Newspaper Page Text
6 GEORGIA BULLETIN. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9 1967
Father Raphael Helps In Rescue Of Cuban Refugees
By MARY LACKIE
The joined hands of Protes
tant and Catholic workers spell
ed a happy ending to the rough
voyage of 15 Cuban refugees
who arrived in Savannah Jan.
23r said Father Raphael L.
McDonald, O.F.M., Resettle
ment Director for the National
Catholic Welfare Conference.
"It was the ecumenical spir
it in action,” the priest said,
who spent two days with Major
G, C, Watson, commander of
the Salvation Army in Savannah
collecting clothes, visiting hos
pitals to arrange for the release
of the injured men, and coordi
nating plans to relocate the
refugees in New York and Mi
ami.
'The whole town was alerted
to the needs of the refugees,"
said Father McDonald. "Job
offers flowed in, the Salvation
Army center was stacked with
clothes—one bed was piled five
feet high—and someone sent
down 11 rosaries blessed by the
Pope.*’ People were concern
ed for the plight of the refugees
and wanted to help them, the
priest said.
The 15 men and boys, rang
ing in age from 12 to 60 years,
left Playa de Guanaybo, Cuba
at dusk, Jan. 18. ‘This sea
shore area is only a half-block
from one of the busiest high
ways in Cuba," the priest said.
'The men chose this location
because they thought it was so
bold a plan that nobody would
dream of it. Their destination
was Miami."
The make-shift raft about
Music
Gulbransen
PIANOS — ORGANS
All makes guitars,
amplifiers, drums
We have the best qualified
instructors in Atlanta. ..
Sandy Springs Shopping Center
Open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
PHONE 255-9446
THIRTEEN of the 15 Cuban refugees aboard the Philippine freighter, J.A. Santos, say "goodbye"
to their rescuer, Capt. Carlos B. Luna of Manila. (Photo courtesy of Savannah News-Press photo
grapher Bill Durrence)
five feet wide and 16 feet long,
was built of angle irons fitted
to drums filled with compress
ed air. The small sail was soon
in tatters, and '‘the motor conk
ed out the first day," said
Father McDonald. 'The men
spent most of their time stand
ing up and waves washed con
stantly over them," he said.
The next morning the men
could still see the shores of
Cuba. Ships and planes passed
by, but the raft was unnoticed.
The refugees took turns padd
ling, but that afternoon waves
washed the food and water sup
plies overboard. The tanks of
compressed air that held the
raft afloat began leaking, and
during the days that followed,
the men lost most of their
identification papers and cloth
ing, Father McDonald said.
A Philippine Cargo ship, the
J.A. Santos, on a regular run
from Yokohama to Savannah
sighted the men on a Sunday
morning off the Florida Keys.
Capt. Carlos B. Luna directed
rescue operations. The Crew
threw lifelines to the men. 'The
seas were choppy, and two of
the older men were injured
trying to keep the sinking raft
from smashing against the side
of the freighter," said the
priest. One man fell over
board and two companions on
the raft jumped into the shark-
infested waters to rescue him.
All 15 refugees were saved,
and "they came aboard
screaming water," said Father
McDonald. 'The sailors spoon
fed them milk mixed withwater
and gave them clothes. All the
men wanted to do was sleep."
Capt. Lunas radioed U.S. gov
ernment officials in Miami for
permission to dock there, but
was told to proceed to Savan
nah. 'The seas were too
rough," explained Father Mc
Donald. Hugh McLoone, Cuban
Refugee Director in Miami no
tified Father McDonald Mon
day morning, Jan. 23, that the
ship would arrive that day in
Savannah and asked him to “go
to Savannah and take charge of
the refugees."
Immigration, customs, and
public health officials had
cleared the men when the priest
arrived in Savannah that after
noon, The mess hall of the
J. A. Santos was offered as a
"temporary center" to Father
McDonald. He assembled the
refugees at the tables and be
gan the long process of filling
out the required information
forms. ‘The men kept falling
asleep," Father McDonald
said, "and they were grumb
ling to themselves.” It was
then he realized their need for
further medical care. 'The
men had spent three days stret
ched out in the mud and bushes
hiding before they left Cuba,"
he said.
Sister Mary Cornile, R.S.M.,
of St, Joseph's Hospital, Sa
vannah, called Dr. Robert Car
ter, who came to the ship to
Scouts To Receive
Honors Sunday
Call 231-3040 for^Free Inspection
GETZ EXTERMINATORS, INC.
ST. PIUS Senior Donna Dlugos, foreground, looks on with Mrs.
Eugene Bergmann during a reading of the school's senior play,
The Night of January 16th. The show will be staged Friday, Sa
turday, and Sunday, Feb. 24-26. Mrs. Bergmann directs the
Ayn Rand play.
K. Of C.
Mardi Gras
The Knights of Columbus in
Atlanta held their 10th Annual
Mardi Gras at the Knights of
Columbus hall on Buford High
way.
The Theme for this year was
"Disney’s Fantasies" and hun
dreds of people turned out.
Like the original, Atlanta’s
Mardi Gras had a King. His
identity, one of the most close
ly guarded secrets of any Mar
di Gras, was revealed prior to
the judging of the costumes.
King Rex the Tenth is Ma
rio Moscardelli of Forest Park.
He is a Past Grand Knight of
Atlanta Council 4420 and has
been a Knight for 12 years.
Moscardelli served as Dis
trict Deputy from the Atlanta
Area last year and, at the same
time, was Faithful Navigator of
the Fourth Degree in Atlanta.
He is at present serving as
State Warden for the Knights
of Columbus in Georgia.
Moscardelli and his wife Ju
lie have been married for 26
years and moved to Atlanta
from Quincy, Mass, in 1947.
They have 2 girls and a boy,
all of whom are married.
SnAu^ance m ail ili Ioama!
SI U'A w-iitten. we wAite U . .
Sutter & McLettan
1422 RHODES HAVERTY BLDG.
JAckson 5-2086
WHERE INSURANCE IS A PROFESSION NOT A SIDELINE
This coming Sunday will see
scouts from the various parish
es of the archdiocese assem
bled at Christ the King Cathe
dral for Scout Sunday.
J b Boys/arid girls ^ill be hood reef'
in special cefembnie's. The
highlight of the event is the
presentation of awards to cer
tain scouts who have worked and
merited the honors.
At the 3 p.m, ceremony, Mgr.
Michael Regan will represent
the archbishop and make the
presentation of awards.
The award for the boys is the
Ad Altare Dei .Medal; for the
girls, The Marian Medal. The
medals are presented only after
the scout has fulfilled certain
meaningful requirements.
The Ad Altare Dei Award is
a recognition which the church
gives to a boy scout to remind
him that living close to 'The
Altar of God will bring joy to
his youth, and his religion will
accompany his adventure
through scouting and the rest of
his life. In working for. this
award the boy must know the
fundamental truths of the
church; He must be an active
and helpful member of his par-
ish; and finally he must give
evidence that he has put his
faith into daily practice.
Those receiving, the award
are: Claudio Azurmendi, Eu
gene Azurmendi, Robert Hud-
low, and James Young from Im
maculate Conception Troop 52;
Rick Deraney from Barnesville
Troop 85; Marc Maslanka from
Rome Troop 55; and Herbert
Shatzen from St. Jude’s Troop
623.
The Marian Award whichwill be
presented to 20 Girl Scouts in
the archdiocese is a recognition
which the church gives to Girl
Scouts and Campfire Girls for
advancement in knowledge and
understanding of their faith and
appreciation of their Catholic
heritage.
A deeper insight into the
meaning and significance of
Catholic action, especially as
AD ALTARE DEI
MARIAN MEDAL
applied to the Girl Scout Prom
ise and Laws and the Campfire.
Girls Law, comes to girls as
they work toward the award.
Final steps include a Pilgrim
age, Retreat, service project
in their parish or community,
and a 400-word essay.
Members of Girl ScoutTroop
,670, Our Lady of the Assump
tion parish, will receive the
award are Candy Roach, Karen
Garcar, Nancy Lyle, Sue Ann
Ott, Leach Dickey, Ann Allen,
Theresa Hotard, Kathy Jones,
Mary Kramer, Mary Jo Lewis
and Anne Schmidt.
From Troop 1103 and Troop
878 of Sts. Peter and Paul par
ish are Ann Sauter, Deborah
Davis, Marilyn Kratzer, Kathe
rine Pagge, Margaret Murphy,
Jayne Bean, Janet Vermilya,
Debbie Knapp and Ruth Hauch.
Following the ceremony on
Sunday, Girl Scouts of Cadette
Troop 1103 will hostess a re
ception in the Assembly Hall
for those receiving awards and
officiating, their families and
friends.
examine the men, and other
doctors joined him. Officials
of the Southern Maritime Com
pany who saw the extent of the
injuries offered to help. Cand
ler, St. Joseph's, Memorial
, and Public Health Service hos
pitals provided medical care
for the refugees who needed
hospitalization.
Frank Peeples, president of.
the Southeastern Maritime Co.,
local agent for the J. A. Santos,
asked Father McDonald for the
names of the four men with rel
atives in the New York area.
The maritime company made
arrangements for the men to
sail to New York aboard the
ship as guests of the company.
New York representatives of
the firm and die NCWC office
were notified and a welcoming
committee planned to meet the
men on their arrival and take
them to their relatives. The
J. A. Santos delayed its depar
ture from Savannah until two of
the boys could be released from
the hospitals. Peeples supplied
them with new clothes, the
priest said, and the ship sailed
that evening.
The transient room of the
Salvation Army was opened to
the 11 men and boys who were
being processed to go to the
Refugee Center in Miami for
further questioning and medical
care. Major G. C. Watson had
lunch prepared for the refugees
and a reception and chicken din
ner for them Wednesday even
ing. He supplied the men with
shaving kits and gifts, said the
priest. ‘The Savannah folks
took some of the boys tour
ing."
One problem encountered dur
FATHER Raphael L. McDonald of the Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception recalls his recent trip to Savannah and the efforts
of the people to help the Cuban refugees.
ing the project was obtaining
the release of Barbaro Avelin-
do, 12, the youngest of the refu
gees. Major Watson and Fath
er McDonald visited the hos
pital and "the nurses and as
sistants were reluctant to re
lease him, they wanted to adopt
him. He was embarrassed by
the attention, and kept trying
to act like a brave man."
Mrs. Rosalind K. Frame,
who helped with the clothing
drive, came to the Salvation
Army Center with some women
of Savannah, said the priest,
and took the boy shopping.
'They dressed him from the
hide out."
The maritime company as
sisted with arrangements to
send the refugees by train to
‘80 Years Ahead’
With Lay Control
Miami early Thursday morn
ing. 'There were constant
phone calls, red tape, confu
sion, and schedules to meet,"
said the priest," I never ceas
ed to marvel at the hand of God
moving."
With Major Watson, Father
McDonald escorted the refugees
to the train at 1 a.m. Thurs
day, Jan. 26. Four men still
suffering from exposure and
injuries were taken to sleeping
cars by the conductors, who
helped the refugees board the
train. An hour later, Major
Watson took Father McDonald
to the airport for his return to
Atlanta. The refugees who had
planned their escape for two
years began their new life in
this country.
PIZZA VILLAGE
DINING & TAKE-OUT SERVICE
"For PizZa As It Should Be”
3139 GLENWOQP RD., NEAR
CANDLER .
_ PIZZA PAUL
BU 9—7022 —PROP
WASHINGTON (NC) — St.
Thomas College of St. Paul is.
80 years ahead of other Catholic
colleges in admitting laymen to a
share of control, the president
of St. Thomas said here. .
Msgr, Terrence J. Murphy
told the First Friday Club of the
Washington archdiocese that the
College of St. Thomas has had a
governing board dominated by
laymen for nearly 80 years. The
board currently has five priests
and 14 lay members.
'To the colleges and univer
sities that are tentatively con
sidering adding laymen to their
governing boards, 1 offer the ex
perience of our college for over
80 years, during much of which
time laymen have been a major
ity on the board, that giving au
thority to the laity need in no
way undermine the religious
commitment of the institution,"
Msgr. Murphy stated.
He added that there has never
been a division of the board
"along clergy-lay lines. There
has always been the greatest
cooperation and cordiality.”
Msgr. Murphy became presi
dent of the St. Thomas College
' in May, 1966, after the resig
nation as president of Auxiliary
Bishop James P. Shannon of
St. Paul.
The priest-educator com
mented on the fact that several
Catholic universities, including
Notre Dame and St. Louis Uni
versity, have recently announ
ced .plans for laymen cooshace
control of the institutions.-.'- po
MEMBER GEORGIA PHARM. ASSOC."
FREE DELIVERY
PRESCRIPTION & SUNDRIES
3668 Claittnbht Rd.
PL 7-4482. Chamblee, Ga.j
FREE
ELECTRIC TOOTH
BRUSH WITH EACH
REPAIR JOB.
OUTSIDE
ANTENNAS
INSTALLED
ANY MAKE
TV, STEREO
TR. 5-6080
day—NIGHT—SUNDAY
U.S.F.C.C. LICENSE
MOTOROLA DEALER
BOB SISK, MGR.
FACTORY TRAINED
COLOR TV SERVICEMEN |
992 N. HIGHLAND. N.E.- OPENING 9A.M.-9 P.M. |
“PET.^you bet!”
PET
MILK COMPANY
DAIRY DIVISION
For Convenient Home Delivery In
Atlanta Coll 636-8677
5?
For The Discriminating . . .
Enjoy the charm of gracious living and the warmth of Southern hospitality in a
background of casual informality, 350 air-conditioned rooms with T.V., radio and
hi-fi mus Ample
parking adjacent to
your room. Excellent
food served in 2 res
taurants with enter
tainment nightly in the
Monte Carlo lounge.
Resort luxury on 8
beautifully landscaped
acres located on
Peachtree Street close
to majoi business and
shopping.
UHeSvu.
OF ATLANTA
MOTOR HOTEL
1630 Peachtree St., N.W. • Phone TR 5-9711