Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 8
GEORGIA BULLETIN
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1964
CATHOLIC PRESS - U
Lay
BY HERBERT G. FARNSWORTH
This is the 11th in the GEORGIA BULLETIN'S
series on the Catholic Press. Mr. Farnsworth
is vice-president of the Archdiocesan Council
of Catholic men and is a leading member of the
Cathedral parish.
When it comes to commenting on a portion of
the Catholic press, I am a layman in two differ
ent contexts. First, I am a layman in the sense
that mine is not a religious vcation. Also, in
the professional sense, I am not directly invol
ved in the work of gathering and disseminat
ing news through the press, nor in the editing
of any news medium.
Much is heard these days about the emerging
of the Catholic layman in the church. This aware
ness by the laity of their obligation to function
in a more active way in the work of the church is
an encouraging sign. To me the mystery of it all
has been that this has taken so long in coming.
The answer has not been, in my experience,
attributable to any real discouragement by the
clergy. On the contrary, I have found pastors and
priests only too willing to accept lay coopera
tion, once they assured themselves of the sin
cerity and capabilities of the laymen Involved.
Certainly thre have been exceptions to this situ
ation, and undoubtedly these will continue, so long
as pastors and laymen continue as human beings.
BUT 1 MAINTAIN that the overwhelming cause
of lay inactivity has been an apathy on the part
of the average Catholic layman towards any in
volvement in the work of Christ in His church.
Since I cannot attribute lay apathy to a basic-
lack of good will, the only other satisfactory
answer to fit the majority of cases is an un-
awarness of any need for such involvement as
Christians in the life of the church and the com
munity.
Right at this point is where I look for the grea
test contribution from the Catholic press in gene
ral, and from our archdiocesan newspaper in
particular. For here the power of the written
word must pentrate our‘lives, must work with
patience, with charity, with perseverance, to open
our eyes to God's world beyond our own uncon
sciously selfish circles of interest. We must
expect a conscientious presentation of Christian
principles in unflinching application to local,
national, and world affairs.
TRUE, THIS WILL not always provide "com
fortable” reading. But if we are comfortable be
cause we have been blind to the continuing needs
of others who should be shown Christy by our
example, then it is high time we had our boat of
complacency rocked by the violence of truth.
Indeed, if the truth seem violent, must not the
real cause of disturbance lie in our not having
opened our lay hearts to God’s creatures in
accordance with His eternal values rather than
in conformity to our material standards?
Our Catholic press, then, will do us a disser
vice if it does not make us aware of our privi
leges, our responsibilities as Catholics, and con
stantly focus our perspectives away from selfish
attachments and toward a real fulfillment of our
lives. Such fulfillment comes from loving service
as workers, as husbands and wives, fathers and
mothers, as citizens. Too long have we Catholics
failed to participate in community affairs.
Let our own Catholic press point out to us the
Christian responsibility we have in this area. Let
us engage in real efforts towards Christian unity,
and let our Georgia Bulletin take the lead inso
far as the press is able. (In this regard I might
suggest an extension of "Operation Understand
ing” wherein a program of sending the Georgia
Bulletin to local pastors of other faiths be in
augurated.)
THE LAYMAN'S ROLE in the church, however,
must not be solely involved with fund raising,
bazaars, card parties, and the like. These are
necessary at times, and serve good purposes
HERBERT G. FARNSWORTH
in most cases. We must, of course, be wit
nesses to Christ in the world. This implies first
of all the example of a good life. It also implies
being able to express your beliefs and to apply
Christian principles and social teaching to current
situations— or at least being able to explore
these situations from the standpoint of Christian
charity and justice.
Here we look to the Catholic press for educa
tion and illumination. Here is the ground of social
philosophy wherein lay editor and priest writer
meet. And we laymen have a responsibility to
broaden our base of understanding by becoming
Intellectually involved, through reading what is
offered in our Catholic press. Our own arch-
diocesan paper, in addition to presenting local
and other news and related insights, can be of great
service in presenting divergent views by lead
ing thinkers—Catholic, Jew, Protestant—on mat
ters of importance. An added hope would be that
a taste for such reading would result in in
creased intensity by the laity in other perio
dicals which have the room to treat some of the
complex problems at more length.
WHAT A SPLENDID contribution our Georgia
Bulletin can make when it inspires a more
balanced use of leisure time, so that television
(which for all practical purposes is a constant
sales program interrupted occasionally by worth
while entertainment) is relegated to its proper
place—subordinate to religion, the arts,
education, and recreation.
We are living in a wonderful but contradic
tory time, a time that is ripe with opportunity
and that is also underlined with evidences of
human shortcomings. Science is producing large
numbers of people close to desperation in their
inability to cope with re-education at an age too
young for retirement yet "too old” for re
employment in new industries, Transportation is
reducing the size of the world so that all in
deed may be looked upon as neighbors; at the
same time the Godless philosophy of com
munism builds * a wall in Berlin to isolate for
mer neighbors. And China continues the insi
dious subversion of all southeast Asia.
WHO SHALL INTERPRET the complexities of
science, industry, and politics in our world?
If not the Catholic press, then how shall the voice
of Christ cry out against the callousness of big
business and big labor. Who shall present the
case for the morality of Christianity against the
neutrality and amorality of Madison Avenue?
Who shall argue the inevitable failure of expe
diency as the sole principle of political motiva
tion?
The Catholic press must be the voice of the
Church as Christ in society. It will be read
by the laity, who in their spheres of activity
will carry the mesaage of justice and chairty to
the community, to the business world, and to the
political scene. The obligation of the Catholic
press to be the voice 0 f Christian conscience
in the community carries to the reader the obli
gation to consider its message conscientiously
and to act accordingly. 4
THE PROBLEM OF THE Christian layman is i
to be in the world but not to be "of the world.”
This does not mean that the world is evil, but
that we must not give in to the tendencies of
our fallen nature to revert to the purely mater
ial aspects of life. We must, in other words,
transform the world to the purpose intended
by Christ, so that the arena in which we do combat
for our eternal salvation is not run by a promo
ter who changes the ground rules to insure an
unfair fight! Christ said to His Father, "I do
not pray that You take them out of the world,
but that You keep them from evil.” As the People
of God in Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church,
we attempt to cooperate in avoiding evil by 1
the positive means of working actively wherein
a situation demands conscientious participation.
(Someone has said, "All that is necessary for
evil to triumph is for good people to do noth
ing.”) The Catholic press serves to point out
these situations and the principles involved.
I consider Georgians fortunate in the conduct of
the Georgia Bulletin. As a father, I hope that my
children will grow up in a laity more fully aware p
of its purpose and with a quiet sense of urgency
to be committed to the full implications of be
ing Christian. In this regard, our archdiocesan [
paper is leading the way, and although we may
not be fully award of our Christian role, I sense :
that at least the layman is not sleeping, but has
his feet on the floor and is about to get out of
bed completely!
ON INSPECTION TOUR
Citizens Of Gainesville Cheer Visiting President
BY REV, R. DONALD KIERNAN
SEE PICTURE, PAGE 1
Twenty five year* ago last
month the City of Gainesville,
was visited by the President of
the United States. This scene
was repeated last Friday with
a visit by another Chief Exe
cutive of our land.
a frequent visitor to Georgia,
stopped in Gainesville to view
how a city was going about
the task of rebuilding Itself af
ter a terrible act of nature,
a tornado, had taken hundreds
of lives and done millions of
dollars in damage on the morn
ing of Monday, April 6, 1936.
Some of the early parishion
ers remember well that day.
The Courtenays, Clnciolos,
Crisps and Lawlors were among
the first parishioners who can
recall the visit of President Ro
osevelt and the inspiration and
impetus he gave to a sorrow
ing people.
The quarter-century - ago
visit was by President Frank
lin D. Roosevelt. The President,
for Information Writoi
104 Bely Crete Sekeel
*950 Dauphiu* Street
New OrUeea, Le. 7011?
THE VIS ITlatt week by Pre
sident Lyndon Johnson was al
so in the nature of an inspec
tion. The President came to
Gainesville to lay emphasis
upon his War on Poverty pro
gram, a program which affects
20 counties in this ninth con
gressional district. First hand,
the Chief Executive wanted to
see how this city was attacking
the Urban Renewal, Education,
Road Building and Poverty pro
jects.
The contrasts, twenty five
years span, saw at one time a
city literally devastated and
now, like the Phoenix of anci
ent Greek mythology, a vigor-
tousi city rising up upon its
own ruins.
TWENTY-FIVE years ago,
Saint Michael's Church was
new. Miraculously it had escap
ed the tornado. Located in it
path, the tornado changed its
direction just a few yards from
the newly-constructed building.
termites
Devotions In Honor Of St. Anthony
AT ST. ANTHONY’S CHURCH EACH
TUESDAY MORNING AT 11^30
Attend Mass or Mail Petitions
To Moruignor J.E. King
928 Gordon St. S.W.
Atlanta 30310.
Office Equipment Business Machines
Sales-Service-Supplies
PHONE 325-6417
172 WHITEHALL STREET, S.W.
ATLANTA 3, OEOROIA
THESE PEOPLE remember
too the bleak day of the Pre
sident’s visit. It was as if the
day were made to fit the sorr-
owful occasion.
May 1964, however, was a
different story. The weather
was literally made to order.
Preparations had been well
made and as one radio announc
er termed the President's visit
"it was accurately successful”.
ROOSEVELT came here on a
train; Johnson flew in by heli
copter. The Presidential party
came by way of Atlanta, and
touched down on the Gaines
ville airport. Transistor radios
kept the people along the way
informed about every action,
from the time the President lan
ded until he departed.
A motorcade, led by Chief of
Police Hoyt Henry, drove a
route through the center of the
area now under the Urban Re
newal program.
DIGNITARIES included Gov
ernor Carl Sanders; Senator
Herman Talmadge; Congress-
Passionists
Elect Head
ROME (NC)~An American
priest — Father Theodore
Foley, C.P., of Springfield,
Mass,—has been elected su
perior general of the Pass-
ionist Fathers for a 12-year
term.
He succeeds another Ameri,
can, Father Malcolm La Velle,
C.P,
Father Sebastiano Camera
of the congregation's Milan,
Italy, province was elected
vicar general and first con-
suitor, Priests from the Neth
erlands, Spain, Belgium and
Ireland were also elected as
consul tors.
St. Thomas More
Sunday, at 3 pm., the Home
and School Association of St.
Thomas More, Decatur, will in
stall its new officers. This will
be followed by the annual May
Procession on the Rectory lawn.
With Sunday’s 6 p.m. Mass
there will begin the annual
Novena of Masses for the moth
ers of the parish.
men Carl Vincent and Phil
Landrum; Secretary of Labor
Willard Wirtz; Secretary of
Health, Education and Welfare,
Anthony Cellebrezi; Secre
tary of Agriculture Orville
Freeman; and Undersecretary
of Commerce Franklin D.
Roosevelt Jr.
Mayor Henry O. Ward acted
as master of ceremonies and on
a platform erected in front of
the City Hall he presented to
a cheering crowd of forty tho
usand the President of the Uni
ted States, Lyndon Johnson and
his daughter, Lucl.
THE PRESIDENT made fre
quent references to the visit of
his predecessor twenty-five
years ago. Citing the phrase of
president Roosevelt, "lend me
your hands and hearts”, he
pleaded with the people to stamp
out the poverty of the area and
to guarantee to all our people
the freedoms demanded by jus
tice.
It was not President John
son’s first visit to Gainesville.
Back in i960 when he was run
ning for the office of Vice Pre
sident, he made a campaign
speech here from" the back of
a railroad car. The Senator was
well received by a crowd of
enthusiastic well wishers. But it
was nothing compared to the
crowd of thousands who crow
ded into Gainesville’s Roose
velt Square on Friday morning
the 8th, day of May. 1964.
ONE LITTLE boy of the par
ish, Larry Merrit, rushed up to
tell me that he had shaken the
hand of the President. I asked,
"what did you say to him,
Larry?” he replied, "Hi”. Then
I asked what the President had
said to him. Just as proud
he told me that the President
had said,"Hi” too.
Gainesville is a city on the
move. A bond issue this week
decided! the future of a pro
posed Junior College-Voca
tional School complex to be
built here. The county hospital
is in the process of enlarging
its bed capacity with a build
ing program now in progress.
A nursing school has been es
tablish in connection with
Brenau College located here.
Lake Lanier, according to stat
istics, had more tourists last
year than any other govern
ment recreation facility. Ur
ban Renewal is under way and a
road study to facilitate the flow
of traffic has Just been com
pleted.
THE VISIT of President John
son will serve as a further im
petus to the people of the area
to get the job done. Just as the
visit of the late President Ro
osevelt served to stimulate the
imagination and progress of a
devastated city, last week's
visit* by President Johnson will
Insure the continued growth of
a community dedicated to pro
gress.
SACRA CONGREGATIO
DE PROPAGANDA FIDE
Riot N. .l.?.5.?/64
(M.aHon.m ficiu, quMto, hula. nam.rl I. (a. rwpoMloM)
Rome - April 10, 1964
Your Excellency:
a v.,?* haa r nS5? tly S om ® to m V attention that the Atlanta
Archdiocesan Office of the Society for the Propagation of the
T Snl~ f° rwarded t0 the National Office last year the turn of
2,790.19 dollars as its contribution to the 1963 General Fund.
I would ask Your Excellency to accept these few words as
an expression of my gratitude and that of the Sacred Congregation
de Propagagda Fide” for all that you and Father Harold J.Rainey,
the Archdiocesan Director, have done to make this contribution
possible and to acquaint your people with the needs and
necessities of the Missions.
It is no secret that the Catholic people of the United States
make available a large part of the funds which the Holy See
distributes each year to more than 800 missionary jurisdictions
throughout the world. It has pleased me to learn that the good
people of Atlanta have shared in this generous helping of others
My earnest hope is that Your Excellency and Father Rainey will
continue your efforts to foster an ever greater love for the Missions
among your people by bringing to their attention the work of the
Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
With renewed sentiments of personal esteem and everv best
wish, I remain
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Cod*. r4+*’}*****’+4f
YV
His Excellency
Thv Most Rev.PAUL HALLINAN.D.D.
Archbishop of
BYBEHT
• PUNTING
• UTHOOIAPHINO'
Tllnlly
5-4727
Sirrini A limit Slntt 19H
COMPANY !
550 FORREST ROAD. N. I.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
India: Afhaid To Enteo The Chobci
Th$ Holy Fstbrr’i Minion Aid
for ibt Orimtsl Cbttrcb
Eighty Catholic families In the village of VAIKOM in Kerala
State, India, are having a difficult time preserving their faith
They live surrounded by high caste
Hindus. Eihavns and Vales, rich and
having beautiful temples. The poor |
Catholics two years ago built
makeshift chapel mostly of leaves
C & Today it cannot hold the parlshlon
” <*«■»• nesldes It la in danger of col
lapse. The people are afraid to
enter and stay outside during scrv
Ices. VAIKOM Is also a*'strong
Marxist center, even called tne Mos
cow of Kerala . . . Under the dlreo
lion of their pastor, Father Francis
Thachil, the people wish to build a
.tfc' chapel. They will give their labor, what little money and
building material they can but they need $4,000 for the work
Will you help them with a donation? Maybe you’d like to
build a MEMORIAL CHAPEL here for some friend or loved
one. Please do what you can for these poor people.
A STRANGE AND AWESOME STORY
This comes out of the Jesuit annals. In the years between
1610 and 1730, some 760 letters were received In Rome trum
Jesuits, begging their superiors to send them to the missions
Many said they were uwakened ut night with dreams of savages
in far-off lands, dying without priests. Some signed their
request In blood . . Perhaps today n hidden inspiration draws
some missionaries on to work for God. We do know' the tre
mendous zeal and sacrifices of those in the Near and Middle
East countries entrusted to our eare. You can help by;
1. Giving a STRINGLESS GIFT for an urgent mission need.
2. Sending a DOLLAR each month to one of our MISSION
CLUBS. They serve the aged, the sick, orphans and help
to build schools and chspels,
3. Rv taking out a membership in our association. Only
'SI a year for single persons; $5 for a family.
4. By buying a needed CHAPEL ITEM. The cost runs
from $5 to $100. Gifts such as Altar linens, Stations of
the Cross, etc.
MASS STIPENDS ARE A CONSTANT NEED. OFTEN THEY
ARE A PRIESTS SOLE DAILY SUPPORT.
ADOPTING A PARISH
Consider the good which would come If each of the 15,000
American Catholic parishes adopted a poor parish in the Near
or Middle East. Some parishes might, for instance, help pay
the expenses for the education of a seminarian which cost $100
a year for six years or help a Sister-to-be like SISTER MARY
LISEUS or SISTER MARY ANGELUS whose training costs
S150 a year for two years.
FIRST COMMUNION
Maureen F. writes: "I sm going to receive my First Holy
Communion this year and I want a little girl to have a
dress and veil like me.”
Dear Maureen: Your kindness will bring the poor child a
great joy and yoq great graces ... $10 will buy a child
such an outfit.
Remember us in your will. Our legal title:
The Catholic Near East Welfare Association.
Dear Monslgnor Ryan:
Enclosed please find for
Name
Street
City ..
Zone State
l&92ear£i$t(ni$$ion$jtt)
FRANCIS CARDINAL SPILLMAN, President
Miff. Joseph T. lyes, Net’l fee’y
Seed ell eeauaesisetieas ret
CATHOLIC NIAR IAST WILPARE ASSOCIATION
III Mediae* Ave. et 4*ed Sr. New Yert, N. Y. 10017