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V 4 I RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS MONTH mxm diocese of Atlanta SERVING GEORGIA’S 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES VOL 2 NO 12 ATLANTA, GEORGIA THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 196-4 $5.00 PER YEAR CONFUSING TALK Schools Are Not White Elephant, Educator Says ROCHESTER, N. Y. (NC)~ Catholic parents are being con fused by talk that the Catholic school system is a big white elephant, the superintendent of Catholic schools said here. Father William M. Roche said in an interview that some par ents think the path of least resistance in facing the chal lenges to parochial schools to day is to enroll children in pub lic schools and give them their religious instruction after school hours. 'THIS MAY be a stopgap," he said, "but it is no substitute for Catholic school education. Those who say it is do not un derstand the philosophy of Cath olic education. 'There is no comparison be tween the preparation afforded a Catholic youngster in a Cath olic school where religion per- meats all phases of the curri culum, and the preparation af forded them in a public school, under the present interpretation of the Constitution." FATHER ROCHE heads a 55,000-student school system in a diocese which has declared a moritorlum on new school con struction and which has attract ed national attention because of an experimental "catechetical center." The center, located in Fair- port, was built by Our Lady of the Assumption parish next door to a public school. Catho lic children receive about two hours a week of religious in struction in the center. It is staffed by four Sisters. FATHER ROCHE said new school construction is stalled in Rochester "until we see what the future has in store," but he is convinced after-school cate chetical instruction or shared time education do not offer the answer. He would rather see that the Catholic people "not rest short of the goal of obtaining equal tax aid for every child, wherever his parents send him to school." "OUR SCHOOLS perform the same public function as public schools," he said. 'That we add religion is a plus, not a minus factor in our education." "Released-time religious education and shared-time ar rangements are pitifully short of equal justice for all child ren," he said. YET, HE charged, parents hear or read today that several arrangements short of a full parochial school can be equal to a full Catholic schooling. "We are told the other ar rangements will do the job at a fraction of the cost. 1 feel that as a result, many members of the laity are confused and will ing to say, 'Let’s take the path of least resistance. Why worry about maintaining our big white elephant school system?' " "PEOPLE THINK from the publicity given the Fairport center" he added, "that our dio cese is embarking on a new ap proach. The fact is that this diocese has not in the past, nor does it envision in the future, any substitution of catechetical centers for our present effort in Catholic schools." The Fairport center, he said, is valuable within its limita tions, "but no one would ser iously defend the thesis that the children attending it are re ceiving the equivalent of a Cath olic school education." On Sunday, March 15th, Father John D. Stapleton an nounced the approval of Arch- Bishop Hallinan for con struction of the permanent church of Saint Jude the Apostle. Mass is now being said in a temporary chapel which will be converted into six additional badly needed classrooms for the school. THE PARISH was established in October of i960 with 141 families hearing Mass in the cafeteria of the Sandy Springs High School. Father Stapleton stated that on Sunday, March 8th, there were 360 families now registered in the parish. In the fall of 1962, school was opened with 162 children attending - today there are 333 children in the school. All classrooms presently complet ed are being used with one ex ception with classes averaging 29 pupils. The policy of a max imum of -j0 pupils per class will be continued. last December a study was made of the Sandy Springs area to plan the growth of the parish of St. Jude's. At that rime, there were 2,190 build-, ing lots under active develop ment; It Is estimated that 95% of those lots will be built up within the next five years. These homes will bring to St. Jude's many new families. Mr. Albert 0. Ordway has been commissioned to go ahead with plans for the church build ing and a new rectory as well. The church is planned to seat 700 persons and the rectory to house three priests. However, included in the original plans will be transepts for possible lager construction to hold an additional 200 people. The budget for construction is $400,000, Construction should start about January 1st of 1965 with completion scheduled for April of 1966. ‘Dial-A-Saint’ PHILADELPHIA (NC) — A telephone "Dial-A-Saint" ser vice has been launched here by the Philadelphia arch diocese. Callers hear a 60 second recorded inspirational message that changes each day. JOHNSON MESSAGE War On Poverty Joins Public, Private Forces AN ILLUSTRATED lesson on the meaning of Holy Week ceremon ies is given by Sister M. Christine, M. H. S. H., to her class of young students at St. Joseph’s Convent school near the U. S. Capitol in Washington. She is a member of the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart who assist in conducting the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine program in the parish. LENTEN SERMONS Pontiff Poses Questions PERMANENT BUILDING Saint Jude’s New Church Approved ROME (NC) — "Can you tell me who Jesus Christ is?" Pope Paul VI asked a startled altar boy during his Sunday Lenten visit to the Rome parish of Our Lady of La Salette. The boy stammered, turned red, and then mumbled, "I'm too embarrassed." The Pope smiled warmly and the people who had jammed inside thenot- qulte- finished parish church (March 15) beamed and clapp ed on hearing the Blsop of Rome asking catechism ques tions like a parish priest. "IS THERE anyone more courageous than this child?" the Pope continued. He aban doned the normal simple sermon which he had preached at churches throughout Rome on the Sundays of Lent, and ins tead engaged in a lively ques— tion-and - answer session with the two dozen altar boys surr ounding him. The papal visit began In less warm circumstances as rain was drizzling in the square in front of the church as Pope Paul arrived. Thousands of persons looked on from beneath open umbrellas as the Pope got out of his car unprotected except for his crimson and gold tassel- ed hat. University students set up a chorus of whistles, con sidered by some members of the Pope’s entourage as un dignified, but which the Pope acknowledged with a smile. Once Inside the church, the usual ceremonies were ob served, including the chant ing of the litany of the sa ints and the blessing of the con gregation with a relic of the true Cross. Then the Pope took his place in front of the altar and began talking to people. HE BEGAN by recalling that when he first visited the dist rict, which is not far from St. Peter’s, all it consisted of was a few houses and a group of vineyards. Now, he said, there are many families, and a ris ing parish church to s erve them. "I have come to show that 1 am fond of you and to bring you a message of joy," he said. "I have only blessings to give. What is the purpose of my visit?” Pope Paul then recalled a Ro man expression which means, 'who put you up to it?” and ad ded: "Is it really necessary to bring souls to Christ?" It was at this point that the regular course of the papal vis its we changed, for one of the altar boys blurted out: "Yes." THE POPE picked it up im mediately, and asked, "Are you quite certain? Let ui see, can you tell me who Jesui Christ is?" The boy was taken aback and mumbled about being em barrassed. But the Pope evidently decided he liked the variation and asked for some one more courageous to answer the question. Another of the altar boys sit ting on the steps at the Pope's feet spoke up: "He is the Son of God, made Man to save us." To this the Pope replied: "Oh, to save you. Then we need Him?" As he spoke he touched the head of the child who had first spoken and added: "We need Jesus Christ, and this is why the Church exists." The ques tion-and - answer period went on to the delight of all those present. Archbishop Enrico Dante, the papal master of ceremonies, partially cove red his mouth to smother a smile. Other priests in the sanctuary beamed as the altar boys themselves grew more sure of themselves and showed pleasure with the novel session. THE POPE continued; "what doesthe blessed Church teach? . . .How many sacraments are there?, . . What does the bless ed Church want to reach?" At this point the Pontiff concluded by answering his own question: "The hearts of all, I tell you, the souls of all. Love parish because thus you will love the Church, you will love Jesus, and you God will love God. And loving you will save your life." As he left the church area in his car, the Pope was surround ed by a crowd of hundreds of people who broke through police cordons. It was only with diffi culty that the car was able to inch its way forward. The smil ing Pope moved his arm in con tinual blessing. WASHINGTON (NC) — Pre sident Johnson's marching ord ers for his war on poverty would combine the resources of public and private agencies in the at tack. Joint efforts by public and private groups, assisted by the Federal government, are cent ral to his major proposals— aiding unemployed youths and school drop-outs between 16 and 20 years of age. THE PRESIDENT asked Con gress (March 16) for "immedi ate action" on his election- year program with its emphasis on help for young Americans who lack skills, who have not completed their education and who cannot complete it because they are too poor. Poverty, he said in his mes sage, cannot be conquered by government alone. "For decades, American la bor and American business, private institutions and private individuals have been engaged in strengthening our economy and offering new opportunity to those in need. "We need their help, their support and thelrfull participa tion," he said. THE PRESIDENT’S proposed $962,5 million program, which would be coordinated by R. Sar gent Shriver as diretor of a new office for Economic Op portunity, would help youngst ers in these ways: —A "Job Corps’* for 100,000 selected boys between 16 and 21 who would live up to two years in more than 100 camps or cen ters. Half would be engaged in conservation of natural resour ces and half put in cen. get a blend of basic educa. vocational training and work experience. The corps could contract w ith public or private organizations for the use of facilities or ser vices, although it reportedly will depend mostly on exist ing Federal installations. —Work Training programs for 200,000 unemployed boys and girls between 16 and 22, They would be given "useful work experience opportuniti es." including employment on public service projects sponsored by private groups. Playgrounds, settlement hous- CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 Jewish Group Urges’ Freedom NEW YORK (RNS) — Seven American Jewslh organizations have urged Israel Prime Minis ter Levi Eshol to resist pres sure from "extremistreligious groups" in the United States to change laws regarding relig ious freedom in Is real. These extremist groups, the state ment charged, are seeking "by coercion" to deprive Jews and non-Jews in Israel of full reli gious freedom. AT TENNESSEE CONFERENCE McGill Says Senate Passage Of Rights Bill Is ‘Must’ REV. MR HENRY GRACZ (left) and Rev. Mr. James Macie- jewskl, shown with Bishop James A. McNulty of Buffalo, March 8, after he had conferred on them the Order of the Sub- diaconate. Both men will be ordained next year for the Arch diocese of Atlanta. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (NC) — Passage by the U. S. Senate of the civil rights bill, already ap proved by the House, is imper ative to the nation's interracial justice cause, Ralph McGill, publisher and columnist of the Atlanta (Ga.) Constitution as serted here. As keynote speaker at the Middle Tennessee Conference on Religion and Race (March 12) at Vanderbilt, McGill said all possible influence should be exerted to bring about passage of the measure. "I BELIEVE in property rights," he said in discussing the "most important" public accommodations section of the measure, "but 1 don’t see how a licensed public business can call itself private and have someone stand in the door to say who can come in. Is that what we mean by a private right? And even if it is, I think it's necessary for our welfare, our children and towns to get past this." McGill said the Bill’s fair employment practices section should not be abandoned, al though such practices virtu ally are in effect now. Msgr. Thomas P. EXiffy, pas tor of Christ the King parish h:-re, said both Negroes and whites have joined in furthering the Interracial cause in the Catholic Church. He denied there has been a breakdown in communications between the two races in the cause, but acknowledged there is insuffic ient ir.tsrfalth, communications. MSGR. DUFFY’S Observa tions differed from conditions reported in Protestant church es by two ministers. Rev. Andrew White, presi dent of the Nashville Christian Leadership Council, said "the wall of separation between white and Negro Christians is rigidly constructed." The Negro clergyman said the Sun day school "is the most segre gated educational program in Tennessee," He added: "I can point to no determined effort on the part of churches to try to desegregate anything." RABBI Randall Falk of the Temple here, said general ef forts in the religion and race conference were dragging and advocated the time had come for clergymen to "join our little voices" in the field. Some 100 priests, rabbis and ministers from the midstate area attended the sessions at which Father J. Eugene Eise- lein, pastor of Most Holy Name of Jesus parish here and Law rence Jones of Fisk University presided. Galen R. Weaver, New York, executive director of the Nat ional Conference on Religion and Race, emphasized that the race relations issue is "at bottom a religious matter." He warned that unless "a great deal of advances" are made, "we’re, in for serious trou ble". SODALITY KKCHKTAltY— Louis K Hogan I above t, has assumed his duties us execu tive secretary of the Nation al Federation of Sodalities of Our Lady, with his office lo cated in the headquarters building of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, in Washington.