Newspaper Page Text
THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 1964 GEORGIA BULLETIN
PAGE 3
CATHOUC EDUCATORS
Convention Members Weigh
School Praise, Criticism
ATLANTIC CITY, N. J. (NC)
— More than 17,580 Catholic
educators held their schools—
and their leading critic—up to
the sun in this resort city for
four days of close inspection.
Looking at their schools, the
educators saw what was com
monly described as crisis, but
no permanent flaws. They turn
ed aside talk of panic and ap
plauded speaker after speaker
who said the challenge could be
overcome.
THE RECORD - breaking
number of registrants, attended
by a large press corps, also
looked closely at critics, but
whatever the term used, such
as "a member of the lay in
telligentsia,” they clearly were
Studying the thoughts of only one
person—Mrs. Mary Perkins
Ryan.
Mrs. Ryan’s book, "Are
Parochial Schools the Ans-
DISTINGUISHED
NEW YORK — NC.— Gerard
E. Sherry, Managing Editor of
the Georgia Bulletin, is among
the three priests and three
laymen moninated for the an
nual award of the Catholic Press
Association given "for the most
distinguished contribution to
Catholic journalism” during
1963.
The other five are: John G.
Deedy, Jr., Editor of the Pitts
burgh Catholic; Robert G. Hoyt,
Editor of the Catholic Reporter,
Kansas City-St. Joseph Mo.;
Father Patrick O’Connor, Soc
iety of St. Columban, Far East
correspondent of theN. C. W. C,
News Service; Msgr. James
I. Tucek, former chief of the
Rome bureau of the N. C. W. C.
News Service; and the late
Father Gustave Weigel, S. J.,
of Woodstock (Md.) College.
Announcement of the award
winner will be made at the
annual Catholic Press Associa
tion convention, to be held May
26-29 inPittsburgh.
The names of the nominees
were made public here by James
wer”? was generally conceded
to be the biggest single influ
ence at the 61st national con
vention of the National Catholic
Educational Association in
Convention Hall.
THE NEW HAMPSHIRE Cat
holic author and llturglst sug
gests in her book that the
Church could abandon its
schools and colleges today. She
claims pupils could get a bet
ter religious formation outside
them, especially in view of the
liturgical renewal.
Mrs. Ryan’s book was
the subject of a major press
conference, the inspiration for
a project to explain the alms of
Catholic education and the fre
quent departure point for
speeches about the future of the
schools.
THE AUTHOR herself, not in
attendance at the convention,
told the Camden, N. J,. Catholic
CONTRIBUTION’
Doyle, executive director of the
CPA. Doyle said ballots for
voting will be sent out short
ly to registered agents of
member-publications of the as
sociation.
Reasons given in support of
the nomination of Sherry in
cluded the following:* "In the
short space of one year Mr.
Sherry has put the Georgia
Bulletin into first place among
the leading southern Catholic
papers. The paper has been
made a weekly; has expressed
the voice of the new Archdiocese
of Atlanta in the columns of
Mr. Sherry, Father Donald
Kiernan, and Father Leonard
Mayhew; has carried documen
tation to explain the Council,
the liturgy and current history
of the Church; and finally has
given the Georgia Bulletin a
voice that is not only regional
but national.”
Theme of the CPA convention
next month will be 'The Press
and the Council.” A highlight of
the meeting will be a panel ses
sion on Vatican Council press
coverage and the council’s de
cree on communications media.
Star-Herald by telephone from
her home that her intention was
merely to ask for an examina
tion of the value of the Catho
lic school system.
If this examination results
In more schools, fine; if it re
sults in fewer schools, that’s
fine too,” she was quoted
as saying.
BOTH THE preacher at the
convention’s opening Mass and
the keynote speaker at the first
general session spoke of the
challenges facing Catholic
schools today.
Archbishop Celestine J.
Damlano, Bishop of Camden, N.
J., said at the opening Mass
there were "certain diffi
culties,” but they are not in
surmountable.
"LET US NOT panic and eli
minate certain grades or be
come selective and ruin the
school system our people have
established in sacrifice and
generosity,” he said.
Bishop John J. Dougherty,
president of Seton Hall Univer
sity, South Orange, N. J., spoke
in the keynote speech of "the
mouting crisis in Catholic edu
cation” due to financial pres
sures and a lack of sufficient
number of teaching nuns.
At the convention’s second
major press conference, devot
ed entirely to Mrs. Ryan's book,
four superintendents took ex
ception to her views.
ONE, HOWEVER, Msgr. Ar
thur T. Georghegan, said he
hoped Mrs. Ryan would contin
ue to write in the same vein,
eliminating what he called
the irrelevant and inaccurate
material which he said makes
up most of her present book.
HE SAID Mrs. Ryan’s book
deserves "serious considera
tion,” but that his own convic
tion is that the nation needs
Catholic education to assure
"survival of a strong Christian
humanism.”
Delegates to meetings of the
NCEA's elementary school de
partment, at their first meet
ing, overwhelmingly approved a
proposal to contribute to a
fund to publish a fully docum
ented book on the validity of
the concept of the U. S. paro
chial school.
THE FUND could total about
$40,000. It also would be used
"to publicize in popular terms
the remarkable success story
of the American parochial
school,” according to its spon
sor, Msgr. William E. Mc
Manus, Chicago Archdiocesan
superintendent and retiring
president of the elementary de
partment.
A press conference was told
later by an official of theNCEA
that statistics for the current
academic year indicated the
quality of Catholic elementary
schools was being continually
raised, that student enrollment
still expands rapidly and more
Sisters entered classrooms
this year than the year before.
THIS WAS the report of Msgr.
O’Neil C. D'Amour, associate
secretary of the NCEA’s school
superintendents department,
who gave newsmen this opinion
on the "crisis” in the school:
"I agree that we are on the
brink, but I think we are going
up, not down, as long as the
panic mongers do not gain as-
cendacy,”
IN ANOTHER session, a
widely known Catholic socio
logist, Father Andrew Greeley
of Chicago, told Catholic educa
tors that unless they support
more objective social research
into their schools, they will be
unable to refute "the armchair
experts” who comment on
parochial education.
At the convention's second
general session, the new
Supreme Knight of the Knights
of Columbus proposed that in
view of the challenges Catho
lic educators see facing them
today, a national advisory com
mission be formed.
JOHN W. McDevitt said the
commission could collect and
disseminate information "on
every phase of the present pro
blem" and help coordinate at
tempts of local groups to solve
their problems.
FORBIDDEN BOOKS
Catholic Teachers
Ask End Of Index
WASHINGTON, D. C. (RNS)
—The Society of Catholic Col
lege Teachers of Sacred Doct-
Will Celebrate
NEW YORK (NC) — Priests,
Religious and laymen of the
New York archdiocese will
celebrate two anniversaries
with Francis Cardnal Spellman
on May 3, 4 and 22—his
25th year as Archbishop of New
York and his 75th birthday.
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LUCKIL A r CONK ST.
A Good Addresa In Atlanta
rlne, in an unprecedented ac
tion, called on the American
hierarchy to support at
the Second Vatican Council pro
posals that would "reform tho
roughly” the Church’s Index of
Forbidden Books.
A spokesman said the Index
constituted an "anomaly” in the
modern world.
SOME 395 priests, Sisters
and Brothers voted on the re
solution adopted at the Society’s
annual meeting.
Two resolutions were pre
pared; the first, considered
"weak” by a majority of dele
gates, was withdrawn in favor
of the following stand which ask
ed the U, S. bishops to:
". . .support at the next ses
sion of the Vatican Council the
effort to reform thoroughly that
section of Canon Law dealing
with prohibited books and the
Roman Index, so that Catho
lic scholars, teachers and stu
dents may be able to enter into
more meaningful dialogue with
the contemporary world.”
A PRIEST said that the phr
ase "reform thoroughly” was
really tantamount to a request
that the Index of Forbidden
Books be dropped entirely.
He told newsmen that the ex
istence of the Index inthe 20th
Century "offends many Catho
lics. A lot of people would like
to see the whole idea of for
bidden books eliminated from
the image of the Church.”
Sherry Nominated
By Catholic Press
SINGERS’ LEADER
Cites Ecumenism
Of Sacred Music
AS CATHOLIC EDUCATORS MEET - Key figures at the 61st annual meeting of the National
Catholic Educational Association, held in Atlantic City, N. J., discuss the convention’s pro
gram. Left to right: Archbishop John J. Cody of New Orleans, President General of the NCEA;
Auxiliary Bishop John J. Dougherty, Newark, N J., president of Seton Hall University, key
note speaker; Archbishop Celestine J. Damiano, Bishop of Camden, host to the delegates, and
Msgr. Frederick G. Hochwalt, Executive Secretary, NCEA, Washington.
QUESTIONS PAROCHIAL SYSTEM
Church Educators Attack
Woman’s Book On Schools
ATLANTIC CITY, N. J. (NC) —
Four Catholic school super
intendents took strong exception
to Mary Perkins Ryan's new
book here, but one hoped Mrs.
Ryan will not be dissuaded by
the barrage from writing more.
The four agreed in a press
conference at the annual con
vention of the National Catholic
Educational Association that
their own experiences con
tradict Mrs. Ryan’s argument
that a Catholic child today can
receive as strong a religious
formation outside Catholic
schools as within them.
THEY ALSO expressed con
cern about what they saw as
Mrs, Ryan’s too - broad
generalizations on weaknesses
of parochial schools and three
of the four predicted “immense
harm and confusion” in certain
regions of the country where
parochial schools need more
than usual support.
The four are Msgr, Arthur
T. Georghegan, superintendent,
Providence, R. 1.; Msgr, Wil
liam Lester, superintendent,
Fort Way”"' - South Bend, Ind,;
Msgr. O’Neil C. D’Amour, as
sociate secretary of the NCEA's
School Superintendents Depart
ment; and Father Paul Button,
assistant superintendent, Grand
Island, Nfcb.
THE SUBJECT of the press
conference was Mrs. Ryan's
book, "Are Parochial Schools
the Answer?” The New Hamp
shire author and llturglst pro-
poses that parochial schools be
abandoned, alleging the spiri
tual formation given their
pupils is inferior to what might
be obtained by other programs,
held outside the schools and
based on the new movements
in liturgy.
Msgr. Geoghegan said he had
"admiration for this very en
gaging and thorough-provoking
book, adding that "I hope that
if we today take exception she
won’t be dissuaded from writ
ing.”
BUT HE SAID that the book
is "a potpourri of ingredients—
some of them accurate and re
levant, but most of them Ir
relevant and many just plain
inaccurate.”
Msgr. Geoghegan said he is
convinced the book is more
about liturgical renewal than
education. "I, for example, in
no way question that Mrs. Ryan
has captured the hope of the
people for the liturgical re
newal. Buth this is not relevant
to education in toto.”
Poverty Book
WASHINGTON (NC) — "A
Religious View of Poverty,”
Feb. 28 statement of the
Social Action Department, Nat
ional Catholic Welfare Confer
ence, has been published here
as a 12-page pamphlet. Pric
ed at 15 cents per copy,
>i is available from the Pub
lications Office, National
Catholic Welfare Conference,
1312 Massachusetts Avenue, N.
W„ Washington, D. C., 20005.
THE RHODE ISLAND edu
cator took "unqualified except
ion” to Mrs. Ryan’s thesis
that the average product of a
parochial school has a closed
mentality and becomes bored
with his religion.
"As a Newman Club chaplain
at Brown University,” he said,
"I do not find this to be true.
The leadership of the Newman
effort—and this probably is true
across the country -- comes
from the parochial schools,
especially the Catholic high
schools,” he said.
FATHER BUTTON told the
newsmen he thought the book
has done "an immense amount
of harm,” especially in areas
where Catholics might be "sit
ting on the fence” about sup
porting a new Catholic school.
"Many people,” he claimed,
"will take the Ryan book as
an excuse not to support the
schools."
"WHAT AMAZES me,” said
Msgr. Lester in agreement, "is
that thoughtful people are taking
to this book and quoting it as
if it had a certain validity.”
Msgr, Lester added; "I am
not unaware that problem* exist
in our schools, but I do not see
where we are put in a situation
where we must seriously con
sider closing them.”
He said Mrs. Ryan "would
put us all in a state-controlled
system,” to which Msgr. Geo
ghegan added, "she is looking
for the nice, homogenized
American.”
Msgr, D’Amour, who was
among the first U. S. Catholic
educators to criticize the book,
said he still believes the book
is “getting a lot of attention
because that is what happens
when you attack the established
order.”
IN THE meantime, in another
session , an NCEA educator
Fire Kindles
Brotherhood
SYOSSET, N.Y. (NC)—A fire
destroyed a Jewish synagogue
here—and kindled the spirit of
community brotherhood.
Shortly after the blaze 100
pupils from the synagogue at
tended religious instruction
classes in a Catholic school.
Facilities for services, class
es and meetings were offered
by most of the neighboring chur
ches and synagogues.
THE JEWISH religious class
es in St. Edward Confessor
Catholic school probably will
continue for the next two
months, according to Rabbi
Morris Appleman.
"I have only praise for our
Catholic neighbors and friends
who helped us in our hour of
need,” Rabbi Appleman said.
He added that he Intends to send
Pope Paul VI a commendatory
letter.
charged that the public today is
getting what for the most part
is "a very distorted picture of
Catholic education.”
Father C. Albert Koob, O.
Praem., associate secretary of
the NCEA’s Secondary School
Department, spoke (April 3)
to the annual meeting of lay
representatives from each U. S.
diocese. These lay people at
tended a day-long program after
the formal closing of the con
vention for an intensive brief
ing on school issues.
FATHER KOOB insisted that
"only one who has had broad
experience over a long period
of time can fully Judge the good
this system has accomplished
and Judge the course of action
for the future.”
He said that problems facing
schools today "are no worse
than they have always been.”
"IT SIMPLY is true that
people in general are looking
more closely at their schools,
expecting more of them, and
feeling perfectly free to
criticize in areas where they
themselves have no special
competence.”
But he added: 'These people
probably will be with us for a
long time. Maybe they will be
our greatest blessing in the
long run, if they force us to
keep pace with our lofty deals
set down at the time of con
vention each year.”
LORETO, Italy (RNS) — An
invitation ot composers to cre
ate sacred music that would be
not only artistically valid but
such as to permit vocal parti
cipation of the faithful in litur
gical chants was made here
by Msgr. Fiorenzo Romita, pre
sident of the International Fed
eration of Little Singers.
Msgr. Romita, who is also
secretary of the Rome Vicari-
ate’s Commission on Sacred
Music, spoke at the opening
of the federation’s tenth con
gress which brought together
thousands of Catholic choir
boys from countries around the
world. The congress was pre
sided over by Bishop Prlmo
Principi, Vatican administra
tor of Loreto, famous for its
basilica housing what is said to
be the house of the Blessed
Virgin.
IN HIS talk, Msgr. Romita
called attention to the Consti
tution on the Sacred Liturgy
approved by the Second Vatican
Council, noting, in particular
the importance given in the
document to music as a vital
aspect of the theological nature
of the liturgy.
"More than once,” he said,
"attention is drawn to the in
timate and basic link between
the earthy or wordly liturgy and
the heavenly liturgy. In this re
lationship, the Little Singers
hold a major role, not only
because of the exterior resem
blance whichthe imagination of
artists has created- between
them and the angels, but the real
and substantial one which
Christ Himself has noted bet
ween the souls of children and
the heavenly spirits.”
THE MONSIGNOR said that a
second aspect of the Liturgical
Constitution, "which found a re
sponse in the activity of the
Little Singers, has to do with
the need of the faithful to ex
press in their lives, and to
manifest i toothers, the mys
teries of Christ and the genu
ine nature of the true Church.”
Msgr. Romita said the Con
stitution also stressed the ec
umenical duty to favor all that
may contribute to the union
of all believers in Christ.
"AND NOTHING can ful
fill this ecumenical duty bet
ter than music, which is the
only true universal language,”
he added.
Recalling that th e Federa
tion of Little Singers was
founded in Paris in 1945
by the late Msgr. Fernand Mail-
let, its first president.. Msgr.
Romita stressed what he said
was the intensified liturgical
education the Little Singers are
being given, as well as the ef
forts constantly being made to
"perfect their means of expres
sion and to develop their com
municative senses.”
"THE LITTLE Singers, next
to and subordinated to the cele
brant and ministers of the
Mass, must be, and feel them
selves to be,” he said, "part
of the liturgical action”.
The congress was scheduled
to close with a Solemn Mass
at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome
at which more than 3,000
Little Singers would provide the
music.
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