Newspaper Page Text
STEPPED-UP-PACE
Council Zipping
Along With Throttle Wide Open
BY BISHOP ROBERT E. TRACY
This article by BishopTracy of Baton Rouge is taken from a letter
written on the Council and addressed to hi^ people. We feel it in
teresting and informative enough, and, with Bishop Tracy’s per
mission, reprint a digest of it.
The stepped-up pace of this Third Session of Vatican Council II
has affected even these "Rome Letters”. There is so much action
in the Aula to account for these days that there is little space (or
time) to devote to colorful little items of atmosphere.
For example, I would like to tell you right now about the quaint
old-world picnic baskets (complete with egg-cups and champagne
glasses) that I saw in a shop window yesterday or the odd
three-way cross-buck on the Via Veneto between the Tourists, the
Council crowd and the La Dolce Vita set or the young African
lay auditor who goes to Holy Communion every day in St. Peter's
with the brightest toga, worn blanket-style over one shoulder -
and bare feet I
BUT ALL sorts of things must wait.
Action at the Council, as you have been reading in NCWC news-
releases at home, is zipping alongwith the throttle wide open, tak
ing all the curves on such dangerous bends as Religious Liberty and
Revelation with a sure hand and without letting the accelerator
off the floorboard for a minute.
THIS morning, however, we did sort of pull into a road-side
bay to let the engine cool off a bit, while stem-winding orations
on Revelation droned on and on and on. Most of these inter
ventions dealt with the precisions of word-changes and should
have been simply handed to the General Secretary in writing.
They did not make the best "music to sit in the Aula by".
But, one must hand it to the Moderators this Session. For the
, - 5 " * Si!: |
most part they have kept an iron hand on procedure to the point
that even Cardinal Bea had to beg for "just one more minute tc
make my conclusion” the other day.The result has been an amaz
ing record both for Debate and for Voting in only 13 days of work
(September 15 to October 1, today inclusive):
NOW, let me go on to give you the "character" of the debate as
it has unfolded during these 13 days:
1. * LAST THINGS” (Eschatology) Mainly the Church in Heaven:
Ch. VII.
This Chapter was generally well received and all remarks
merely sought improvement here and there. But Cardinal Suenens
drew "first blood” at the Council this Session when he rose to
call present procedure of canonization of saints "too slow",
"too expensive" and "too centralized”. This has all appeared
in the newspapers at least two weeks ago. So there is no point in
rewarming it here.
2. "MARY" Chapter VIII.
This debate provoked many sharp exchanges. The issue was
"minimalism” (giving Mary a carefully approved honor largely
for reasons of restraint and ecumenism) us. "Maximalism"
(giving Mary honor with such extreme titles as "Co-redepm-
trix”, "Mother of the Church” and "Mediatrix of all Graces”
— which have a correct meaning, but which are open to easy
misunderstanding.)
Cardinal Suenens scores again: Mary's maternity is linked
with the apostolate. Marian piety cannot be isolated from life;
and Mary must never become simply an example to be admired.
At this point, Bishop Mendez Arceo (whose Cathedral I visited
in Cuernavaca, Mexico, before planning the restoration of St. Jo
seph's, Baton Rouge), rose to make a "reductio and absurdum”
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
YOUR
PRIZE-WINNING
NEWSPAPER
SERVING GEORGIA'S 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES
Archdiocese of Atlanta
'L
VOL. 2 NO. 40
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1964
$5.00 PER-YEAR
HOLY FAMILY
Hospital Makes
Administrative
Changes Here
Sister Mary Theophane, Ad
ministrator of Holy Family
Hospital, has been promoted to
a special assignment within the
order it was announced this
week by Rev. Mother Benedict,
SISTER M. THEOPHANE
The following appointment
has been announced:
The Rev. Rene Maynard from
Immaculate Conception, Atlanta
to Assistant Pastor, St. Mary’s
Church, Rome, Geofgia.
SCMM, Provincial of the
American Province of Medi
cal Mission Sisters.
Named Administrator at Holy
Family is Sister Mary Jacob,
who has returned to this city
where she previously held as
signments including Superior of
the former Catholic clinic. She
was most recently Administra
tor at St. Vincent’s Hospital in
Philadelphia.
IN MAKING the announce
ment, Mother Benedict lauded
the work of Sister Theophane
especially in Atlanta. She said:
"The construction of Holy
Family Hospital and the recent
dedication and opening at its
location on Fairburn Road stand
out as a monument to the cour
age and hard work of Sister
Theophane. A capable adminis
trator, she has successfully
concluded the tasks given her
and now she moves on to a new
assignment (to be announced
later) and new adventures in
the Apostolate pf the sick and
the suffering.
"I know that her many friends
in Atlanta join me in wishing
her Godspeed and prayerful
best wishes. She shall be miss
ed by Catholic and non-Catholic
alike, for her work was to all
irrespective of race or creed.
The Lord's vineyard is huge
and the work of the Medical
Mission Sisters has a special
role. Sister Theophane's new
assignment will further this
role, placing upon her new re
sponsibilities and new challen
ges. I know she will meet them
with prayerful resolution.
*We hope that the people of
Atlanta will take to their hearts
the new Administrator of Holy
Family, Sister M. Jacob, and
that the cooperation between
the Hospital and the Community
continues in the wonderful spirit
of love and charity which has
been the hallmark of our past
relations.”
Sister Theophane is a Ken
tuckian and was educated in
Kentucky schools, at Trinity
College, Providence Hospital
School of Nursing and at Cath
olic University of America. She
entered the Order in 1933 and
took her perpetual vows in 1941.
Sister Jacob is from Detroit.
Educated in Detroit, at Trinity
College and Catholic Universi
ty, she took her final vows in
1950. In addition to her previous
assignment in Atlanta she has
served as administrator of St.
Vincent's Hospital in Philadel
phia.
correspondent sees
Greatest Challenge
Troubled Vietnam
Red Influences At
Shows
Work
At the first session of the
Council two years ago, Cardinal
Suenens, the dynamic Berlgian
churchman, summed up the ills
afflicting the Church as "cle
ricalism,, legalism, and trium
phalism."
BY FR. PATRICK O’CONNOR
(N. C. W. C. News Service)
A Buddhist bonze gives hotly
political "sermons " over
loudspeakers, night after night
in Saigon. Students in Saigon
and Hue stage demonstrations
to make the government yield
to their political demands.
"People* s Committees for
National Salvation," organized
by a coterie of leftist pro
fessors and students, usurp the
powers of local governments,
threaten people and arrest
them.
FALSE rumors are spread to
make Catholics think that Budd
hists are going to attack the
churches, to make Buddhists
think that Catholics are about
to burn down pagodas.
Meanwhile the dull thud of
guns by night tell that the "Na
tional Liberation Front for
South Vietnam" forces, the
communist Viet Cong, are at
tacking outposts and villages.
THESE are all parts of one
operation, one concerted, mul
tiple offensive to make South
Vietnam and its allies, espec
ially the U. S. yield to com
munism.
Precious time and effort are
wasted when these activities
are treated as separate, unre
lated problems.
EVERYBODY taking part in
them is not consciously pro
communist, The devout Bftd-
dhist listener, inflamed by a
wild story about weapons
argument does not realize that
neutral ism, as advocated by the
Viet Cong communists, would
only clear the way for com
munist rule.
But the top leaders, who have
carefully planned all these
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
being forged for Catholic use,
does not realize that he—or,
more often, she—is being goad
ed to promote a communist
objective. The young student
demonstrator guesses only va
guely , if all, at the aims be
hind the slogans prefabricated
for him. The professor or doc
tor who accepts a neutralist
WORSHIP CONFERENCE
English Liturgy
Celebrants Named
The first Masses to use the
new English liturgy will be cele
brated during the Conference on
Worship, October 22 to 25,
sponsored by the Atlanta Coun
cil of Catholic Men. Celebrants
for these five Masses have now
been announced.
On the opening day, October
22, Archbishop Paul J. Halli-
nan will offer Mass in the Cathe
dral at 6:30 p.m. On Friday,
October 23, there will be two
Masses: one at 3:00 p,m. in
Sacred Heart Church, for high
school students, celebrated by
Very Rev. Vincent P. Brennan,
S. M.» president of Marist
School; and one at 6:30 p.m. in
the Cathedral, offered by Rev.
Leonard F. X. Mayhew, chair
man of the Liturgy Commis
sion. On Saturday, Rev. John
F. McDonough, rector of the
Cathedral of Christ the King,
will off 'x Mass at 12 noon.
The closing day of the Con
ference, Sunday, October 25, the
feast of Christ the King, will be
highlighted by the first English
Sung Mass. The celebrant will
be Rev. John Stapleton, Mode
rator of the archdiocesan Coun
cil of Catholic Men. At this
Mass, an inter-parish choir,
under the direction of Rev. El
lis de Priest, S.M., will sing
the proper parts of the Mass.
The entire congregation will
sing the ordinary parts and the
customary hymns. This Mass
will be at 4:30 p.m.
Hebrew Pacem
JERUSALEM, Israel (NC)~
A Hebrew translation of Pacem
in Terris, the encyclical Let
ter of Pope John XXIII, was pub
lished here (Oct, 1). A mem
ber of the Israel Interfaith Com
mittee, which prepared the
translation, wrote an introduc
tion on Catholic-Jewish rela
tions and on the spirit of Pope
John.
IN these three words it is
possible to find a negative ex
pression of the Council’s aims
— namely to uproot the idea
of the Church as a clerical
monopoly, with the laity reduc
ed to auxiliary status and
not-quite-full membership in
the Body of Christ on earth;
second, to banish the notion of
Christian faith as mere com
mitment to an intellectual sys
tem and of the spiritual life as
essentially the observance of
ecclesiastical canons and cod
es; and third, to annihilate for
ever the idea of the Christian
vocation as a triumphal march
of men cut off from their fel
lows and their own time but
bravely waving banners to cele
brate victories never won in
wars never truly fought.
11 was important that these
three failings should be clear
ly identified and fearlessly fac
ed if the Council was to suc
ceed in Its purposes. But so
much attention has been fasten
ed on them in subsequent re
porting and discussion that
it is easy to lose sight of Vat-
icanll’s more positive goals of
renewal.
AFTER more than a thousand
hours of general discussion in
Saint Peter’s Basilica, hundr
eds of committee meetings, tens
of thousands of hours of private
study, and millions of earnest
prayers for its success, what
can be said of the Council’s
progress and prospects, in the
light of its high aims?
First, as a religious event.
The record is impressive.
Thanks is great part to the
universal acceptance of Pope
Ahead
BY JOHN COGLEY
VATICAN CITY (RNS)— As
the Second Vatican Council
moves toward its 100th gene
ral congcftgafion, it is not too
early to begin assessing it—
first as a religious event in a
secularist age, then as the most
serious attempt since the Coun
cil of Trent 400 years ago
to renew the spirit of Catholi
cism, and finally as a monumen
tal effort on the part of the
Church to speak meaningfully to
separated Christian brethren,
to non-Christians of other
faiths, and to that vast number
of alienated non-believers
whom Pope Paul in his first
encyclical delicately address
ed as the "lontani"— the far
away brothers.
WINNERS of James J. Hoey Award for Interracial Justice
are (left) Arthur J. Holland, mayor of Trenton, N.J., and
Frederick O’Neal, president, Actors Equity Association.
Medalists are honored "for outstanding leadership in the
cause of interracial justice.” Award will be presented Sun
day, Oct. 25, by the New York Catholic Interracial Council.
ARCHBISHOP Hallinan administers Communion to boys from St. Joseph’s Home, Washington, dur
ing their visit to Atlanta. The boys were the guests of Council #660, Knights of Columbus. During
their weekend visit the boys were taken to Funtown and the Zoo.
PRIEST^BSERVER
WOMAN AUDITOR—One of
seven laywomen appointed
by Pope Paul VI as an audi
tor at Vatican Council II, is
Miss Rosemary Goldie of
Australia, executive secre
tary of the Permanent Com
mittee for International Con
gresses of the Lay Aposto
late.
John, the most beloved man of
our generation, almost no one
suspects the Council of being
anything other than what it is—
a gathering of religious lead
ers with no ulterior motive in
mind who are sincerely intent
on renewing the spiritual ener
gies of their ancient Church.
THIS may seem like a small
thing, but it is well to remem
ber that not long ago any
such impressive meeting at the
Vatican would have been held
suspect and been charged with
having "imperialistic” inten
tions of secular domination.
Less than a decade ago In the
U. S., maqy sincere people
would have interpreted such a
display of "Catholic power"
rather as a rally of militant
"enemies of freedom" than as a
meeting of devout ecclesiastics
seeking to serve their God and to
be of more service to their fel
low men.
It is something of a mir
acle, then, that today one has
to go beyond the reaches of
healthy minds to find anyone
who does not take Vatican II
at its face value.
THE reason? Aside from the
influence of Pope John, there is
the fact that the Council has
been persuasively ecumenical.
It has not been preoccupied
with "holy wars," denuncia
tions of communism, secular
ism, heresy, or any other aber
rations. The tone has been ire-
nic, the public expressions
humble in character and posi
tive in their impact.
This of course has not always
pleased the inveterate militants
of the Church. Those who re-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
Honor Fair Head
NEW YORK <NC)—'ThomasJ.
Deegan , Jr„ chairman of the
executive committee of the New
York World’s Fair, will re
ceive the second annual Cath
olic Layman of the Year award
of the Associated First Friday
Clubs of metropolitan New
York.
For Council