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PAGE 8 GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY, JULY 9, 1964 PRAYERFULLY Churches Had Major Rights Passage Role (Continued from Page I) grass-roots level. The Chicago conference's spirit of cooperation was mani fest on July 24 last year, when spokesmen for three major Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox, and Jewish agencies made simultaneous joint state ments on civil rights to House and Senate committees consid ering the bill* The plea for racial action departments of the National Council of Churches, the Nationsl Catholic Welfare Conference, and the Synagogue Council of America* Even earlier, Francis Cardi nal Spellman of New York had spoken out, On July 11, 1963, he told a Harlem audience that "we need civil rights measures enacted into law." "In the months ahead, the Cardinal was to make several more declara tions on race and civil rights. Others did the same. In September, Joseph Cardinal Ritter of St. Louis told a special institute on human rights for priests of his archdiocese: "If our Congress is worthy of the ideals and traditions of this nation, if its members are de voted to the common good of all our citizens, it will not hesi tate to enact efficient civil rights legislation in this session." RICHARD Cardinal Cushing of Boston spoke several times on the need for rights legisla tion, When the Senate had final ly approved the bill, he said its passage had lifted "a shadow that has stretched across our American life for 100 years," The nation's Catholic Bishops on Aug, 23 issued a joint statement on racial harmony, repeating that "the heart of the race question is moral and religious’* but adding that "respect for personal rights is not only a matter of individual moral duty; it is also s matter for civic action," Soon after came what was to many the most dramatic of all the many demonstrations and declarations for civil rights— the stirring March on Washing ton for Jobs and Freedom of last Aug, 28. Gathered in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial, a throng of more than 200,000—whites and Negroes, from all parts of the country and all stations of life—listened intently to a program in which the re ligious element came through loud and clear. LEADING churchmen, among them Archbishop Patrick A, O'Boyle of Washington, spoke and prayed at the ceremonies. Seven Catholic bishops were present. But perhaps most im pressive of all was the large turnout of Catholics, including hundreds of priests and seminarians, who Joined the marchers filing through the streets of Washington on that memorable day. With the rights march over, the commitment of the churches did not slacken* Indeed, the tempo increased, And the tragic death of President Kennedy seemed only to strengthen the dedication of those who had ac cepted his leadership in the fight for civil rights. Passage of the bill, it was agreed, would be the best memorial to the slain Pre sident, The bill's backers received major encouragement when, on Feb. 10, the House passed the bill by an overwhelming 290- 130 margin. But the victory was far from final. The Senate was next, and there Southern legislators were mobilized to filibuster the bill to the point of emasculation or death. The churches' respone was to step up their drive. On April 10 plans were unveiled for a joint drive by national agencies of the major faiths to win pas sage of the "strongest pos sible" bill. High point of the effort was to be an April 28 National Interreligious Con vocation on Civil Rights here, Acknowledgement meanwhile came from the White House of the importance of the church men's role. President Johnson told a group of Southern Baptist officials: "We are going to pass the rights bill. But our efforts alone are not enough. I am proud to say that in this case some of our strongest allies have been religious leaders," AND AS their elders in creased their efforts, the nation's Catholic, Protestant and Jewish seminarians also pitched in to do their share. On April 19 they launched the Theological Students Vigil for Civil Rights, a silent, round- the-clock demonstration across the street from the Lincoln Memorial. Over the next two months, in rain and shine, heat and cold, 2,500 seminarians from all parts of the country logged more than 2,000 hours of inter re ligious witness to the funda mental moral Issues Involved in the rights fight. On April 28 the Interrellglous Convocation on Civil Rights took place before an overflow crowd of 7,000 at Georgetown University. Archbishop Law rence J, Shehsn of Baltimore, the Catholic spokesman on this occasion, called for Immediate action on the bill as "a re quirement of Justice.*' • HE WAS Joined on the plat form by Archbishop O'Boyle, chairman of the convocation, end by such other strongly com mitted rights backers as the Rev, Eugene Carson Blake, Stated Clerk of the Presby terian Church in the U. S, A„ and Rabbi Uri Mil er, presi dent of the Synagogue Council of America, The next day the meeting’s leaders met at the White House with President Johnson. "It is your Job—as men of God—to reawaken the conscience of our beloved land," the President told them, "Inspire and chal lenge us to put our principles into action." The Washington convocation touched off a series of similar religious gatherings and follow up efforts in many parts of the country, On May 5 a meeting was held in Omaha, Neb., to rally Catholic support for the bill in the key Midwestern states whose senators' votes were Judged crucial for cloture. Protestants and Jews also Increased their efforts. Dally prayer services were held for passage of the rights bill in a Protestant church on Capitol Hill, with nationally known churchmen participating, while similar prayers were called for BLESSING OF THE FISHING FLEET—At Gloucester, Mass., Richard Cardinal Cushing, is shown aboard the dragger "Grace and Salvatore," one of the fishing vessels he blessed in traditional rites held there annually. The Cardinal made the 30-mile trip from Bos ton by auto, marched in a civic precession, officiated at Benediction and addressed a crowd of 10,000 at the historic fishing port. He returned home on one of the newly-blessed boats. FURTHER CHALLENGE Religion Leaders Across Nation Hail Rights Bill WASHINGTON, D.C. (RNS)— Religious leaders across the nation hailed the new civil rights law and were in virtually una nimous agreement that the leg islative accomplishment stands as a challenge to even great er effort in the struggle for rac ial justice. Among those who have fought tirelessly for the law was Dr. Eugene Carson Blake, United Presbyterian chief administra tor and chairman of the Na- LETTER TO THE EDITOR: It was with interest that I read the column by Father Smith, "replying" to Father Coogan's article on the "lib eral" catholic press. The latter must, Indeed, have hit rather close to home to warrant such a prompt response. Father Smith comments that he doesn’t find "half the scorn, snide in- uendos or subtle discrediting of fellow Catholics" referred to by Father Coogan. If this is an admission that at least some of it is going on, it would be re freshing objectivity indeed. If it is meant to imply that such does not exist, than certainly Father Smith may be chided for not reading the Georgia Bulletin editorial column, or Mr. Sherry’s personal opinion column which appears on the same page. The implications concerning slanted news cover age in the "Visitor" are equal ly puzzling. On one hand it is suggested that only letters sup porting a conservative position are published in the "Visitor", yet the paper is reported as carrying a weekly column by Mr. Fitzgerald, a reviewer with a demonstrated liberal bent. It might be noted that a column supporting a conservative posi tion is conspicuously absent from the pages of the Bulletin. Father Smith asks "What is wrong with being a Catholic lib eral" - One may pose the query "What is wrong with being a Catholic conservative?" Finally, Father Smith attacks a "holier-than-thou" attitude on the part of conservatives. Yet the last paragraph of his column refers to "the majori ty of non-liberal priests who have not yet caught up with the Vatican"— How does that fam ous biblical verse go? Some thing like "Let he who is with out guilt cast the first stone..." LEO E. REICHERT, JR. DECATUR, GA. tional Council of Churches’ race commission. He said the bill represents an "inching for ward" for American Negroes in their century-old wait "for entrance into the mainstream of American life." "THE NATION'S churches and synagogues cannot afford to rest on any laurels they might have won up to now in the battle for Justice, equality and free- don," he said, stressing that the religious community has the "influence" to bring about new patterns of race relations. "We must use that Influence wisely but never timidly," Dr. Blake continued. "We dare not miss the opportunities which are ours to act and to speak in the midst of the greatest moral crisis of our time." MSGR. GEORGE G. Higgins, director of the Social Action Department of the Natonal Catholic Welfare Conference, administrative arm of the American hierarchy, cited the "significant and perhaps deci sive" role played by major re ligious groups in pushing the bill through Congress. Pledging cooperation with other religious groups and "all men of goodwill" in attaining goals of the legislation, Msgr. Higgins said the bill will be "of little avail unless the great mass of American people are prepared to go beyond the let ter of the law and to help ere- NW Deanery Sets Meeting Thursday, July 16, 1964 has been set as the date for the final Open Meeting of the 1963-1964 season for the North west Deanery. All ladies of the Diocese are invited to attend. Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. at the St. Paul of the Cross Church, 551 Harwell Rd. Atlanta, Ga. Bried business session, in cluding nomination of new of ficers for the coming season will be followed by a talk on "The Christian & the Modem World" by our guest speaker Rev. Father Dale Freeman, newly appointed Dean of the Northwest Deanery. A luncheon will be served by the ladles of the host parish, St. Paul of the Cross at a nominal fee of 50tf per lunch will be charged. ate an atmosphere of mutual understanding and racial broth erhood in their neighborhoods and communities." RABBI URI Miller, president of the Synagogue Council of America, which represents Or thodox, Conservative and Re form Jewish groups, called the rights bill a "stimulant to in tensified dynamic action," a step forward in American "moral and ethical growth" and an opportunity "for continued spiritual growth." "The task of the religious community is to translate into a renewed religious conscience the legal provisions of the Civil Rights Bill," Rabbi Miller said. "We must, through education and religious inspiration, change men’s hearts to corre spond with the law...cleanse ourselves, including the inner life of the church and syna gogue, of the dross of prejudice and the abuses of power, and seek to make the equality of all men a living reality." THE "NEW guarantee of civil liberties" has given Indepen dence Day "an ironic cast this year" as the rights bill be came law "in the face of the fact that Americans have for nearly 200 years prided them selves on liberty and justice for all," said Dr. Lewis Web ster Jones, president of the National Conference of Chris tians and Jews. Mathew Ahmann, executive director of the National Catho lic Conference for Interracial Justice, hailed the bill as "one more step ... in building an America Democracy with freedom for all. . ." "IN PASSING this crucial legislation," he said , "the House of Representatives and Senate have recognized the con cern which all of our Ameri can society must have for the higher law which is that of God’s." In addition to citing the wide interreligious support of the bill, Mr. Ahmann said "Ameri cans of goodwill owe special appreciation" to President Johnson and Senators Hubert Humphrey (D.-Minn.) and Eve rett Dirksen (R.—Ill.)* ‘Unjust Burden’ VATICAN CITY (NC) — Pop. Paul VI has declared that children of convicts "must not be made to carry the unjust burden of crime they did not commit, of baseless suspicion and of dangerous isolation," Archbishop 9 s Statement The majority of our Catholic citizens are at one with the majo rity of our Protestant and Jewish fellowmen in their pursuit of justice and peace. In civil rights, they do not stand with the ex tremists whose creed is hate, nor with the gradualists whose tactic is delay. The new Civil Rights Bill is a tremendous, national step forward, long overdue and painful in preparation. It safeguards for the Negro only what each white insists upon for himself. In some parts of both North and South, It will require a reversal of the customs of a century. In our Atlanta community, however, the way has been paved by a general preference for justice over inequity, for order over violence. The Catholic cause has advanced here because the civilized climate of law has prevailed. For this we are grateful. Our white and Negro Catholics have for generations shared the same churches; for years, the same diocesan lay organizations. For two years, their children have attended the same schools. Our hospitals admit patients on a basis of need, not of color. Our experience of integration has reinforced our moral conviction that prejudice, discrimination and segregation are wrong, and that only the path of justice will guarantee to everyone his full rights as a creature of God, and a citizen of our nation. our society. But if it is evaded or flaunted, both sides will lose, and Georgia and the American nation will suffer. Only if it is ac cepted as the law of our land, carried out with honesty and dignity, and implemented with Christian love, will all be well. Only when white and Negro persons see each other as brothers will the Ju- daeo-Christian fraternity of all men under God be realized. I ask the prayers of all our people that we will move steadily toward that reality. SUBSCRIBE TO THE GEORGIA BULLETIN INDIA: TO CARE FOR RABIES FIFTEEN BABIES ARE ALIVE TODAY IN KODAK Alt A, INDIA, because the Sisters of the Holy Family refused to let them die . . . The infants were found abandoned, anemic and covered with filth and sores. Now they are clean am! recru'arly fed. thinks to the Sis ter-’ loving care . . . The woman who £! S works earns as little as live cent* ” a day In India. Many mothers can not keep their children . . . The Sisters, therefore, look to us for help. They need a few rooms in which to keep these babies (and TI»Hohr«l>*iMM>nAU ** w f" "f i « — , . ... , cribs, etc. We can irlve them every for tot Orttntsl Cburcb thing they nepd f(Jr on , y 000 Will you help? The Sisters arc caring for 30 orphans, in addi tion to the babies. Imagine the expense. Just for food ant clothing! ... If you’d like to build and equip tills “home” foi babies in memory of a loved one (82,000). please write to u? now. Send, at least, whatever you can afford—$1, $2, 85, $10. Who can refuse a helpless baby? PERSONAL: TO G.V.G. THANK YOU. G.V.G.—Your three $50 bonds will help build a church in ETHIOPIA, train a native Sister in INDIA, pro vide medical care for refugees and lepers. GAZA: THE BLIND BLIND YOUNGSTERS IN THE GAZA STRIP (which lies be tween EGYPT and ISRAEL) will be able to support themselves, thanks to what they’re learning in the Pontifical Mission Center for the Blind . . . 8300 pays the overall cost of a blind boy’s training for one year . . . $25 pays it for one month . . . The Holy Father asks your help. WELCOME, PARTNER! Dear Monsignor, I received the enclosed $25 for a Communion Breakfast talk about Lebanon and the Maronitcs. We're partners. Whatever I receive for talks like this. I'll give you for the missions. (Mrs. S. B.—Brooklyn, N.Y.) WHATEVER YOU GIVE to the Catholic Near East Welfare Association is used, under the direction of the llolv Father himself, to help the needy in 18 countries in which Catholics are a very slim minority. EGYPT, for instance, is only .6'* Cath olic: CYPRUS. 1.1'r; ERITREA. INDIA, 1.5'< . . . Please remember our priests and Sisters when you make a will, or when you want Masses offered. Dear Momignor Ryan: Enclosed please find .. for Name Street .. City Zone . State ll»iL < l2ear'East(llissioasjM) FRANCIS CARDINAL SPILLMAN, President Hsflr. Joseph T. lyes, Net’l See’y Seed ell communleoHoai to: CATHOLIC NEAR EAST WELFARE ASSOCIATION IS9 Modisea Ave. et 42ad St New Yerk. N. Y. 10017