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Archdiocese of Atlanta
YOUR
PRIZE-WINNING
NEWSPAPER
SERVING GEORGIA’S 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES
VOL. 3, NO. 27
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
THURSDAY, JULY 8, 1965
$5.00 PER YEAR
DOUBTS NEED
Unity Official Comments
On Luci Baptismal Rite
VATICAN CITY— (NC) AU.S.
bom member of the Vatican’s
Secretariar for Promoting
Christian Unity said here that
unless there was really serious
doubt about Luci Baines John
son’s first Baptism, it is “un
fortunate” that the rite was per
formed for the second time on
her entrance into the Catholic
Church.
Asked to comment on the ad
ministering of conditional Bap
tism to President Johnson’s
younger daughter, Father
ThomasStransky, C. S.P., com
mented:
“I suppose some would think
that entrance of a person into
the Catholic Church by itself
is against ecumenism, but this
is completely false. No Chris
tian should question the decision
fo conscience on the part of
anothe to embrace the Roman
Catholic Faith.
“BUT ECUMENISTS do ques
tion some of the proceduees
used in accepting baptized non-
Catholics into the Church, es
pecially the use of indiscrim
inate conditional Baptism.’’
(Luci’s conditionalBaptism
drew criticism in the United
States from Episcopal Bishop
James A. Pike of California.
He praised her decision to be
come a convert as an example
of “independence, ” but he
termed the conditional Baptism,
administered at her request,
a “direct slap” at “complete
ly valid infant Baptism accord
ing to the official liturgy of the
Episcopal Church.” Luci was
baptized an infant in an Episcopal
church.
(Bishop Pike, in an In
dependence Day sermon at
Grace Cathedral, San Fran
cisco, told his congregaion that
the priest who administered
conditional Baptism to Luci
“owes to the nation and to other
churches a confession of error
and expression of regret.”
(IN WASHINGTON, reached
by newsmen, Father James
Montgomery, who administered
the Baptism in St. Matthew’s
Cathedral, said he would have
no comment on Bishop Pike’s
statement.
(But he re-emphasized that
the ceremony was Luci’s wish.
“I did what she requested and
fulfilled the laws of the
Church,” he said.
(Luci requested Baptism be
cause she wished in conscience
to be sure she was meeting the
requirements of the Chruch.
“I made sure she met the re
quirements of the Church and
fulfilled her wish. Thus you
may call it a conditional Bap
tism,” he said.)
FATHER Stransky, a Paulist
priest from Milwaukee, said
that conditional Baptism is only
permitted where there is a pru
dent doubt about the fact or va-
MSGR. O’CONNOR RESIGNS
Education Office
Shift Announced
“Eighteen months of admi
nistrative service to our edu
cational program has insured
Monsignor Patrick J. O’Con
nor’s place in the Archdiocesan
school system”, it was stated
by Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan
this week. The comment was
made on the occasion of Monsi
gnor O’Connor's resignation as
Secretary for Education, p post
he has held since December,
1963.
Father Daniel O'Connor has
been named Acting Secretary
of Education and will continue
as principal of Saint Joseph’s
High School. Monsignor O’Con
nor, pastor of Saint Thomas
More parish, will retain his po
sition as Archdiocesan Consul-
tor and Chairman of the Com
mission for Vocations.
THE: CHANGE is effective
immediately, it was announced
by the Chancery.
V il During Monsignor O’Comor’s
term as Education Secretary,
a Lay Advisory Board was es
tablished, the Latin School and
Summer School programs were
launched, and Our Lady’s Day
School was enlarged and relo
cated. The accreditation pro
gram of the high schools has
moved steadily ahead. Salaries
of high school teachers, both
lay and religious, were in
creased.
“The Archdiocese has di
rectly gained from Monsignor
O'Connor’s long academic ser
vice at the Catholic University
of America, in the department
of Homiletics, and from his pas
toral work in our city”, the
Archbishop said.
Father O’Connor this Sep
tember has completed his four
th year in the school system,
rising from teacher to princi
pal to Acting Secretary of Edu
cation. He holds a Master’s
degree in education from the
Catholic University of America.
MSGR. O’CONNOR
FATHER O’CONNOR
lidity of a previous Baptism.
He cited canons 732 and 742.
“The principle involved is
that in conferring Baptism it
is required only that the minis
ter do what the Church does.
That is, that he follow the mat
ter and form prescribed, the
pouring of the water and the
pronouncing of the words of
Baptism in the name of the
Trinity,” he said.
It is the unanimous opinion of
Catholic moral theologians that
faulty or even heretical views
on the nature of Baptism do not
invalidate the sacrament if it
is properly administered, he
said.
THE ANGLICAN communion
has a rich theology of Bap
tism, Father Stransky said.
"Even though it is alleged,
and with some truth, that a few
m blisters of the Anglican com
munion do not accept the doc
trine of original sin or the
baptismal regeneration there
from, it would be very diffi
cult to uncover a case among
ters where the baptismal ritual
used was not in accord with
that contained in die Book of
Common Prayer. No Catholic
would question the validity of
that ritual,” he said.
In general, he added, there
is no reason to doubt the valid
ity of a Baptism performed by
an Episcopalian minister. Its
validity should be presumed, he
said.
THE CONGREGATION of the
Holy Office, he noted, has more
thanonce condemnedthe practice
or requiring indiscriminate
conditional Baptism of other
Christians wishing to become
Roman Catholics.
Father Stransky held that it
is not enough that a person
being received into the Catholic
Church personally desires to be
rebaptized.
Conditional Baptism shoudbe
administered only when there
are objective facts indicating
that the first Baptism was in
valid or suspect in some real
way, he said.
In cases where the validity
of Baptism is presumed, the
only requirement to be asked of
a person seeking entrance into
the Catholic Church is pro
nouncement of a profession of
faith, he said.
AS EXAMPLES, he pointed
to the reception into the
Catholic Church of Mother Eliz
abeth Seton and John Henry Car
dinal Newman, both former
Anglicans. In both cases, he
said, no conditional Baptism
was administered and in both
the two simply recited a pro
fession of faith.
Benedictines
Aid Lutherans
STOCKHOLM (NC) — Two
Swedish Lutherans have become
novices at the Catholic Bene
dictine monastery of Kloster
Erlach near Linz, Austria.
They have not been received
into the Church but intend to re
in ain Lutherans. When they fi
nish their novitiates they plan
to return to Sweden and start
a Lutheran religious community
that will follow the Benedictine
rule.
The two were received at
the monastery following an a-
greement between Bishop Franz
Zauner of Linz and Lutheran
Bishop Olof Herrlin of Visby,
Sweden, who blessed the Bene
dictine habits the novices were
given on their reception at Klos
ter Erlach.
ARCHDIOf.ESAN EXPANSION
Gift Of $25,000
For Information
Bureau Received
PICTURED CARRYING their hosts to the altar during the Offertory Procession are the First
Communicants of Our Lady’s Parish, Carrollton: (1. to r.) Donna Willegalle, Judy Moran, Theresa
Await, and Jay Veal. Sisters Mary Phillipa and Mary Aquinas, R.S.M., who trained the children
during the religious vacation school, follow bearing the wine and water.
ISSUES WARNING
Vatican Commission Hits
Liturgical Experimentation
VATICAN CITY—(NC) The
Chruch body charged with co
ordinating the ecumenical coun
cil's liturgical reforms has
warned against experimentation
by persons claiming a general
permission.
The Consilium (commission)
for the Implementation of the
Liturgy Constitution, in the June
number of its publication, No-
titiae, which was published
early in July, declared that a-
side from one case it has
“never given any general indult
to begin experimentation.’’
The one exception, it said,
was a temporary indult for
experimentation in concelebra-
tion and Communion under both
species, granted from . July
1964, until April. 15, 1965, after
which the general decree on
these practices went into ef
fect.
THE CONSILIUM said the li
turgy constitution provides that
authority for such general ex
perimentations will be granted
to territorial bodies of bishops
by the Holy See. They are to
be performed only by deter
mined groups suited for such
experiments and for a de
termined length of time.
“If the Consilium permits
experiments,’’ Notitiae said,
“it will always communicate the
faculty to perform them to ter
ritorial ecclesiastical author
ity, and this in writing, with
the addition of conditions and
limits within which the experi
ments may be performed.
“Likewise, when rites or
ceremonies or innovations of
any kind seem out of harmony
with today’s laws in liturgical
matters, all of them are to
be considered ‘personal’ in
novations, arising from ‘pri
vate agitation’...and by that very
fact disapproved by the cons
titution and the Consilium.’
THE CONSILIUM said it was
publishing its declaration be
cause “sometimes rumors are
spread here and there of cer
tain innovations which go b^-
Food For Panama
PANAMA CITY, Panarpa(NC)
— Catholic Relief Services—
National Catholic Welfare Con
ference has been distributing
1.6 million pounds of food year
ly to poor families through Pa-
nam a’s Catholic charities orga
nization.
yontl either the rubrics'in force
or the constitution or the in
struction concerning the sacred
liturgy. Authors of these in
novations, as is very often the
case, claim they have obtained
a faculty or indult from the
Concilium to conduct experi
ments.”
Clarifying doubts arising in
the interpretation of the liturgy
constitution, Notitiae said it is
permissable to celebrate Mass
in the vernacular even if those
assisting do not actually parti
cipate by making responses.
NOTITIAE set down the gen
eral guidelines the Consil
ium will follow in proposing li
turgical changes. “Only those
elements are to be set forth
which already manifest some
sort of certainty on the part
of the Consilium. Others, al
though they may have been dis
cussed and examined frequent
ly, will simply be omitted if
they seem not yet sufficiently
mature.’’
Expressions used by the Con
silium, such as “it has pleased
the Fathers” or “the Fathers
have given their vote” or "they
have approved,” are to be ac
cepted in a broad sense. That
is, Notitiae said, “they show
the mind of the Consilium, not
the definitive solution to ques
tions. In the pursuit of their
work, a matter can be estab
lished otherwise if new ele
ments arise...
“It is especially superflous
to note that the judgment of the
Consiluum constitutes no bind
ing rule for ultimate and defin
itive approbation by supreme
authority.”
TWO PROPOSALS, reported
out of the committees of experts
at work within the Consilium,
were published in Notitiae. One
concerned the general prin
ciples or criteria for the re
form of the liturgical calendar.
The other concerned the redis
tribution of psalms in the
priests’ breviary.
In the former, it was pro
posed that the calendar of
saints' feasts be revised to re
present more equally saints
from various regions “so that
it demonstrated that sanctity is
diffused throughout the uni
versal Chruch, avoiding making
the Roman calendar a Mediter
ranean calendar.” The com
mittee specifically proposed by
way of example the inclusion of
the Japanese, Canadian and U-
ganda, martyrs,
Ir was suggested that several
saints’ feasts be assigned to the
same day, leaving an option on
which is to be celebrated.
AS GUIDELINES for the se
lection of saints for the uni
versal calendar, the committee
proposed the retention of all
the Apostles and Evangelists,
of all the more ancient martyrs
who are universally celebrated
or have a special universal im
port for the life of the Church,
and of a selection from all
areas of Church life-clerical
and lay. The “major” doctors
of the Church are to be re
tained, while the “minor” ones
are to be selected individually.
Saints should be kept in the uni
versal bearing on Church piety,
either because of the particular
form of their spirituality or
their apostolate.
In general, the proposals for
breviary changes suggested the
spacing of 150 psalms over a
two-week period in a priest's
recitation instead of one week
as in the present breviary. The
-committee recommends this
“not for brevity or relaxation
of the breviary obligation per
se, but for spiritual advantage.
The length of the hours parts
of the breviary,..can be pre
served by the addition of read
ings if it is desires.”
One suggestion is for a re
duction in the first and longest
part of the breviary—Matins—
from nine to three psalms ex
cept on more solemn feasts.
To provide in the Catholic
Center for Lay Action an In
formation Bureau, a gift of
$25,000 from the Frank J. Lewis
Foundation has just been re
ceived by Archbishop Paul J.
Hallinan. The check was pre
sented to the Archbishop by
Philip- D. Lewis, son of the re
nowned Catholic benefactor,
during the recent Convention of
Serra International in Miami.
‘The perspective of the pro
posed Lay Center,” said the
Archbishop, “is the formation
of the layman. This has- its
spiritual, educational, cultural
and organizational aspects.
From the start of the planning,
two projects were considered
vital parts of the complex. Both
are now possible."
THE LEWIS gift will pro
vide for a modern Information
Center with a good library, a-
vailable pamphlets and jour
nals, with a priest for consul
tation. “It is not a “Convert
Bureau”—rather it is a place
where Catholic questions may
be asked by anyone, and Catholic
answers given by priests and
laymen trained to do it.
The other project of the
Center is the Ecumenical
Library made possible by the
large gift of Mr. James Dickey
to be named for him and his
deceased wife. Here the empha
sis will be on the meeting of
persons of different faiths with
definitive books and journals on
the various churches.
“The generous Lewis Foun
dation grant comes from a re
siduary trust estate established
under the will of the late Frank
J. Lewis of Chicago. In his life
time—a tireless pioneer in the
American Missionary field, he
set up this fund ‘for charitable
and educational purposes and
objects as are designed tofost-
er, preserve and extend the
Catholic Faith*. The trustees
considered the Atlanta project
a good instrument in our times
for this educational and ecu
menical work”, said Arch
bishop Hallinan.
Missioner Dies
PHILADELPHIA (NC) — Re
quiem Mass for Father Joseph
M. Schmutz, S.S.J., 71, who
served in six states as a mis
sioner during his 40years in the
priesthood, was offered (June
30) in Imfhaculate Conception
church here. Burial was in
Newburgh, N.J, Father Schmutz
served in Josephite parishes in
Virginia, Alabama, Texas,
Florida, Tennessee, Delaware
and the District of Columbia.
TAR GREATER PROBLEMS’
Cardinal Says Papacy
‘Burden’ To Pope Paul
THE HAGUE, The Nether
lands (NC)—Bernard Cardinal
Alfrink said that Pope Paul VI
“will probably be confronted
with far greater problems than
those his predecessor knew.”
Cardinal Alfrink spoke at a
Mass commemorating the se
cond anniversary of Pope Paul’s
coronation. He said.
‘Clean-up TV’
LONDON (NC)—The Catholic
Teachers Federation pledged
its support for Britain's cur
rent "clean-up TV” campaign.
A spokesman for the federa
tion, which is sending copies
of a petition for parliamentary
action to all Catholic schools
in England, said: “It is our du
ty to support these people whose
aim is identical with our own:
the protection of young people
from corruption.”
"Everyone who attended the
coronation of Pope Paul VI
in Rome (June 30, 1963) got
the impression that the Pope
did not experience this cere
mony as a great joy or honor,
but as a heavy burden. One
could observe that the Pope
doubted whether the triple
crown could rightly be con
sidered the symbol of the papal
mission. He accepted the papal
crown only because it was a
long-standing tradition.”
“IT IS clear,” Cardinal Al
frink added, “that Pope Paul
wants to be only a pastor, a
shepherd, and the chief bishop
among his brother bishops. It
is the unfortunate fate of Pope
Paul VI that public opinion con
siders him to be merely the
successor of Pope John XXIII.
But Pope Paul will probably
be confronted with far greater
problems than those his pre
decessor knew.”
AN INFORMATION BUREAU, to be part of the Archdiocesan Catholic Center for Lay Action,
shown her in an architect’s rendering, will become a reality through a figt of $25,000 from the
Frank J. Lewis Foundation. Archbishop Hallinan received the grant during the Miami Serra
Convention.