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PAGE 4 GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 1964
the
Archdiocese of Atlanta
GEORGIA BULLETIN
StUVING GEORGIA’S 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES
Official Organ of the Archdiocese of Atlanta
Published Every Week at the Decatur DeKalb News
PUBLISHER - Archbishop Paul J. Haliinan
MANAGING EDITOR Gerard E. Sherry CONSULTING EDITOR Rev. R. Donald Kiernan
2699 Peachtree N.E.
P.G. Box 11667
Northside Station
Atlanta 5, Ga.
Member of the Catholic Press Association
and Subscriber to N.C.W.C. News Service
Telephone 231-1281
Second Class Permit at Atlanta, Ga.
U.S.A. $5.00
Canada $5.00
Foreign $6.50
Georgia Missions
We frequently speak of the Ar
chdiocese of Atlanta as a “mis
sionary archdiocese." While this
is not true in the strict sense of
Canon Law, it does fit the pic
ture of our situation here in seve
ral significant ways. The per
centage of Catholics within the to
tal population of the more than
twenty - two thousand square
miles of the Archdiocese of At
lanta is very low: approximately
two percent, for the archdiocese
as a whole. Even this does not
give the exact picture, because
the greatest concentration of
Catholics is of course, within
metropolitan Atlanta. In many
rural parishes away from Atlan
ta, the percentage drops to un
der one-half of one percent.
The shortage of priests is anot
her mark of our “missionary"
status. The Catholic Directory
for 1963 lists thirty-five dioc
esan priests on active duty. The
statistics go on to re-tell the
same story: for example, twenty-
nine parishes and twenty-seven
missions or stations to cover
this vast area. We could count
the number of counties without
any Catholic facility. Or, we
could estimate the number of
Catholics who live beyond a re
asonable distance from the near
est location for Mass, Sacra
ments and catechetical instruct
ion. However, the point should al
ready be clear.
These shortages create prob
lems, sometimes heartbreaking
problems, for the faithful, for
their pastors and for their bish
op. Beyond doubt, they place de
mands upon us that amply justify
the “missionary" title of our
archdiocese. Still, they repre
sent only one side of the picture-
and that a negative side. Ther*
are some positive aspects as
well that deserve our attention
because they complete a very
moving vision of our
ionary archdiocese."
miss-
First of all, there is the hero
ism of the past which has built
from bare beginnings what we
enjoy today. Bishops, pastors,
laity and religious have labored
for over a hundred years in
Georgia for the establishment
and preservation of the Faith
against staggering, literally
overwhelming, odds. The saga of
their generosity and sacrifices is
a trust which we have inherited
from them. If we presume to
think of ourselves as a missi
onary diocese, we must follow a
glorious path traced by those who
preceded us.
But a missionary is not mere
ly one who is beleaguered by
practical problems and difficul
ties, no matter how great. He is
one who has been sent on a mis
sion - to accomplish a task of
great importance. It is the most
positive notion conceivable. It
speaks of drive and ambition and
opportunity before it concentrat
es on obstacles.
If our archdiocese is a miss
ionary enterprise, it is not some
vague, amorphos and distant rea
lity that must bear this title. It
is we few - hopefully, “we happy
few, we band of brothers" - who
live here and who face the pro
blems and the opportunities that
are around us. We must deal with
the challenge which comes to us
in countless ways, one of which
is the quarterly appeal made for
our financial support for miss
ionary enterprises on the Georgia
Mission Sundays. The past and
present and future all appeal to
our generosity to be part of this
truly missionary Church.
LEONARD F.X. MAYHEW
More Noble Reform
This week Pope Paul gave add
ed emphasis to the quiet but thor
ough reform of the Church that is
his announced intention. Ina gen
tle but firm address to the 300
members of the Roman nobility,
he served notice that their days
of privileged status at the Vatican
are drawing to a close.
Although the influence of the
nobility has been greatly mini
mized for most of this century,
the practice of awarding posts
of ceremonial honor to them at
papal functions has continued.
The association of members of
noble families with the papal
household dates from an earlier
historical period in which the
protection of the powerful was
found necessary to maintain the
independence of the Church.
In our own time s there has been
a growing criticism within the
Church against maintaining insti
tutions which can no longer serve
the mission of the Churchand can
even cloud and hamper it.
As in his address of last Sep
tember to the members of the
Roman Curia, the Holy Father
voiced his determination to con
tinue the quiet revolution begun
by Pope John to bring the insti
tutions of the Church into con
formity with the spiritual function
of the Church and the needs
of the times.
Reminding his hearers “his
tory moves on," the Holy Father
stated that; “The Pope even if he
finds in the sovereignty of the
state of Vatican City the shield
and the sign of his independence
from any worldly authority can
not and ought not any longer ex
ercise power except of the spiri
tual keys."
In stating that he stood before
this group with empty hands,
Pope Paul encouraged all of us
to hope and pray for success in
presenting a renewed image of
the Church to the world. . .a
Church shorn of the useless trap
pings of ages long past. We beli
eve that the Church recast in
the form envisoned by Pope John
and Pope Paul would appear in
the greatest splendor of its his
tory.
ST. LOUIS REVIEW
CONCERN
Whose Cobra ?
NEW CLIMATE
Chair Of Unity Octave
BY REV. LEONARD F.X. MAYHEW
The Chair of Unity Octave is being observed
throughout the Church from January 18 to 25 with
special prayers and Masses for Christian Unity.
Following hard upon the dramatic pilgrimage of
Pope Paul to the Holy Land, these days of prayer
possess an aura of hopefulness that they have never
seemed to have before. There is a new climate in
the relations of Christian, and even non-Christian,
groups. This has certainly been sparked by the at
titude of the Vatican Council and Popes John and
Paul and has been sustained by the prayerful faith
and determination of countless
leaders and members of all
churches. This is a far cry
from the atmosphere in which
the Octave was established fif
ty-four years ago.
THE CHAIR of Unity Octave
| owes its origin to a fascinat
ing and saintly man, Father
Paul Watson, founder of the
Friars of the Atonement. Father Paul was an
Episcopalian clergyman when he founded the So
ciety of the Atonement in 1899. Nine years later,
one year before his entry into the Catholic Church,
he established the Unity Octave as an annual ob
servance of prayers for the ultimate reunion of all
Christians. Both his religious community and the
Octave came into Catholicism with him in 1909.
The Chair of Unity Octave observed by Catholics
coincides with the Week of Prayer for Chris
tian Unity sponsored by the Faith and Order Com
mission of the World Council of Churches. The
unified prayers of so many otherwise divided
Christians is a dramatic earnest of the oneness
for which we hope. The World Council stresses
in its Week of Prayer, as in all its ecumenical
discussions, that unity is to be prayed for and ac
complished “according to the will of Christ, in His
way and in Him time.’’ That Catholics are coming
more and more to be able to adopt such termino
logy without self-consciousness is a welcome sign
of the end of the old belligerence. In this newly-
awakened spirit, the terminology of the various
Unity Octave intentions has been modified. As the
Vatican Council has clearly recognized, there is no
point in offending the sensibilities of those with
whom we are praying and working for unity.
THERE IS considerable significance in the les
sening of emphasis on the primacy of the Holy See
and the omission of such words as “return” and
“reconciliation". One reason for recent ecumeni
cal progress is the willingness, often expressed
by Popes John and Paul, of the Catholic Church to
bear its share of blame for the divisions which
separate Christendom. Guilt is certainly to be
shared by all sides. Progress is only possible,
if the past is laid behind us without recrimina
tion and our attention is focused on the present.
Our willingness to pray and work with our separat
ed brethren for unity “according to the will of
Christ, in His way, in His time” places emphasis
on what we possess and hope for in common. On
such a basis, we have a better chance of facing dis
passionately the disagreements and traditions that
divide us.
The most striking recent development, on the
Catholic side, in the field of ecumenical endeavor,
was the establishment by John XXIII of the Secre
tariat for the Promotion of the Unity of Christians.
While the Secretariat was established as one of the
bureaus for the Vatican Council, it will continue as
a permanent office of the Church. Augustin Cardi
nal Bea, S. J„ who heads the Secretariat, has
been largely responsible for the satisfactory par
ticipation of the non-Catholic observers at the
Council.
In addition to work directly concerned with the
Council, the Secretariat has worked to arouse inte
rest in all problems concerning unity. Official
Catholic observers have been sent to assemblies
of the World Council of Churches. The visits of
outstanding non-Catholic leaders to the Holy
Father have also been arranged by the Secretariat.
So long as the efforts of Cardinal Bea and the
ecumenical leaders of the non-Catholic churches
are seconded by the prayers and good will of all
Christians, there can be no doubt that continuous
progress will be achieved.
LITURGICAL WEEK
Septuagesima Sunday
BY REV. ROBERT W. HOVDA
JAN. 26 SEPTUAGESTIMA SUNDAY. We have
seen the glory of the Lord. We have celebrated
the manifestation, the “showing-forth” of His
glory in the epiphany events. But He came that
we might share His glory'—we humans, we sinners,
not some mythical race of supermen. Now we turn
toward that paschal mystery which is the center
of the Church’s life, toward the mystery of Jesus’
death and rising again. And we situate His redemp-
tion precisely where it be
longs...among us and in us, des
pite our sin and overcoming our
sin.
Today’s Mass is very con
scious of that sin, conscious
of the reality of evil. Christ
does not destroy our freedom.
It is to our freedom He ap
peals, as the master of the
vineyard appeals for workers (Gospel), as the
holy community to which we belong appeals for
our moral response to God's gift of forgiveness
and eternal life (First Reading).
MONDAY, JAN . 27 ST. JOHN CRYSOSTOM,
BISHOP, CONFESSOR, DOCTOR. Truth engages
the free man. But we grow “tired of sound
doctrine” (First Reading), we want to enslave
ourselves.
This Mass <s honor of a great teacher of Christ
teaches us why we return to the altar again and
again. Because Christ is the salt and Christ is
the light (Gospel) and it is in this gathering around
the altar that He communicates in both word and
sign. The Council’s constitution for the reform and
renewal of our public worship calls powerfully
for the engagement of our human freedom in this
sacred action.
TUESDAY, JAN. 28 ST. PETER NOLASCO,
CONFESSOR. “Your Father has determined to
give you his kingdom” (Gospel). This is the
meaning of the Easter mystery' toward which we
look and for which we prepare. Almighty God is
not in a state of indecision about us. His decision
is made in treasure for which He asks our hearts.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 29 ST. FRANCIS OF SALES,
BISHOP, CONFESSOR, DOCTOR. According to the
Council, the words and signs of the Mass have not
been speaking clearly, have not been really reach
ing us. This is why our mother tongue is going to
be employed at Mass and in the other sacraments.
This is why our services of public worship are
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
‘Haves’ Who
‘Have Not’
BY GERARD E. SHERRY
Most of the world’s ills are created by the abi
lity of the "haves” to ignore the needs of the
“have nots.” This argument could be stretched
from the large arena of international politics
down to the living room of any family in any
country of the world.
One is reminded of this in the recent utter
ances of two gentlemen of the Conservative Right
— Senator Barry Goldwater and Columnist Bill
Buckley. Both have spoken and written on the
question of poverty' and, as could be expected,
both have decided
REAPINGS
AT
RANDOM
that it is unavoid
able and mostly the
fault of the poverty-
stricken. As I read
Senator Gold-
water and Mr. Buck-
ley, many of this
country's "have nots
are really bums in
disguise: that if only
they would go out and look for work they would be,
poor no longer; that they should not be looking
for handouts all the time, and should rely upon
good old American “rugged individualism”. It
all seems simple enough.
The trouble is neither Senator Goldwater nor
Mr. Buckley have ever known what it is to be
really poor. They have never suffered the gall
ing experience of being without the elementary
need of sustenance; they have never been in the
frightful position of being deprived of a job merely
because an employer did not like the pigment of
their skin. Oh, there are so many things which
these two gentlemen have never experienced in
relation to human suffering that one can hard
ly blame them.
The fact remains, however, that in this land
of plenty there are some really poor people—
whose poverty results from the avarice of others;
from the prejudice of others; from the bigotly
of others. These two gentlemen of the political
Right, despite their wealth and education, seem
to know little about these United States, and evep
less about many of its people. I recall that ih
the 1960 election, the late President Kennedy
spoke on this subject of poverty and slums, in4
eluding the fact that thousands of American homes
had outside sanitation. Senator Goldwater at the
the time, derided such remarks as playing into
the hands of the Communists, and denied that
conditions were so bad.
Alas, ihe Senator just doesn’t know. If he did,
he would admit that his own state has as much
outside sanitation for homes as anv other. A trip
along the main roads of Arizona, entering or com
ing from the west, can really shake the con
cerned observer. The gaudy cities of Phoenix
and Tucson with their luxuriously wealthy sub
urbs do indeed exemplify the progress of “rug
ged individualism. “But there is always “the other
side of the tracks”, not only in the big cities,
but also the small towns. Here, the spirit of
“rugged individualism,” is emaciated because
there is a dearth of opportunity. The poor are
said to be a blight on progress, and should be
made to work for their welfare checks, even if
their poverty has made them weak and under
nourished. No doubt Messrs. Goldwater and Buck-
ley will deny they show little concern for he
nation's poor. Few will believe them, for their
performance of recent date on this subject has
been reminiscent of 18th Century aristocratic
unconcern for anything but oneself.
It is true that the poor will always be with
us. It is also true that we are obligated to help
them in any way we possibly can. This means the
“haves” have a duty to help the “have nots”.
Among the “have nots” will be the lazy and the
indolent, just as you find them among the “haves”,
surely though, Christian charity demands that we
stop labeling all the poor as lazy and ignorant,
even if some among them are in this category.
While Messrs. Goldwater and Buckley are de
fending “rugged individualism” and opposing
medical care for the aged, some more families
become impoverished through the high cost of
medicine. Only the other day, I was talking to a
gentleman who several years ago sounded like a
junior edition of the Arizona politician. At that
time, he was doing very well, had a good job,
a nice home, and was as rugged an individual
istic as any American could be. Today, he is
like a junior edition of Harry Truman. Ill
health dipped into his savings to the extent that
he could not hold onto his fine home, and he had
to move into a much more modest one. He is not
completely broke, although he does not have the
finances to meet another major hospital bill. He
has always believed that a man and a family
should stand on its own two feet, and by hard
work, keep going. He asks the question, “what
happens when some disaster like serious illness
cuts the props from underneath you?” Here
was no parasi te talking, here was someone still
willing to start again, even if haunted by the
spectre of failure through no fault of his own.
There are millions of similar cases in which the
condition of poverty is forced on a person or
family, rather than embraced by them.
It is good that President Johnson has declared
war on poverty, rhe Goldwaters and the Buckleys
may well claim it to be a mere political gimmick.
No doubt some in Mr. Johnson’s Democratic
Party will use it in just that way; but I believe
the majority of Americans, Conservative and
Liberal, Republican and Democratic, will be be
hind President Johnson’s efforts to alleviate the
misery of the poor among us. There will be some
who will justify their apathy or lethargy through
the knowledge that the poor will always be with
us. However, I think the majority will under
stand that some of the poor cannot help them
selves; that not all of them are lazy: that many
have become poor through circumstances beyond
their control; that our compassion and concern
for them is neither Communistic or Socialistic,
but true Americanism.