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JOHN F.
KENNEDY
R. I. P.
of Atlanta
SERVING
GEORGIA’S
NORTHERN
COUNTIES
VOL. 1 NO. 47
Archbishop’s
Statement
The following is the text of a telegram
wired from Rome by Archbishop Paul J.
Hallinan following the death of President
Kennedy:
«« r
“John f. Kennedy was a man, a hus
band, a father, a son, a brother. The en
tire human family mourns his death. We
are somehow all diminished whenamanof
his vision, principle and courage is cut
down in his prime. But in Christian con
fidence we ask God to receive him now
and grant him eternal light and peace.
“In each of John Kennedy’s family re
lationships we recognize our own personal
bonds with our own. For Mrs. Kennedy
and their children, for all the Kennedy
family, we offer our prayers asking God
to help them in their loss.
“But John F. Kennedy was also Pre
sident of the United States and his as
sassination for whatever cause is an
action that strikes at society itself and
at every civilized human being. The whole
nation--and indeed the whole world--
shares some responsibility for this crime.
“We have grown tolerant of hatred.We
have flaunted law. (We have wished for
peace without working for justice.) But
when law is scorned anywhere life be
comes cheap everywhere.
“The President stood for law and jus
tice, order and peace. His brutal death was
the final sacrifice he made for them.
This is no time for wild and angry ac
cusations, nor for political charges. Per
haps by the grisly reminder of an as
sassin’s bullet, we are being sobered by
moral reality. We cannot have selective
lawlessness.
“May God help the United States
to build her place among the nations, not
in terms of wealth and power but as a
democracy able to examine its conscience
and amend the crime that has shocked hu
manity.’’
THE LATE President, shown
addressing the C Y 0 Convent
ion in N. Y. two weeks ago.
TV Sent
Priest To
President
DALLAS, Tex. (NC)—The
gunshot that cut down President
Kennedy sent two Dallas priests
speeding to the President's
hospital bedside to administer
the Last Rites of the Church.
The Last Rites were adm
inistered to the Chief Executive
in Parkland Hospital by Father
Oscar L. Huber, C. M., pastor
of Holy Trinity church. He was
accompanied by an assistant
pastor, Father James N. Thom
pson, C. M.
Father Huber said he an
notated Mr, Kennedy and ad
ministered all the Last Rites
conditionally "except Com
munion, which the President
could not receive." Mr. Ken
nedy never regained conscious
ness after being shot.
The priest said he "did not
know" whether the President
was alive or dead at the time.
"HE APPEARED to be dead.
I didn't see him breathing. So
I gave him absolution and Ext
reme Upction conditionally. But
I could not give him Holy Via
ticum," he said.
The prayers of absolution and
anointing, said in Latin by the
priest, state:
"I ABSOLVE YOU from all
censures and sins in the Name
of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
And:
"If you are living, may the
Lord by this Holy Anointing for
give whatever you have sinned.
Amen."
Father Huber said that at the
time of the assassination he,
like many other people in this
city, was watching the presi
dential motorcade through Dal
las on television.
SUDDENTLY AT 12:30 p.m.
the shocking news came: the
President and Texas Gov. John
B. Connaly had been shot.
Without waiting to be summo
ned, the two priests rushed to
Father Thompson's car and
sped some three miles from
their rectory to Parkland Hos
pital which lies in the parish.
There they were taken at once
to the President’s bedside.
As Father Huber offered pra
yers for the dying, many
of those present joined in the
responses.
MRS. JACQUELINE KEN
NEDY was at the President's
bedside. After he had adminis
tered the Last Rites to the Pre
sident, Father Huber spoke
to her and extended condole
nces.
"She graciously thanked me
and asked me to pray for the
President She appeared sho
cked," he said.
EULOGIST AT THE MASS for President Kennedy at Christ
the King Cathedral, Monsignor Patrick J. O'Connor, pastor
of St. Thomas More, Decatur, is shown speaking during the
Monday night Requiem. (See text, Page 8)
Father Huber, a Vincentian
priest, has been pastor of Holy
Trinity church for four years.
He is a native of Perryville, Mo.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 1963
$5.00 PER YEAR
REQUIESCAT IN PACE - JOHN F. KENNEDY
AT VATICAN
Pope Paul Voices Deep
Grief At Tragic, Sad News
VATICAN CITY (NC)~Pope
Paul VI expressed his grief at
the "tragic and sad news" of
President Kennedy’s assassi
nation in a formal statement and
in separate messages to his
widow, his parents, his bro
ther, President Lyndon B. John
son and Richard Cardinal Cush
ing of Boston, who celebrated
Mass at the President's funeral.
The Pontiff again spoke of his
sorrow when he received dele
gates attending a Rome meet
ing of the United Nations Food
and Agriculture Organization.
POPE PAUL said in his state
ment:
"We have been greatly stric
ken by the tragic and sad news
of the killing of the President
of the United States, John Fitz
gerald Kennedy, and of the se
rious wounding of Gov. (John)
Connally (of Texas),
"We are deeply grieved by
this execrable crime, for the
grief which has struck the great
and civilized country and for the
suffering which Mrs. Kennedy,
her children and her relations
suffer.
• 'We deplore this event with
Our whole heart. We express
the hope that the death of this
great statesman will not bring
damage to the American peo
ple, but will strengthen its mo
ral and civil sense and senti
ments of nobility and concord.
We pray God that the sacrifice
of John Kennedy may help the
cause promoted and defended
by him of the liberty of peo
ples and of peace in the world,
"HE WAS the first Catholic
president of the United States.
We remember that We had the
honor of his visit and that We
noted in him great wisdom and
high purpose for the good of hu
manity; We shall offer Holy
Mass tomorrow (Nov, 23) for the
peace of his soul, for the com
fort of those who njourn his
death and so that,' not hatred,
but love shall reign iif humani
ty."
The Pope’s message to Pre
sident Johnson said:
"To YourExcellency and to
the beloved American people We
offer the expression of Our sin-
cerest prayerful condolences on
the death in particularly tragic
circumstances of President
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, whom
We had known personally and
whose Intrepid character and
high qualities We admired. We
pray God to grant Your Excel
lency as you accede to the pre
sidency of the nation His choi
cest graces of guidance and
strength."
THE POPE told Mrs. Ken
nedy:
"We hasten to send you, be
loved daughter, the assurance of
Our heartfelt sympathy in your
deep sorrow, and of Our fervent
prayers for the eternal repose
of the soul of your husband, John
Fitzgerald Kennedy. Upon you
and your children We bestow in
pledge of sustaining and consol
ing divine graces Our affectio
nate paternal apostolic bless
ing."
OFFICIAL
By virtue of the faculties
granted to the Most Reverend
Archbishop by the Sacred Con
gregation of the Council the
faithful of the Archdiocese are
hereby granted a dispensation
from the law of abstinence to
morrow, Friday, November
29th, following Thanksgiving
Day 1963.
VERY REV. HAROLD J. RAINEY
CHANCELLOR
Pope Paul told the Presi
dent's parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Joseph Kennedy:
"OUR PATERNAL heart
shares in your immense sor
row on the tragic death of your
son, John Fitzgerald Kennedy,
and, in assuring Our prayers
for the eternal repose of his
soul, We implore from God
abundant graces of consolation
and comfort for you both and for
all the family, imparting to all
in pledge of that divine solace
Our most affectionate apostolic
blessing."
The Pontiff's message to the
President’s brother, Atty, Gen.
Robert Kennedy, said:
"With deep sorrow We send
Our cordial condolences to you,
to your parents and tothefami-
ly on the immense loss suffered
in the death of your brother,
President John Fitzgerald Ken
nedy, promising our remem
brance on the altar of God for
his eternal repose and for the
consolation of all his loved
ones on this tragic bereave-
mentf
TO CARDINAL Cushing he
said: "We share in your loss,
beloved son, on the sad death
of President John Fitzgerald
Kennedy and We assure Our
prayers for his soul and for
your solace and that of all who
knew and loved him,"
At the reception for FAO
delegates, Pope Paul said:
"We cannot commence Our
discourse without reference to
the tragic death of the Presi
dent of the United States, John
Fitzgerald Kennedy, We wish
to reiterate here the sentiments
to which We have already given
public expression; of deploring
the criminal action; of admira
tion for the man; of Our pray
ers for his eternal repose, for
his country and for the world,
which recognizes in him a great
leader, and finally for a prayer-
.ful wish that his death may not
hinder the cause of peace but
serve as a sacrifice and exam
ple for the good of all man
kind."
IN CAPITAL
Cardinal Says
Funeral Mass
For President
WASHINGTON (NC) — Re
quiem Mass for John Fitzgerald
Kennedy, 35th President of the
United States and the first Ca
tholic to occupy the Presidency,
was offered while the nation and
world mourned.
Hundreds of dignitaries of
church and State filled St.
Matthew’s Cathedral here to
pray for and honor the 46-year-
old Chief Executive who was
slain by an assassin's bullet
in Dallas, Tex.
TWENTY-SEVEN chiefs of
state or heads of government
were among the 1,200 persons
at the low Mass. Other dele
gates brought the number of
countries represented to 53.
And throughout the country
Americans joined in prayer for
Mr. Kennedy in response to
President Lyndon B. Johnson’s
proclamation of a "national day
of mourning."
Mr. Johnson’s proclamation
said in part:
"I earnestly recommend the
people to assemble on that day
in their respective places of
divine worship, there to bow
down in submission to the will
of Almighty God, and to pay
their homage of love and re
verence to the memory of a
great and good man.
"I invite the people of the
world who share our grief to
join us in this day of mourn
ing and dedication."
red brick cathedral in down
town Washington, only a few
blocks from the White House.
Present in the sanctuary dur
ing the simple service in which
the Church commends the soul
of the deceased to God was
Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi,
Apostolic Delegate in the United
States, who represented Pope
Paul VI as Ambassador Ex
traordinary.
Among other prelates present
were Archbishop Patrick A.
O’Boyle of Washington and
Auxiliary Bishop Philip M,
Hannan of Washington. Both
returned from the Second Vati
can Council.
ALSO IN the sanctuary were
Auxiliary Bishop John J. Ma
guire of New York, represent
ing Francis Cardinal Spellman,
and Auxiliary Bishop T. Austin
Murphy of Baltimore, repre
senting Archbishop Lawrence
J. Shehan of that neighboring
city.
At the conclusion of the Mass,
Bishop Hannan mounted the ca
thedral’s pulpit and observed
that "the most appropriate"
commemoration of the "heart
breaking event" would be to
review the sources of the late
President's ideals as he had
expressed them in his public
remarks.
BISHOP Hannan quoted Bibli
cal phrases used by President
Kennedy and read from his
inaugural address in ringing
tones.
CHURCHES across the nat
ion reported large attendance
at memorial services. Hun
dreds of thousands in the capi
tal paid their respects by
visiting the remains in the
Capitol rotunda and witnessing
the sad procession to St.
Matthew's.
Richard Cardinal Cushing of
Boston, a long time friend of
President Kennedy and his
family, offered the Requiem
Mass (Nov. 25) in the domed,
Cardinal Cushing, while
giving the final absolution of
the body, offered a private
prayer, saying : "May the
Angels, dear Jack, lead you
into Paradise. . ."
Most of the Statesmen
present, walked in a solemn
procession from the White
House to the cathedral.
The Requiem Mass followed
a weekend of mourning. For
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 8)
If i
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MONSIGNOR JOSEPH G. CASSIDY celebrates the Solemn Re
quiem Mass for the late President John F. Kennedy at the Ca
thedral of Christ the King. The Mass, offered on Monday night,
was only one of many said throughout the Archdiocese in
memory of Mr. Kennedy.