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LIVRGICAL CONSTITUTION
Decree Stresses Sunday
is ‘The Original Feast’
The ahor of the following
article, Urth in a series ex
ploring t> extensive changes
in the Circh’s worship de
creed by e ecumenical coun
cil, servers an official coun
cil adviseion liturgical mat
ters, A pest of the Boston
archdioceseand professor of
canon law a the Catholic Uni
versity of Aerica, he is the
immediate jst president of
the North African Liturgical
Conference,
By fathe Frederick R.
McMams
(N.C.WC. .Mews Service)
How:an the feasts and sea
sons c the “liturgical year"
have caning in 20th-century
daily :e? This is the pro
blem ken on by the bishops
of theiecond Vatican Council
in a secial chapter in their
constition on worship, which
was fcnally enacted on Dec,
4.
The ouncil Fathers were
aware, dealing with this sub
ject, ut Advent and Lent,
Chrlstns and Easter, and half
a dozei other holydays, are
probablyhe only observances
in the hurch calendar that
have anjlmpact on most Ca
tholics.
AS IN jther parts of the
Constitute on the Sacred
Liturgy, Ire too the council
has decrel a reform, which
must be vrked out in detail
gradually, it is intended to
suit “the uditional customs
and disciple of the sacred
seasons" ti “the conditions
of modern thes." One para
graph, fcr ^cample, contains
a decision tt revive the two
fold chracte of the Lenten
season,;irst is a time to re
call thesacranent of Baptism,
next as time penance, “not
only infrnal anc individual, but
also exrnal and social.”
Ther is a long background
to the uncil's decree to re
form X) practices and cele-
bratioQjwhlch recur in each
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Church year. Pope St. Pius
X began to disentangle the ob
servance of Sunday as the
Lord’s day and of Lent itself
from the overgrowth of the
feast days of saints. Pope Pius
XII concentrated his spiritual
renewal of the Church on
Easter, with a rearrangement
and shortening of the Holy Week
services. Pope John XXIII
simplified the complex series
of feasts a little and tried to
give some relief to the week
day Mass-goer from the con
stant repetition of the requiem
Mass formula which prevails
in some places.
THIS COUNCIL, however,
speaks of changes “both in
the liturgy and by liturgical
catechesis.” The first refer
ence is to the revisions need
ed if the progress of the
Church’s year is to be effect
ive and meaningful for the
people. The second reference,
“liturgical catechesis,” refers
to the way in which the mean
ing of the feasts and seasons
is understood and taught, the
way in which all the people of
the Church, old and young alike,
are instructed, formed, and de
veloped during the liturgy it
self, especially during the
Mass.
A lesson learned early in the
meetings of the Second Vatican
Council is that the truths,
articles, and dogmas of faith
may not be studied or preach
ed a s a disjointed series of
isolated facts. Their unity in
the single mystery of God’s
plan for men must always be
foremost.
THE SAME is true of the
Church year with its apparent
conglomeration of feasts of
varying importance—it needs
greater unity, greater concen
tration, at least in our under
standing of it. The Constitut
ion on the Liturgy expresses
the central point of the Church
year with absolute assurance;
it is the paschal or Easter
mystery of “the Passion, the
Resurrection, and the glorifi
cation of the Lord Jesus.’’
It is worth noting how often
the same unifying theme ap
pears throughout the council’s
teaching on sacred worship.
The Eucharist is “a memorial
of His Death and Resurrection..’
a paschal banquet.” 'The
paschal mystery of the Pas
sion, Death, and Resurrection
of Christ” is “the fount from
which all sacraments and
sacramentals draw their po
wer.”
'The work of Christ the Lord
in redeeming mankind and giv
ing perfect glory to God” was
“achieved principally by the
paschal mystery of His blessed
Passion, Resurrection from the
dead, and glorious Ascension,
whereby 'dying, He destroyed
our death and, rising, He res
tored our life.' ’’
If this is the central point
in Christian worship, how does
it fit into the so-called liturgi
cal year? The superficial an
swer is die annual observance
of Easter, with its special cele
bration of the Lord’s passage
from death to life. The coun
cil’s answer is different: Sun
day is the day of the Lord,
the “original feast day, "around
which all else circles.
“EVERY WEEK, on the day
which the Church has called
the Lord's day, she keeps the
memory of the Lord’s Resur-
rection...By a tradition handed
down from the Apostles which
took its origin from the very
day of Christ’s Resurrection,
the Church celebrates the pas
chal mystery every eight dav
it should be proposed to
the faithful and taught to them
so that it may become in fact
a day of joy and of freedom
from work...”
It is no easy task to recover
this full meaning of Sunday—
in practice, in the teaching of
the clergy, in the awareness
of the people—but the council
judges it an important, neces
sary effort.
The council after establish
ing every Sunday as a day to
celebrate the Resurrection,
which is central to Christ’s
“saving work,” was able to
turn to the annual feast of
Easter and the entire series
of observances which revolve
around it.
These are described as the
Church’s attempt to unfold “the
whole mystery of Christ, from
the Incarnation and Birth until
the Ascension, the day of Pente
cost, and the expectation of
blessed hope and of the coming
of the Lord.” In the course
of each year, the powers and
merits of Christ’s deeds are
“made present for all time;”
Christians are able to lay hold
upon them.
IN ALL THIS, the real need
is to keep proportion and unity
uppermost, to center every
facet of the Christian religion
around the Death and Resur
rection of Jesus. With this in
mind, the bishops of the coun
cil approached the delicate
question of the feasts of the
Blessed Virgin Mary and of the
other saints.
These have their necessary,
significant place in the Church's
year (and in the consciousness
of the faithful) —certainly in
the case of Mary, as well as
in the case of “saints who
are truly of universal im
portance” throughout the
Church. The Constitution on
the Liturgy decrees that the
saints’ feasts must not pre
dominate or take precedence
Again, it is a question of main
taining unity and proportion in
the way in which the Christian
Faith is proclaimed and cele
brated.
Now it should be clear why,
in another connection, the coun
cil insists upon a return to
scriptural emphasis in worship
and in teaching. “It is es
sential to promote that
warm and living love for Scrip
ture to which the tradition of
both eastern and western rites
gives testimony.”
IN THE LITURGY of the fut
ure—with the major revision of
the liturgical books—“there is
to be more reading from holy
Scripture, and it is to be more
varied and suitable.”
In the liturgy of the present,
preaching ' 'should draw its con
tent mainly from scriptural and
liturgical sources.” Bible ser
vices—again in today’s pract
ice — should be encouraged,
particularly to unfold the many
but unified sides of the mystery
of Christ celebrated each year.
The Bible devotions are re
commended “especially on the
vigils of the more solemn
feasts, on some weekdays in Ad
vent and Lent, and on Sundays
and feast days.”
One last point should be made.
Some have thought that the coun
cil’s liturgical renewal is a
matter of revising legal re
gulations for Catholic worship.
This is the same kind of error
that Pope Pius XII rebuked as
long ago as 1947.
On the contrary the council’s
purpose is far deeper. It in
tends to renew the Christian
spirit a n d to center ob
servances, practice, and under
standing upon the mystery of
Christ, in particular upon the
paschal mystery announced in
Scripture, the Lord’s dying,
rising from the dead, and as
cending into glory.
This year, spend
Holy Week in
the Holy Land
Thi* aster, follow the footsteps of our Lord. Join the
seveh annual American Express Holy Week and
EastiPilgrimage to the Holy Land. Departure: March
22, v.TWA jet.The Rev. R. E Rustige, Assoc. Editor
of thdt. Louis Review, will lead your group to Jeru-
salemvhere you’ll visit the milestones in the life of
ChristThe Grotto of the Nativity, the River Jordan,
Mount f Temptation, Lazarus’ Tomb, the Via Dolo
rosa, Cvary. On Easter Sunday, you assist at a Pon
tifical at the Tomb of Our Lord in the Basilica
of the hly Sepulchre. Return via Rome (where an
audience/ith the Holy Father has been requested),
Lourdes ad Paris.
Four otheHoly Land Pilgrimages on June 7, July 12,
August 8 nd September 13, with visits to France,
Italy, Gern\ny, Portugal, Spain via TWA jet. Each
Pilgrimage id by a spiritual director and escorted by
i multilingm courier. Contact your travel agent or:
Americai Express Travel Agency
Peachtgc Street N.E.. Atlanta 3 (JA 3-7821)
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT ON SCHOOL’S THKATKK. Helen Hayes, left. First Lady of
the American Theater, is living in a dormitory on the campus of the Catholic University
of America, Washington, D. C., rehearsing for a two-week performance she will give in
a new play, "Good Morning, Miss Dove,” in the university theater. It is part of the annual
five-play program put on by the Catholic University School of Speech and Drama. The
school is currently conducting a drive for funds to erecfc a modern theater. Left to right:
Miss Hayes; Father Gilbert Hartke. O.P., head of the school, who will direct Miss Hayes'
p’ay. and two members of the cast, Michada Hartnett of Savannah. Ga.. and Mari-Fyn
Henry of San Jose. Calif.
PRAYER CRUSADE
Chair Of Unity Octave
Aids Ecumenical
THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 1964 GEORGIA BULLETIN. PAGE 3
STATE OF THE UNION
President Says
Civil Rights Is
‘Moral Issue’
BY FR. TITUS CRANNY, S. A.
This is the third in a series
of three articles on the Chair
of Unity Octave, January 18-25
The author is the director of
the UnityApostolate, Graymoor,
Garrison, N. Y.
Just a short while ago our
Holy Father made his historic
visit to the Holy Land. He went
as a “pious pilgrim” to visit
the places made sacred by the
life and death of our divine Mas
ter. Hs pilgrimage was made
for the sake of peace and reli
gious unity.
We too are pilgrims - all
of us - on the way to heaven
and to eternal life. The way is
fraught with difficulties and
dangers but we have the con
solation and strength of the
Church established for all men.
We have the life-giving power of
the sacraments to quicken our
spiritual lives. We have the
spiritual motherhood of the
Blessed Virgin Mary to protect
and to encourage us. We have
part of the way.
AS PILGRIMS WE do not
journey alone. We make our way
to heaven with others, consci
ous of our ability to help them,
aware of our weakness butcon-
CINCINNATI (NC) — Xavier
University here banned Miss
issippi Gov. Ross Barnett from
addressing the student body.
Father Patrick H. Ratter-
man, S. J., dean of men, said
the governor’s position on seg
regation is “basically im
moral" and therefore an invit
ation from a student leader to
the governor had been disapp
roved.
GOV. BARNETT was invited
by Rudolph Hasl, student coun
cil president. Hasl and a group
of other Xavier students were
visiting Tougaloo Christian
College, an integrated school
near Jackson, Miss., during the
Christmas hilidays.
Hasl said he asked Gov. Bar
nett to speak on “states’ rights
or some related topic," He ex
plained that "there is much div
ersity of thought on the sub
ject and Gov. Barnett is recog
nized as embodying the view of
a sizeable section of the Ameri
can public.”
fident in the grace of Almighty
God. Everyone is a viator - one
on the way - to the home that
God has prepared for those who
love and serve Him.
Others too trod the way to
heaven, those who do not share
our blessed faith but seek for
heaven through the means that
God has given them. As Catho
lics we have the best and sur
est means of gaining heaven.
But we should help others as
best we can and long to assist
them in securing eternal life.
SUCH IS THE purpose of the
Chair of Unity Octave, obser
ved this January 18-25; to help
others to attain religious unity
for which they are anxiously
seeking and which God desires
for them. The Unity Octave is
a crusade of prayer for all men,
for religious unity. It seeks the
greatest possible spiritual
blessing for those who do not
enjoy complete and perfect un
ity with Christ.
Christian Unity is the task of
love of every Catholic, not just
of the bishop, priest, or relig
ious. It is the obligation and
privilege of every member of
the laity. Christians do not pray
enough for unity; but the Chair
of Unity Octave, begun in 1908,
FATHER RATTERMAN,-
however, pointed out that
"Xavier University is a univer
sity with a publicly stated com
mitment— a commitment to
Christian ideas and Christian
ideals."
"One of these ideals," he
said, “is the equality of men and
respect for the dignity of all
men. This ideal is, of course,
American as well as Christian.
Gov. Barnett’s position on seg
regation contradicts these-
Christian and American ideals
and is, we feel, basically im
moral."
Priests Released
BONN, Germany (NC)—Fif
teen of 60 Catholic priests in
prison in Czechoslovakia at the
beginning of 1963 were released
during the year, according to
the German Catholic news
agency KNA. KNA said that one
of the latest was Father Johann
Evangelist Urban, O.F.M., pro
minent educator imprisonedfor
13 years.
Pilgrim
reminds them of their duty and
their privilege. As Pope pj U s
XII said: “The fact remains
that many people remain far
from the Catholic truth and do
not bend the mind to the inspir
ation of divine grace, because
neither they nor the Christian
faithful raise their most fer
vent prayers to God for that
purpose.”
ARCHBISHOP PAUL HALL-
INAN of Atlanta speaks of the
Imperative need of intense, dy
namic prayer for reunion.
“Prayer, then, is the first need;
fresh prayer arising from the
urgent need of unity today; daily
prayer because we can only take
one step at a time; community
prayer, because we have pray
ed too long as Individuals, in
stead of praying to a common
Father."
Christian Unity is the con
cern of all - of Catholics, of
the Orthodox, and of the Pro
testants. But they do not pray
enough and we do not. If 600
million Catholics prayed for
unity each January 18 -25 and
200 Orthodox and 270 million
Protestants, the results in
grace would sweep over the
world and change it radically.
WE ARE BRETHREN of a
common Father. We are mark
ed with the sacrament of bap
tism. We belong to Christ - and
so do our brethren, whatever
be the cause and degree of se
paration. The differences of
centuries cannot be dissolved
in a few years and the walls of
prejudice and misunderstand—
ing w ill not crumble without the
grace of God. But steps can be
taken and action can be initi
ated to heal the wounds and to
bridge the breach which has
lasted far to long.
We should realize that life
on earth is a pilgrimage and
our journey is towards the hol
iest of places and the shrine
that will be ever glorious -
the eterndl mansion of heaven.
As Catholics we should pray for
Unity in a very ardent and con
fident way during the Octave;
then we should resolve to pray
and sacrifice every day - when
we offer daily prayers to God,
when we attend holy Mass, when
we perform some act of morti
fication. The cause of Christ
ian Unity, for which Jesus pray
ed and died, is worth our very
best efforts always. May we ini—
tate the Virgin Mary, Our Lady
of the At-one-ment, in praying
daily for this holy and most
burning cause of modern times.
She is the Mother of our pil
grimage and she longs to wel
come us, and those for whom
we pray, in the sanctuary' of
heaven.
WASHINGTON (NC)— Pre
sident Johnson in his State of
the Union message told Con
gress that racial discriminat
ion is basically a moral issue
and asked that the new sess
ion do more for civil rights
“than the last hundred sessions
combined.”
Mr. Johnson also urged an
“all-out war on human poverty
and unemployment in the United
States” and called for a spec
ial Federal effort to Improve
teaching, training and counsel
ing in schools in hard-pressed
sections of the country.
HE MADE NO mention, how
ever, of previous adminis
tration proposals for a general
program of Federal aid to ele
mentary and secondary educat
ion. Nor did he refer to the is
sue of aid to parochial schools.
The President’s declarat
ions on civil rights contained
some of the strongest language
of his message to the second
session of the 88th Congress
(Jan, 8). He said in part:-
“AS FAR AS the writ of Fed
eral law will run, we must abo
lish not some but all racial dis
crimination.
“For this is not merely an
economic issue— or a social,
political or international is—
sue. It is a moral issue—
and it must be met by the pas
sage this session of the bill now
pending in the House."
(The day after the Presi
dent’s address, hearings on the
administration- backed civil
rights bill began in the House
Rules Committee, whose chair
man, Rep, Howard Smith of Vir
ginia, has promised early act
ion on the measure.)
IN THE AREA of civil rights
Mr. Johnson called for equal
access to public accommodat
ions, equal eligibility for Fede
rally financed benefits, and
equality in education and vot
ing.
“Today,” he said, “Ameri
cans of all races stand side by
side in Berlin and Vietnam,
They died side by side in Korea.
Surely they can work and eat
and travel side by side in their
own country."
best possible education for all
young people “from grade
school through graduate sc
hool."
In 1962, Mr. Kennedy all
uded to the controversy over in
cluding nonpublic schools in his
Federal aid proposals. He said
the administration bill for ele
mentary and secondary school
aid—a measure excluding non
public school— offered “in
terms of across-the-board aid
the maximum scope permitted
by our Constitution."
MOST CONGRESSIONAL ob
servers see little likelihood
that a general program of Fede
ral aid to education— with or
without nonpublic schools—will
be enacted this year, particul
arly in view of Mr. Johnson’s
stress on Federal money-sav
ing efforts.
President Johnson’s mess
age also called for relaxation of
restrictive U. S. immigration
laws. He said Americans “must
. . . lift by legislation the bars
of discrimination against those
who seek entry into our coun-
icularly those with much-need
skills and those joining their
families."
Holy Name
Protestants
ST. LOUIS (NC)— The St.
Louis Archdiocesan Holy Name
Union has voted to admit non-
Catholics to membership.
The action, unprecedented in
the society’s 700-year history,
was approved by Joseph Card
inal Ritter, Archbishop of St.
Louis. The society here will in
vite non-Catholics to become
associate members, but they
will not be eligible to hold of
fice. There are 152 HNS bran
ches in the St. Louis archdio
cese.
The society here also will re
draft its 65-year-old com
mittee structure in favor of a
contemporary program align
ment similar to that of the Nat
ional Council of Catholic Men.
The changes were approved
by a seven-member committee
after a two-year study of pro
posals.
of his address the President
stressed the needfor improving
U. S. schools, he did not speci
fically mention a general pro
gram limited to schools in par
ticularly needy areas. This
is what he said:
“We must, by including spec
ial school aid funds as part of
our education program, impro
ve the quality of teaching and
training and counseling in our
hardest-hit areas."
BY CONTRAST, the late Pre
sident Kennedy had pushed for
general aid to education in his-
State of the Union messages. In
his 1963 message, for example,
he referred to the need for the
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