the liberals against the con
servatives? Old squares trying to hold the young
Doc down? I can see the big scene now before
the board of trustees. . .
Casting dir,: I see the hero as deeply sensi
tive, literate, kind of a young Dr. Schweitzer.
How about Robert Stack? I mean, Eliot Ness is
sort of a therapist, don’t you think?
Producer: Well, if we can’t have Burton or
Cary Grant, . .
Writer: We need a finish - a real blast, but
with the message tugging at your heart. . .
Story ed.: What if the prostitute turns out to
be a nice girl?
Writer: After that, I mean. I've got itl Some
nut who’s beeh a nothing for seven years sud
denly decides to burn down the hospital. She’s
standing there with the torch, see, and Polly
comes up in her nightie, tears in her eyes:
“W'e want you, Edna. . .”
The conference is fiction; “The Caretakers,”
unfortunately, is real. Produced and directed by-
Hall Bartlett ("Unchained”), the movie edits
Dariel Telfer’s book down to one attempted mur
der, one attempted rape, no attempted taste.
Among the cast; pretty nurses Diane McBain and
Susan Oliver, pretty inmates Janis Paige, Sharon
Hugueny and Barbara Barrie, And pretty
conservative Joan “You come in here and try to
change everything” Crawford.
Oh yes. the message. After two hours of hys
teria and shock, one learns that insanity is not to
be feared and that the mentally ill can be helped
by gentleness and understanding.
have been submitted to the coun
cil.
THE GREAT interest in the
topic, Abbot Butler said, is re
flected in some 600 suggestions
received by council preparatory-
commissions. “We feel, “Abbot
Butler added, "that in consider
ing them two aspects should be
stressed, first the progress of
Scriputal research and secon
dly, ecumenism.
“W'e should deal with Mary
from a Biblical viewpoint, rea
lizing that the separated bre
thren insists on Christ being the
only source of our redemption,
while Mary is the type of all
those who by faith have enter
ed into the redeemedfellowship.
Since she illustrates in her
person the meaning of the Ch
urch as the supreme example of
faithful discipleship, the Mari
ological draft logically should
be part of the ecclesiological
one.
“WE FEEL strongly that we
should go back to the Biblical
foundations and other sources
we have in common with the se
parated brethren, especially the
Eastern Church Fathers whence
Catholic devotion to Our Lady
originates.”
A Protestant reporter in the
audience questioned these Bibl
ical foundations of Mary's role
as not beingconclusive.
Abbot Butler acknowledged
that Orthodox theologians dis
like formal definitions on Mary'
because they tend to rational
ize a mystery. But, he said
“all Christians could meditate
together on what the Bible tells
us about the Mother of God,
which would help the cause of
unity, whereas further elabora
tions of dogmatic definitions
now valid for Catholics only-
might raise further obstacles
to this cause.”
AT ANOTHER press confe
rence, Father Aloysius Grill-
maier, S. J., of Frankfurt, Ger
many, stressed the necessity in
discussing the Mariological is
sue not to assume a sharp div
ision between “Maximalists”
and “Minimalists.” This, he
said, would only cloud the
problem and create an unhappy
atmosphere for discussion in
the council, which is expected
to be rather controversial. The
council, he said, is seeking “a
well proportioned Mariology
based on Scripture, one in keep
ing with the pertinent state
ments of the late Pope John
when he proclaimed the inclu
sion of St. Joseph in the Ca
non of the Mass and with Pope
Paul's Christological emphasis
in his council Inaugural ad
dress. The Mariological teach
ing of the Church , he said,
should be made known in terms
understandable to this age, es-
pacially to the separated Chris
tians. W'e should see to it that
our Christology is not neglect
ed by an overemphasis on Mar
iology, Father Grillmaier
concluded.
Seminary Fund
Remember the SEMINARY FUND of the
Archdiocese of Atlanta in your Will. Be
quests should be made to the “Most Rev
erend Paul J, Hallinan, Archbishop of the
Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta and his suc
cessors in office”. Participate in the daily
prayers of our seminarians and in the
Masses offered annually for the benefactors
of our SEMINARY FUND.
God Lo ve You
BY MOST REVEREND FULTON J. SHEEN
ROME...The Church is holy. We say this dally In the Creed, but
here in Rome we see it in action. As an American bishop I often
desire, as did the woman in the Gospel, to touch the robes of some
of our missionary and persecuted brothers in the episcopacy. Al
most all of the more than 2,200 successors of the Apostles are in
St. Peter’s at least half an hour before Mass begins. Many are at
the altar of St. Pius X and the tomb of John XXIII, but most of
them are at the altar of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Every
morning three priests hear their confessions, while many who can
not be accommodated on kneeling benches kneel on the marble
floor.
Each morning as they file in, and each noon
as they exit, one is reminded of the scarlet
cord of Rahab. When the spies of the Jews
were sent across the Jordan they lodged with
this woman, who asked to be spared when the
Israelites came to possess the land promised
by God. They gave her a sign: “Let down a
scarlet cord.” The Fathers of the Church
said this symbolized salvation through the
Blood of Christ, In any case, the bishops fil
ing through the main door of St. Peter’s look like a scarlet cord
seeking salvation for the sinners of the world.
Let me tell you the - story of just one,-whose name we cannot
give for fear of reprisals. We inquired how he read Mass during
his years of torture in a concentration camp. He answered that
once a week he was given raisin bread. He would take out the rai
sins, pour a little water on them and, when they fermented, use
drop of wine a day for the consecration.
These hundreds and hundreds of holy bishops in our midst all
have one thing in common: they are all either very poor, or at
least poor in spirit. Though I dislike being a beggar for these poor
apostles and their missions, I suffer it for their sakes and pass on
the pain to you. Two priests in the United States recently sent
great sacrifices for these Christ-like missionaries. Other holy
priests, we know, will do the same. And the laity, instead of
giving to those who already have so much, will begin to give to
those who have nothing. If you cannot send anything, say a prayer
that some of that holiness may rub off on this beggar for the holy
missionaries of the Lord.
GOD LOVE YOU to B. L. P. for $25 “At the suggestion of one
of my princely surgeons, instead of a fee for his services, I send
you this for your Missions.” ...to Mrs. Y. G. for $20 “This
was put aside to fall back on; we will fall back on the Good Lord and
send this to you.” ...to Mrs. J.T. B. for $5 “In thanksgiving for
a ‘no malignancy’ report.”
WORLD MISSION, a quarterly magazine of missionary activities
edited by Most Rev, 1-ulton J. Sheen, is the ideal gift for priests,
nuns, seminarians, laymen. Send $5 (5.50 for foreign mail) 1 for
a one-year subscription to WORLDM1SSION, 366 Fifth Avenue,
New York, New York - 10001.
SHEEN COLUMN; Cut out this column, pin your sacrifice to it
and mail it to Most Rev, Fulton J. Sheen, National Director of The
Society for the Propagation of the Faith, 366 Fifth Avenue, New
York, N. 10001, or your Diocesan Director.