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PAGE 4 GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 1964 Archdiocese of Atlanta the GEORGIA i SCtVINO GCORGIA'S 71 NOtTMMN COUNTIfS Official Organ of the Archdiocese of Atlanta Published Every Week at the Decatur' DeKalb News PUBLISHER - Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan MANAGING EDITOR Gerard E. Sherry CONSULTING EDITOR Rev. R. Donald Kiernan 2699 Peachtree N.E, P.O. 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 Religious Vocations ‘DON’T CONFUSE ME WITH THE FACTS’ GEORGIA PINES Athens Mecca Twice a year, usually in March and October, we have what we term “Vocation Months”. It is labled in such a way that we sometimes get the dangerous idea that there is only one vocation in life. The truth is, of course, that God calls some people to married life--gives them the vo cation of marriage -- just as unmistakably as he calls others to a religious life or to a single life in the lay world. These months, therefore, should more properly be des ignated “Religious Vocation Months.” The search for voca tions to the religious life is a year-round propostion, but this month we make most emphasis. One of the difficulties we have in discovering our vocation is that of deciding just what God’s voice sounds like. Many of us seem to expect inaudible words to explode in our minds, saying with the thunder of authority: “I want you to be a priest,” or “I’ve planned for you to get married,” or “You’re to be a Sister.” But God doesn’t usually des cend to give only words of ad vice. He speaks in a much more authoritative, effective, and con vincing way. He uses objective realities as words. If he wants a man to be a musician, he doesn’t say, “practice music four hours every morning”. Instead he gives actual musical talent, and he inspires the musician with a delight in harmony, coun ter - point, and other musical skills. So when God wants to give a re ligious vocation-- to “invite” one of His children to the special service of mankind that is given by His priests, His religious and His brothers -- He speaks through the realities of that per son’s life. He gives a mind that can handle the studies and learn ing it involves. He gives health and stamina sufficient for the particular group to which He is calling the boy or girl (work on the foreign missions, demanding diffierent qualities than work on the home front). Most important, He gives a heart that really wants to serve mankind, and that is at tached to the life of a priest or religious. Vocation directors say that God does not usually “call” by the AHt'HAJ “There he goes—getting all excited again!” gift of meek and mild piety. Sel dom does He indicate His choice of a boy or girl for the religious life by leaving them wrapped in prayer, detached from things of the world, not attracted to dates, dancing, and parties. Instead, He speaks --calls--by making the future Sister, Brother, or priest a full human being, then adding to that fullness a persistent thought: “Really, I ought to think serious ly about a religious vocation.” The thought is like a yo-yo. You throw it away, then with the least little jerk, back it comes at once. But this is only half of the story. This is what G od’s call sounds like--God’s “words” as objec tive realities of head, health and heart. But how does he convey these words to the person he is calling? This question is uppermost now in the minds both of laymen who write editorials like this and of the laymen who read them--both hoping that somehow God will give a religious vocation to their children. Spiritual advisors tell us that God speaks to our children through us. That He issues His realistic call to religious life through our actions. Just as the mind does not usually speak di rectly, to mind, but uses funny looking things like tongue and vocal cords to express its mean ing; so God does not usually speak directly molding in the child these key qualities of head, health and heart. Instead, He does so through such improbably instruments as parents. Without a mother’s hour-by hour patience and protection no baby could ever hope to have a body strong and healthy enough for the religious life. Without the year-by-year guidance of mo ther and father together, no baby could even develop a mind sufficiently to enter school and to persevere in it till accepted by the seminary or novitiate. Fin ally, without quite special exam ple and prayer on the part of parents, no child is likely to ac quire that deep desire--that irre placeable quality of heart--which draws him to the service of God in religion. The words of God to the grow ing child are his parents example of responsibility to duty, their example of esteem for the priest ly and religious life, their recog nition of the primacy of prayer and the Sacraments in the life of a Christian. In short the vocation--the call- ing-is God’s: “You have not cho sen me, but I have chosen you.” And the words in which He calls are the objective realities that constitute the character of the person being called--these plus the unmeasurable impulse of grace. But the larynx, tongue and vocal cords that formulate these words--the instruments through which God chooses to talk--are all human agents. And the most important of these agents--the one without which God’s vocation could hardly become actual--is the mother and father. GERARD E. SHERRY BY REV. R. DONALD KIERNAN “My wife has never quite forgiven me because I went away on an Easter Sunday”, were the words used jokingly by Dr. Morris YV.H. Collins Jr. as he opened the ninth training session for police personnel in Athens last week. What Doctor Collins was referring to was the occasion which brought him to Battle Creek, Michigan some ten years ago to appeal to the Kellogg Foundation for three and a half millions of dollars for the Continuing Education Center now in Athens. THE DYNAMIC, youthful educator is the Direc tor of the Institute of Law and Government for the School of Law at the University of Georgia. He has presided over hundreds of workshops, seminars and institutes since the Center was opened nearly ten years ago. Consultor to Governors, Doctor Collins in an unprecedented move by the Georgia Association of County Commissioners was singled out last year for his contribution to better government. Almost continuously the Continuing Education Center is the scene of conferences for every type of public servant. For example, every year the newly elected legislators have an opportunity to study government so that their first days on Capitol Hill not be spent in confusion. Justices of the Peace, Civil Defense, Coroners, County Clerks, City and County Commissioners, Fire men, Policemen, Book Keepers-—all ape made to feel at home in the building of which Doctor Collins repeatedly says, “this is your building.” AN ARCHITECTURAL gem set in attractive landscaping, the Center is located on what is known as ”Ag Hill” on Lumpkin Street. Its beauty has been enhanced recently by the construction of the newColliseum which has attracted national attention. Constructed of red brick, the building is of modern design. On first entering the building BY REV. LEONARD F. X. MnYHEW One of the side-effects of the Constitution on Lit urgy is that it has engendered a number of uncer tainties. The average Catholic, interested in the new liturgical changes yet accustomed to the old forms, may find himself somewhat confused as he attempts to imagine the Sunday Mass of the future. Mass in English, perhaps on an altar facing the congregation, with more Bible reading, responses, hymns and common prayer ... all these seem a drastic departure from a state of things that ap peared permanent. Leaving aside those who object automatically to any and all change, there is still an under standable degree of confusion. Apart from the few who may legitimately be classified as ex perts, the only means d clarifi cation is study of the Constitu tion itself and some acquain tance with the speculation and study that preceded the Coun cil. The animating spirit of the liturgical reforms is evident from even a cursory reading of the one would get the impression of a big hotel with its modern dining room, snack bar, lounge etc. In a building attached to the oblong “hotel sect ion” is a rotunda of lecture rooms. One does not, because of the accomodations, have to leave the building at all during the conference days. DOCTOR COLLINS is assisted by Mr, Norman Crandell who handles the administrative work connected with the workshops. Congenial and affable, Mr. Crandell displays a remarkable me mory which allows him to greet the “alumni” in a manner which immediately makes everyone feel at home. I don’t know the precentage of college grads who attend these workshops, but grads or work ing people all have something in common,.....they have come to Athens to learn something new about their job. Experts in different fields are brought in as lecturers and the whole program is equipped to give the “student” the latest techniques in his particular field. THE CENTER is not restricted to the field of law and government by any means. The other evening while having dinner at the Center I met an elderly couple from New Haven, Connecticut. They had travelled all the way to Georgia to attend lectures on Garden Clubs. (While paying my bill 1 was introduced to two men who attended conferences on Insurance Laws.) Incidentally, the gentleman from New Haven commented that he had never experienced such hospitality in his life. The dining room is staffed by students who are working their way through college. My waitress was an exchange student from Kimberly, South Africa. A tall balding and smiling individual, Ted Hammock, is responsible for the air of hospitalityandfriendlinesswhichpetmeates the whole building. Mr. Hammock really personi fies the “southern hospitality” commented on by my Yankee friend. YES, DOCTOR Collins, I’m happy you took that Easter trip many years ago. It is because of vision and planning coupled with personal sacrifices which have given our state a facility for which we can be most proud. Constitution. It is, in a single word, truth. Every action and gesture of the “new” liturgy is to be true, in the sense that it is to have a clear and evident meaning. Relative to the ends of the Mass as well as to the role of each member of the “people of God” who offer it, each liturgical action is to reflect simply and obviously what it means and what it is intended to accomplish. There is to be no more room for obscure or meaningless symbols nor for crowding ritual actions one upon the other. Simplicity and clarity, as well as rev erence, are to be the watchwords. Equally obvious from the Constitution is the in tention of the liturgical reforms to “force” upon us an awareness that the Mass and Sacraments are activities, something.that we “do” in com munity with each other and with Christ our Head. The “spectacle mentality” that the Mass is something to be paid attention to, to be watched and followed, has been with us a long time. It will be with us no longer. The adjustment will certainly require time, effort and explanation, as is usually the case, we shall probably learn more by doing than by theory. With the substitution of the vernacular for La tin, the door will be open for a CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 NO ECUMENISM Federal Aid To Schools BY GERARD E. SHERRY The spread of the ecumenical spirit tends to inhibit comment on prejudice and interfaith difficulties. However, we must exert ourselves to speak our mind when we feel it necessary. This is our outlook as the question of Federal Aid to Education is being debated, and the arti ficial crisis generated over aid to parochial schools comes to a head. What is most important is that many Protest ant groups, and some Jewish groups, have come round to the view that there is justice on the side of church related schools. Simply put, it means that many more of our Protestant and Jewish brethren are sympathetic to our demands that if Fed eral aid to education is considered necessary, all children in public (and private) schools should reap the benefits of this aid. In this regard, it must be remember ed that Catholics were not the ones who initiated the idea of Federal aid to education. The Federal Government did this. We merely said that if there was aid we wanted our rightful share. ALL THE OPINION polls and samplings among Protestant groups point to a general acceptance of the average citizen of some sort of aid to church-related schools. This change of heart has come about because men of good will have come to realize the vast contribution that parochial schools make in behalf of the national effort. Of course, the Absolutists continue to bring in the bogey of the mystical wall of the separa tion of Church and State. They quote from street samplings by newspapers in order to justify their opposition to aid to private schools. The man in the street whose opinion is thus sampled has as many views as he has addresses. In Atlanta, Georgia, you could ask six people the question, “Should the Government give financial aid to church affiliated schools?”, and get almost 100% no. If you asked the same question in Boston, Massachusetts, Hartford, Connecticut, or Chic ago, Illinois, you would probably get an almost 100% yes. Any poll on a question of national significance must be national in coverage to be valid. THERE IS hypocrisy by some in the “Wall of Separation” issue. They often criticize Catholic pressures against, say, birth control in places like New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts^, yet seldom if ever, speak up against religious pressures in the South where the majority reli gion also pressures for its standard of morality. Just as Catholics believe artificial birth control is evil, so the religious majority in the South believes alcoholic beverages to be an evil. This latter viewpoint is impressed upon state legis latures and local communities with much success. Alas, many who disagree with the view of the religious majority are deprived of the liberty to purchase such beverages in some communities. “Dry Counties” in the South are so because the religious majority in those areas disapprove of alcoholic beverages. The point I make is that if it is wrong for the religious majority in one section of the country to attempt to impose its standards on the whole community then it is wrong everywhere and for every religion. It is for this reason that I was impressed by the more positive approach taken by the National Council of Churches at their recent study con ference on Church and State in Columbus, Ohio. Press reports disclosed that Protestant groups are taking a fresh and less negative look at Federal aid to private schools. Speakers at this Protestant gathering emphasized that there could never be an absolute wall of separation between church and state, THIS, OF COURSE, has 'disturbed the Pro testants and other Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (POAU) and their Secularist allies. They have long battled against any type of Federal aid to private schools—and basically because they do not like the thought of the Catholic Church benefitting in any way. The anti-Catholic record of the POAU has, fortunately, at last been recognized by most responsible Pro testant leaders. Indeed, it is safe to presume that the prejudices of the POAU affect only the fringes of Protestantism. The recent Columbus conference denotes that those who represent the heart of the National Council of Churches want no part of sterile anti- Catholic propaganda, even when it is presented under the respectable guise of defense of the concept of separation of Church and State. Also interesting is the discovery that not all Jewish groups agree with Mr. Leo Pieffer, coun sel of the American Jewish Congress. Pieffer has long opposed Federal aid to private and paro chial schools on alleged constitutional grounds. Many authorities on constitutional law disagree with him, even though his judgements are ac cepted as gospel by many secularists. Pieffer and the POAU would do well to re-examine their positions in the light of the country's needs. WE HAVE SAID over and over again that the Catholic position on federal aid to education is quite flexible. Indeed, there is no official policy. Each Catholic is asked to study the situation and then make up his mind. The consensus of parents of Catholic students is that if there is to be federal aid to education there should be no discrimination on religious ground?. The Con stitution of this nation does say that there is no union between Church and State. However, this does not mean that religion has no rights. Pieffer and the POAU, even if unwittingly, are advocating just that—as well as the establishment of a new religion of Secular Humanism which will seemingly be the State religion. LITURGICAL CHANGE 4. ■ ■■■ Ml.. ■■ ■■■ I " Understandable Confusion REAPINGS AT RANDOM