The Catholic times. [volume], December 21, 1951, Image 1

About The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current

Image provided by: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

                
Complete World
Coverage of
Catholic News
Vol. 1, No. 12
China Reds
Jail Fourth
U. S. Bishop
Most Rev. Philip Cote Is
Arrested With Three
Priests of Mission
TOKYO—(Radio, NC)—Another
American-born missionary Bishop
has been arrested by the Chinese
communists, according to reports
received here. He is Bishop Philip
Cote of Suchow, Kiangsu province,
a native of Lawrence, Mass. On the
morning of December 6, manacled,
he was taken off to prison. Three
Chinese priests weTe arrested at
the same time.
Bishop Cote is the fourth Amer
ican-born Bishop in communist
jails. The others are Bishops Fran
cis X. Ford, M.M., of Kaying, Am
brose H. Pinger, O.F.M., of Chow
sun, and Rembert Kowalski, O.F.M.
of Wuchang.
The arrest of Bishop Cote follow
ed a dramatic incident when 900
boys and girls, led by the “political
director” of Suchow Catholic mid
dle school, screamed “down with
imperialism”, but observed dead
silence when the same communist
official tried to lead them in the
yell “down with the ‘imperialist’
Bishop!”
The failure to break down the
loyalty of the Catholic and non
Catholic student body to the 56
year-old Bishop spoiled the scheme
of the communists to arrest him
with the usual pretext that he had
been “accused” by students of “im
perialist” activities.
Several hundred soldiers then
surrounded the school and took the
Bishop off to prison. The three
priests arrested at the same time
were the Rev. Paul Cheng, S.J.,
Paul Hsu and Paul Kiang. Father
Cheng was the principal of the
Catholic middle school.
This was the second arrest of
Bishop Cote. He had been previous
ly held in June and July 1949,
eight months after the so-called lib
eration of Suchow. He was arrested
as the “responsible head” when a
Chinese priest was accused of
breaking the law.
Pressure on the 1,200-member
student body to denounce the Bish
op and the priests had been going
on for the past year. The govern
ment had placed a “political ad
viser” on the faculty to stir up
students in the “anti-imperialist”
campaign. The loyalty of the school
to the Church irked and baffled
the desperate officials.
The board of education dispers
ed Catholic students of the lower
classes among state-run schools
and permitted only the highest
class to remain. Other non-Catholic
students were brought into the
Catholic school. Even with this
maneuver the political adviser was
unable to induce the student body
to denounce the Bishop at a public
(Continued on Page 2)
Third TV Program
In Diocesan Series
Scheduled Sunday
The third program in the cur
rent series of religious telecasts
sponsored by the Diocese of Colum
bus will be presented Sunday, Dec.
23, over WBNS-TV, Channel 10, at
2:30 p. m., the Right Rev. Msgr.
Roland T. Winel, director of the se
ries. announced this week.
Sunday’s program will feature
episodes concerning the Old Testa
ment prophets who foretold the
coming of Christ as the Messias.
The final program in the series
will be seen at the same time over
the same station Sunday, Dec. 3d.
Be Our Protector
0
This six-foot high bronxe plaque
of St. Michael the Archangel will
be erected in the lobby of the
new wing at Mt. Carmel Hos
pital, Columbus. Designed by Eu
gene Kormendi of Notre Dame
University, the figure will have
a double significance: it will hon
or the traditional devotion of the
Holy Cross Sisters to the Arch
angel for preservation from fire,
and it also will honor the patron
al saint of Bishop Ready. The
plaque is a gift of Mother M.
Rose Elizabeth, Superior General
of the Congregation of the Sis
ters of the Holy Cross.
------------------o------------------
Grade Schools
Break Record
In Enrollment
WASHINGTON (NC) Cath
olic elementary schools, spurred by
the largest numerical increase in
registration in any two-year period
since 1920, attained a record en
rollment during the 1949-50 school
year, according to figures announc
ed here by the Education Depart
ment of the National Catholic Wel
fare Conference.
The elementary schools rose ap
proximately 11 per cent in enroll
ment compared to the 1947-48 fig
ure of 2,304,965, former peak year
reported in the Education Depart
ment’s biennial surveys. This rep
resented a further continuing in
crease in the number of elemen
tary school students since 1940.
when a declining trend in enroll
ment that had begun in 1932 was
reversed.
Largest enrollments in history
also were recorded in the 1949-50
school year for women’s colleges
and for minor seminaries, while
men’s colleges and universities de
clined approximately one per cent
from their 1947-48 all-time peak of
277,568. Women’s colleges rose 2.8
per cent in registration, and minor
seminaries 9.1.
Largest percentage increase was
recorded for major seminaries,
which rose 11.6 per cent in their
student total from the 1947-48 fig
ure of 8.444. Diocesan teachers’
colleges and normal schools in
creased 2.3 per cent in students.
High schools were not included
in the Education Department fig
ures, which were announced by
statistician Emma Kammerer. But
even without high school enroll
ments, the 1949-50 total so far tab
ulated was greater than the 1945
46 overall enrollment total of
2,870,056, she reported.
Times' Christmas Bonus
Inserted in the current issue of the CATHOLIC TIMES is a 16-page
Christmas supplement, part of whose front page is reproduced above,
with pictures, articles, and stories relating to the Feast of Christ's
Nativity.
Iwy JW*
CkmtvuA tony
fc—At*
Canterbury Cathedral Murder
Symbol of New Martyrdoms
Slaying of Thomas a Becket Compared With Persecu
tion of Church Behind Iron Curtain Today
The day of Prayer by American
Catholics for persecuted brethren
behind the Iron Curtain follows
the feast of St. Thomas a Becket,
who for centuries has stcod as the
symbol of the persecuted Church.
The feast of St. Thomas is De
cember 29. The day of prayer set
by Archbishop Francis P. Keough
of Baltimore, Chairman of the Ad
ministrative Board of the National
Catholic Welfare Conference, is
Sunday, December 30.
The propriety of having the day
of prayer for the persecuted so
close to the feast of St. Thomas
was pointed out by Archbishop Ke
ough. “Coming as it does immedi
ately after the feast commemorat
ing the martyrdom of St. Thomas
a Becket,” the Archbishop said,
“we feel that on that day Ameri
cans will be given not only a re
newed consciousness of the suffer
ing which is being endured by per
secuted peoples abroad, but they
will be given as well an opportun
ity to offer by prayer and mortifi
cation some concrete demonstra
tion of their solidarity with those
who suffer for the sake of their
faith.”
Like so many persecuted for
their faith today, St. Thomas died
a martyr in the eyes of the Church
and a “traitor” in the eyes of the
regime. He was murdered on De
cember 29, 1170, as he prayed in
England’s Canterbury cathedral.
Born in London in 1118, Thomas
in his youth served as a clerk in
the household of Archbishop Theo
bald of Canterbury. He became the
Archbishop s brilliant protege and
was later ordained a deacon by
him.
When King Henry II came to the
throne he made St. Thomas the
lord chancellor. The Saint and the
King were close friends for a
while. They rode side by side in
various military engagements.
When Archbishop Theobald died
in 1161, the King supported St.
Thomas for the office of Arch
bishop. St. Thomas demurred. “I
know your plans for the Church,”
he told the king. “You will assert
claims which I, if I were Arch-
Women Place Free
Pamphlets In Rack
At Union Terminal
A Catholic information rack has
been placed in the women’s lounge
of Columbus Union Terminal by
the religious activities committee
of the Central Deanery, Diocesan
Council of Catholic Women.
Miss Blanche Meagher of Our
Lady of Victory Parish, Columbus,
chairman of the committee, person
ally installed the rack this week.
She stocked the rack’s compart
ments with copies of the Catholic
Times
and with pamphlets for free
distribution to travelers interested
in reading about the Church and
its doctrine.
Decision to place the rack in the
station was made at a recent meet
ing of the committee when one ef
the members pointed out that she
had seen one in a New York rail
terminal.
Tito Says Religion Is Free
But Continues Persecution
By G. R. Brunst
(Foreign Editor, N.C.W.C.
News Service)
Marshal Tito says the people in
the United States “do not know the
truth about the question of re
ligion” in Yugoslavia. “They do
not know that religion is complete
ly free,” he writes in his letter to
the American publicist Drew Pear
son.
Thirty million American Catho
lics have been called to pray
on Sunday, December 30 for
their persecuted brethren in al
most a score of countries where
religion is not free. Yugoslavia
stands high up, in the list of na
tions, drawn up by the American
Bishops, “in which persecution of
the Church now rages.”
Are the American Bishops
wrong? Have American Catholics
been misled? Should Yugoslavia
bp stricken from the list of coun
tries where Bishops and priests
are held in prison, where thou
sands have died a martyr’s death,
where Catholic schools, newspa
pers and societies are wiped out,
where the Pope is vilified, where
religious education is ruthlessly
hampered, where religious com
munities have been dispersed?
If Tito can prove that none of
these conditions the sad ear
marks of religious persecution
exist today in his country, then he
is, indeed, entitled to claim that
“religion is completely free” in
Yugoslavia. And he can be assur
ed that America’s Catholics would
be the first ones to welcome such
proof.
But unfortunately, Tito and his
regime hardly let a day pass by
without furnishing some new proof
demonstrating the very opposite of
what he asserts and giving addi
tional emnhasis to the prayers
The Catholic Times
Columbus 16, Ohio, (Friday, Dec. 21, 1951
bishop, must needs oppose.”
But the King continued his plea
that Thomas become Archbishop.
Finally at the insistence of Cardin
al Henry of Pisa that it would be
for the good of the Church, St.
Thomas accepted the appointment
Almost immediately the new
Archbishop of Canterbury and the
King were at odds. Like totalitar
ian regimes of today, the King
wanted to reduce the Chui'ch to a
docile instrument in his service.
For that purpose he insisted that
the Church accept the “constitu
tions of Claredon.”
Among their provisions were
those giving the King control of
Church benefices, making clerics
subject to the civil courts instead
(Continued on Page 2)
Secular Paper
Hits Bigotry
Of Blanshard
SALEM, Ore.—(NC)—Paul Blan
shard is “an evangel of discord”
who constitutes “a real challenge
to democracy,’’ the Capital State
Journal here declared in an edi
torial criticizing the Salem school
board for permitting the anti-Cath
olic author and lecturer to use the
public high school auditorium “to
preach his gospel of division and
bigotry.”
“Salem and Mount Angel have
been visited this week by Paul
Blanshard, who is on a lecture tour
assailing the Roman Catholic
Church under the sponsorship of
‘Protestants and Other Americans
United for the Separation of
Church and State,’ speaking on
‘The Catholic Challenge to Amer
ican Democracy,’ doing his best to
disunite America in a time that the
nation is waging hot war in Korea
and cold war in the rest of the
world against Communism and
needs unity more than ever,” the
secular newspaper said.
“Blanshard was granted the use
of the Salem high school auditori
um to preach his gospel of division
and bigotry. It was built by tax
payers for cultural advancement,
not to prejudice as many of the
people as possible against patri
otic citizens because of their reli
gion. This was not the purpose the
auditorium was built for and the
school board knows it.
“The wise Benedictine Fathers
at Mount Angel took the wind out
of Blanshard’s sails by inviting
him to speak to the clergy and
students of their academy and
courteously listened to his har
angue against the Church as an
‘undemocratic organization.’ He
was not placed under any restric
tion as to the nature of his re
marks. Some of his statements
were answered and others contra
dicted flatly.
“It is the activities of such evan
gels of religious intolerance as
Blanshard that constitute a real
challenge to democracy. He is
helping the Reds by stirring up
and fomenting religious discord to
divide and embitter our people
and make conquest easier.”
American Catholics will offer up
for their persecuted brethren.
How can they believe that re
ligion is “completely free” in
Yugoslavia when they learn that,
on December 7, the government
controlled Croatian radio thun
dered forth against “certain re
ligious leaders skilfully abusing
religious traditions”? How can
they believe Tito when the same
radio sneeringly refers to the fact
that “many people still hang on
to a great many mystical fallacies
because they are not acquainted
either with the basic elements of
natural and other science”?
How can Tito expect the Amer
ican people to believe his asser
tions when they are informed that
just a few days ago the Belgrade
radio (which surely reflects the
regime’s official attitude) broad
cast a talk by the Slovenian prime
(Continued on Page 2)
Truman Will Send
Clark Nomination
To Next Congress
WASHINGTON (NC) —Pres
ident Truman has not changed his
mind about nominating General
Mark Clark as Ambassador to Vat
ican City, he said this week.
Questioned about a rumor that
the administration might “leave
on the shelf” the proposal that
aroused nation-wide controversy,
the President said that when Con
gress reconvenes in January he
will again send to the Senate Gen
eral Clark’s nomination.
Meanwhile a Gallup poll indicat
ed last week that 40 per cent of
the U. S. public “didn’t know any
thing about” the proposal to send
an ambassador to the Vatican.
Hollywood Stars
On “Joyful Hour**
Featured Sunday
Ten Hollywood and New York
stars will be featured on the Fam
ily Rosary Crusade’s annual “Joy
ful Hour” radio broadcast to be
heard here Dec. 23, at 9:00 p. m.
over station WHKC.
The one-hour program of music,
drama and prayer will feature
Bing Crosby, Ann Blyth, Jeff
Chandler, Pat O’Brien. Jimmy
Durante, Ruth Hussey, Maureen
.O’Sullivan, Ricardo Montalban and
Lucia Albahese. Three of the pre
vious Christmas broadcasts, pre
sented by the Rev. Patrick Peyton,
C.S.C., have received nation wide
acclaim by being awarded the “out
standing program of the year”
rating by Radio Daily.
A chorus will accompany solos
by some of the famous artists.
o----------------
Veteran China Missionary
Arrested. Exhibited, Jailed
UNION CITY, N. J. (NC)
The Rev. Harold Travers, C. P., 52,
who has been arrested and jailed
by (he communists in China, was
marched through the streets of
Paotsing under heavy guard, ac
cording to word received by the
Very Rev. Ernest Welch, Passion
ist provincial at St. Michael’s Mon
astery here.
Father Travers is a veteran Chi
na missioner and founded a trade
school for orphans in Paotsing.
The school has been taken over
by the communists and the orphans
put to work in the Red Army, ac
cording to reports.
-----------------o-----------------
Oppose Vatican Envoy
NEW YORK (NC) Estab
lishment of a full-titme U. S. Am
bassador to the State of Vatican
City would work “untold harm,”
the National Lutheran Council,
which says it represents eight
church bodies with a total mem
bership of 4,000,000 persons, has
stated. The statement was prompt
ed by President Truman’s nomi
nation of Gen Mark Clark to
serve as Ambassador at Vatican
City.
o----------------
Promoted
The Rev. Joseph J. Buzek, above,
has been promoted to Lieutenant
Commander in the U. S. Naval Re
serve. A chaplain in World War
II, he returned to active duty in
September, 1950, and now is serv
ing aboard the aircraft carrier Es
sex in Korean waters. Father Bu
zek is former administrator of St.
Paul’s, Midvale, and of St. The
1 rese’s, Wainwright.
Unless You Become As Little Children
'W
World Awaits Its Saviour
These youngsters at St. Vincent's Orphanage, Columbus, joyfully waiting for the birthday of Jesus, will
benefit along with other underprivileged members o the Diocese, from the proceeds of the annual Christ
mas collection on Dec. 25.
A
To the Reverend Clergy, Diocesan and Regular,
To the Members of the Religious Communities,
And to the Faithful of the Diocese of Columbus.
My beloved Brethren:
-ft
Pastoral Letter Urges
Generosity To Orphans
Bibhop Ready Calls Feast of Nativity Occasion of Hope
For “Anxious and Distressed” Men
Commemoration of the birth
of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus
Christ, on Christmas Day is an
occasion of hope and joy and
love for “anxious and distressed
men,” Bishop Ready declared in
a pastoral letter this week.
At the same time he called at
tention to the “holy tradition to
give support to the orphans
through generous contributions
on Christmas.” “In the true spir­
it of Christ,” the Bishop wrote,
“we bring a gift to the orphans
and homeless and sick, and, in
deed, to all the dear men and
women and children of this Dio
cese who look to their Holy
Mother, the Church, for love and
protection throughout the whole
year.”
The text of the Bishop’s letter
follows:
Of icial
BISHOP’S OFFICE
198 East Broad Street
Columbus 15, Ohio
The holy Feast of Christ’s Birth brings to anxious and distressed
men a message of hope. Against the present world background of
strife the Church points to the Prince of Peace. She confidently
calls all men and women to prepare the way for the conquering
march of Christ. Only those who prefer the tinsel of materialism will
suffer eternal defeat.
This is not the day to emphasize the awful cost to humankind
for refusing to prepare the way of the Lord. But somehow it is easier
now to understand that the denial of God. and the flouting of His Com
mandments, and the hatred of His Church, and the sinfulness—cruel
ties, injustices, and immoralities—accepted by societv at large as a
way of modern life do not establish peace and hanpiness and love
on earth. The# world today kneqling humblv and reverentlv and
penitently at Bethlehem hails Christ as a Saviour. The world cer
tainly must understand that it needs a Saviour. And the world must
give welcome to a Saviour Who condemns its indecencies, its atheism,
its materialism, and its spirit of smug self-sufficiency.
Let all who have ears to hear and minds to think accent the
call of the Church on this joyous Feast. Let them in truth and loyalty
kneel before the Saviour of the world and open their hearts in love
to Him.
It was to save men from the effects of their sins that the Son of
God became Man. As Saint Paul so eloouentlv wrote. “Being rich.
He became poor for the sake of men.” (IT Cor. viii. 9) He emptied
Himself, taking the form of a servant.” (Phil. ii. 7^ We celebrate
the anniversary of that coming and we renew our faith in Jesus
Christ, Our Saviour. In Christ’s comine and in our Holy Faith we have
an abiding source of hope. In Christ’s comine and in our Holy
Faith we have the unfailing joy of love. In Christ’s coming and in our
holy Faith we have the only true meaning of life.
Even the awful anxieties and turmoil and strife of the world
today cannot destroy in human hearts the hope and love which
Christ’s truth and grace brought to men. Significantly, on this Feast
Day and throughout the year, devout Catholic peonle kneel before
the Altar as another Crib of Bethlehem because they know God’s
gift of His son is perpetuated in the Mass. In Holy Communion,
Christ comes to the inn of their soul and in loving adoration they
offer their praise with Mary and Joseph. This is the faith and hone
and love which must conouer the world. Families of Christ will
renew the face of the earth through the strength received at the table
of the Lord.
It is a holy tradition to give support to the orphans through
generous contributions on Christmas. In the true spirit of Christ we
bring a gift to the orphans and homeless and sick, and, indeed, to all
the dear men and women and children of the Diocese who look to
their Holy Mother, the Church, for love and protection throughout the
whole year. All these little children and our many afflicted brothers
in the Faith ask you, my beloved Brethren, in the name of the
Blessed Saviour to make your gift at the Masses on Christmas a
worthy thanksgiving for the many and likely unnoticed blessings
given to you in the mercy of Christ. All the offerings collected on
Christmas in the Churches and Chapels of the Diocese are given to
the orphans and charities of the Diocese.
Beseeching for you the grace and joy of Christ throughout
Christmastide and the New Year,
Devotedly in Christ,
December 17, 1951
MICHAEL J. READY
Bishop of Columbus
••w e Are Easily
Satisfied With
The Best’*
Price Ten Cents, $3.00 A Year
Triple Masses
Dec. 25 Herald
Christ’s Birth
Christ's birth, the assurance of
our redemption and the cause of
our Christmas joy, will be com
memorated throughout the Diocese
of Columbus with all the pomp and
majesty with which the Church has
clothed the celebration of this
great feast.
Knowing well the full joy of her
children. Holy Mother Church has
granted to each priest the unusual
privilege of offering three Masses
on Christmas day: the first honor
ing Christ’s Birth according to
the Flesh the second, His Birth
through grace in the hearts of the
faithful: and the third. His eternal
generation or Birth in the Bosom
of God His Father.
Mirroring the pent-up joy of the
world which had waited so long for
the accomplishment of Christ’s
Birth among men, the Church has
given permission, at the discretion
of the Bishop, to celebrate the
first of these Masses at midnight,
the very beginning of Christmas.
The following Diocesan regula
tions govern the celebration of
Midnight Mass in the parish and
mission churches throughout the
diocese:
(1) The Mass must be a High
or Sung Mass. Low Mass is not
permitted.
(2) An appiopriate sermon on
the significance of Christmas
must be preached.
(3) The Midnight Mass is for
the heads of families and those
who have to work. Since Christ
mas holds a special significance
for children, a special Mass
should be arranged for their
benefit.
(4) Low Mass is permitted at
midnight the chapels of relig
ious houses, and may be attend
ed only by those living in the
house.
(5) All should receive Holy
Communion on this great feast
of Christ’s Birth. The Euchar
istic Fast must be observed for
four hours before the Midnight
Mass.
All the fine old Catholic cus
toms of blessing the Crib before
the first Mass on Christmas and
of singing the lovely hymns of
the Christmas Feast are strong
ly recommended, keeping always
in mind their proper reference
to the august action of the Mass.
Bishop Ready
To Celebrate
Midnight Mass
Solemn Masses will be offered in
many churches throughout the dio
cese at midnight, Christmas Eve,
by the permission of Bishop Ready.
Bishop Ready will be the cele
brant of the Solemn Pontifical
Mass in the Cathedral Church of
the diocese. St. Joseph. Preceding
the Mass, which will begin prompt
ly at 12 p. m.. the Bishop will bless
the Christmas Crib.
Assisting Bishop Ready in the
Mass will be the Very Rev. Harry
S. Connelly, pastoi of the Cathed
ral. The Very Rev. Harold O’Don
nell, assistant chancellor, and the
Very Rev. Matthew Howard, of St.
Charles Seminary, will be deacons
of honor to the Bishop.
The Rev. James Geiger and the
Rev. George Fulcher, both assist
ant pastors of the Cathedral, will
be deacon and subdeacon of the
Mass respectively.
The Rt. Rev. Roland Winel and
the Rev. James Carroll, secretar
ies to Bishop Ready, and the Rev.
Robert White, assistant pastor of
the Cathedral and professor at St.
Charles Seminary, will be the mas
ters of ceremonies. The St. Char
les Seminarians will be the minor
ministers for the Mass.
The sermon during the Mass will
be delivered by Bishop Ready.
The St. Charles Seminary choir
will sing the processional and the
Propers of the Mass. The Ordinary
and Offertory of the Mass will be
sung by the choir of St. Joseph
(Continued on Page 2)
Cathedral Lawn to Have
Outdoor Christmas Crib
The Christmas Crib on the lawn
of the Cathedral in Columbus
which is viewed by thousands
each year will be blessed by the
Very Rev. Harry S. Connelly, pas
tor of the Cathedral, Saturday
Dec. 22, at 6:30 .m.
Assisting Monsignor Connelly a'
the Solemn Blessing will be tl
Rev. James Geiger and the Re
George Fulcher, assistant pastoi
at the Cathedral, whe will be de
con and bdeacon.
The Rev. Robert White, also ef
the Cathedral and Professor at St.
Charles Seminary, will be the mas
ter of ceremonies.
The CYO Choristers, directed by
Arnold Eifert, will sing the re
sponses and offer a program ef