The Catholic times. [volume], February 05, 1954, Image 1

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

Image provided by: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

                
The Road To
True Peace Leads
Through Mary
Vol. Ill, No. 18
Ohio’s Bishops Issue
First Joint Pastoral
The Bishops of Ohio’s six Catholic Dioceses issued a pastor
al letter to .their people when they met in Columbus, Wednes
day, Januarv 27. at the close of the sessions of the two-day Mid
Winter Conference of the Ohio Catholic Welfare Conference.
Archbishop Karl Alter, of Cincinnati, presided at the joint
sessions when this pastoral letter was released.
The pastoral follows in full:
“We great vou. Beloved Brethren, on the occasion of our
present Conference meeting in, the Capital Citv of our State.
The review of the progress of the
Church in Ohio in fulfilling its
mission gives evidence of your
sterling, loyally and persevering
sacrifice. We share a common con
cern for the welfare of family life
and the religious instruction of
youth for the protection and hap
piness of alt classes of workers,
and for the proper care of the
Former Pastor
Of Groveport
Parish Dies
Father Francis A. McDonnell,
M., pastor of St. Mary Church in
Groveport from 1938 to 1950. died
last week in Misericordia Hospital
in Philadelphia. He was 71.
In addition to holding the pastor
ate of the Groveport parish. Father
McDonnell was superior of St. Vin
cent's Mission House there from
1944 to 1950. When the term of of
fice expired, he was transferred to
St. Joseph College for Women, Em
mitsburg, Md., as spiritual advisor
to the student body. Ill health fore-
Father Francis McDonnell
•d him to relinquish that post and
to return to Germantown, Pa., in
1952.
The priest will be remembered
in Columbus for his numerous ser
mons in various parishes, and as a
confessor to the seminarians at St.
Charles College.
A Philadelphia native, Father
McDonnell was ordained a priest
in the Congregation of the Mission
in 1914. He taught at St. Joseph
College. Princeton, N.J., 1914-1915
at Niagara University, Lewiston,
N.Y., 1915-1934 and at St. John’s
University, Brooklyn, 1935-1938,
specializing in physics and mathe
matics.
In St. Mary in Groveport—the
church built under Father McDon
nell’s supervision in 1949—a Sol
emn High Mass of Requiem was of
fered Feb. 1 by Father John Shea,
C.M. Father Gerald Furlong. CM.,
was deacon, and Father Donald
Knox, C-M., was subdeacon.
That same day in St. Vincent’s
Seminary Chapel, Germantown.
Pa., a Solemn High Mass of Requi
em was also offered for Father
O’Donnell. Burial was in the Con
gregation of Mission Cemetery on
the grounds of St. Joseph College,
Princeton, N.J.
nn -f
I
homeless, distressed and afflicted
citizens of our State. The current
Conference has given us the occa
sion to note in detail the excel
lent services provided in the Dio
ceses of Ohio in the fields oi edu
cation and charity. We rejoice
the quality and extent of these
stitutions which contribute
much to the religious life of
our citizens and to the general wel
fare of the Community.
"But, in our joyful prayer of
thanksgiving to God for His mani
fold blessings on our social mis
sion, we share the common sorrow
of all worthy citizens in the ap
parent indifference to the adequate
support of the wards in the State’s
institutions of welfare and to the
widespread, brazen disregard for
the ordinary decencies of life.
"Th* Ohio Catholic Welfara
in
so
all
Conference commends Governor
Lausche and the Department of
Public Welfare for their earnest
efforts to improve the quality of
service given to our dependent
and afflicted citizens, in spite of
the severe handicaps under
which they labor. We particular
ly express sincere sympathy with
the personnel in charge of our
institutions for the mentally af
flicted as well as for the unfor
tunate patients under their care.
We do so because we recognize
the impossibility of giving ade
quate service in view of the
greatly-overcrowded condition in
the mental hospitals of our
State.
“We deplore the meager financial
budget allowed by the Legislature,
which makes it impossible to em
ploy sufficient personnel even for
normal supervision and much less
for adequate professional service.
The State of Ohio ranks fourth
wealth, but only thirtieth in the
per capita expenditure for the
mentally afflicted. We submit that
a per capita allowance of $2.60 per
diem is -woefully insufficient for
decent care, and we appeal to our
fellow citizens to use their influ
ence to increase the budget for
our mental hospitals so that those
who are so sadly afflicted may re
ceive decent, safe and effective
care. To do less than this is to be
derelict in our civic responsibili
ties and to fail egregiously in our
Christian duties.
Hampering Censorship
“A recent decision of the Su
preme Court of the United States
has practically nullified the right
and power of individual States to
exercise censorship over the show
ing of motion-pictures. A State
Board cannot now effectively de
cide on preview- that a film must
not be shown because it is immor
al, or because it would tend to in
crease crime.
"We have been told that th*
maturity of modern people war
rants a new approach to a code
of decency or its revision. It
would be highly desirable if the
motion picture industry itself
would attain such a degree of
maturity in its presentation* so
that there would be no need of
review or censorship or a pro
duction cod* for decency.
“The decision of the Supreme
Court seems to rest on two points:
first—the right of free expression
guaranteed by the Constitution
(Continued on Page 2)
Lauds Women’s Group
His Excellency Archbishop Amleto Giovanni Cicognani, Apos
tolic Delegate to the United States, received the board of directors
of the National Council of Catholic Women at hi* residence in
Washington, D. C., and urged the N.C.C.W. to continue to "assist
the enterprises of the Church under the guidance of the Supreme
Pontiff and the Bishops." The occasion was the meeting of the
N.C.C.W. board in the Capital. His Excellency told the women:
"Your sacrifices will ultimately become benefits both for your
neighbor and for yourself." Shown here with the Apostolic Dele
gate are Mrs. William H. Dalton of Augusta, Me. (center), N.C.C.W.
president, and Mrs. Michael Geraei of Cleveland, O., (right), first vice
president. (NC Photos)
A MINK
newspaper division
OHIO STATE MU3EUH
i ne v
COLOSSUS 10 OHIO
Subscription
Drive Brings
Early Response
The enthusiastic response
throughout the Diocese of Colum
bus in the observance of Catholic
Press month has been revealed al
ready in the mounting list of Catho
lic Times renewals pouring in to
the parish rectories during the past
few days.
Some parishes have already com
pleted their subscription drives
while most others plan to finish
their campaigns by the middle of
the month. All lists will be sent
to the Chancery Office bv February
27, the last day of the drive.
Bishop Ready’s emphasis on the
fact that you will find the
Catholic Press presenting all the
facts and the background necessary
to form right opinions” has brought
renewed interest in the Catholic
Press.
in
The Times office has been in
formed of several schools and var
ious study groups which are going
to make a study of their own Dio
eesan newspaper, the Catholic
Times. Another group is starting a
project to see that the Times goes
into the homes of their interested
non-Catholic friends.
Subscribers w ho have not yet re
newed their subscriptions to the
Catholic Times are being requested
to do so now through their pastors
for proper credit to the parish.
Despite, the ever-rising cost of
production the Catholic Times is
still maintaining the present low
subscription price of $3 a year.
-------------------o-------------------
J. Edgar Hoover
Is Named For
Patriot Award
NOTRE DAME, Ind (NC)
J. Edgar Hoover, director of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation,
has been selected as the first re
cipient of a new patriotism award
inaugurated by the University of
Notre Dame to honor “the outstand
ing patriot of the year who exem
plifies the American ideals of jus
tice, personal integrity and sdtivce
to country.”
Father Theodore M. Hesburgh,
CSC., the university president, an
nounced that the senior class had
named Mr. Hoover as Patriot of
the year.”
Johnston Pledges
No Weakening Of
Production Code
WASHING TON (NC) A
pledge 'that the board of directors
of the Motion Picture Association,
“which has the responsibility for
th? Production Code, will not weak
en it,” was made by Eric Johnston,
MPA president.
The pledge came in a letter from
Mr. Jonnston to Francis I. Nally,
president of the National Council
of Catholic Men. Mr. Nally had
written to Mr. Johnston concerning
the controversy raised by the
Supreme Court ruling on the so
called ’“M” and “La Ronde” film
censorship cases.
In his reply. Mr. Johnston ex
pressed appreciation for the con
structive letter from the NCCM
president. Mr. Johnston stated:
“We are all greatly cheered and en
couraged by your fine support of
our system of voluntary self-regu
lation.”
“Our board members are deter
mined always to fulfill their obli
gation to the public to provide
decent and moral entertainment on
the screen,” Mr. Johnston’s letter
said.
o-------------------
New Envoy To Holy See
VATICAN CITY (Radio, NC)
Nicolas Vega, newly appointed Am
bassador to the Holy See from San
to Domingo, has arrived in Rome
and will shortly present his ere
dentials to His Holiness Pope Pius
xn.
Columbus 16, Ohio, Friday, February 5, 1954
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New Developments Point Ip
Restrictions Against Religion
Still In Existence In Mexico
Court Denies Churches Right
To Own, Administer Property
MEXICO CITY (NC) Recent developments here have
provided sharp remidners that both the Catholic Church and
religion generally in Mexico are still subject to severe restric
tions under the Constitution of 1917.
The 1917 law made civil marriages compulsory, banned
religious instruction in state
private schools, and outlawed
schools. It denied the rights oi
churches to own or administer
property, and also forbade public
“religious manifestations” of any
kind.
The new developments involved
a Supreme Court ruling reaffirm
ing the denial of property owner
ship rights to any church, and the
governments failure so tai to per
mit the showing of a new Catholic
film, presumably on the ground
that it would constitute a public
"religious manifestation.”
First decision of its kind in many
years, the Supreme Court’s ruling
was handed down in a case in
which two Protestant sects the
Bethel Christian Church and the
Assembly of God—were at issue
over the use of a worship center
in the capital. The court ruled
that the premises were the proper
ty of the State but could be used
jointly by the two groups.
The court based its authority on
Article 27 of the Constitution
which states that “churches intend
ed for public worship arc the prop
erty of the nation, represented by
the Federal government, which
shall determine which churches
will be continued in use for this
purpose.” Article 130 of the char
ter states that the law does not
grant legal character to any "re
ligious groups known as churches.”
Th* same law applies to bish
ops' residences, rectories, semi
naries, convents and any type of
church-conducted institution, as
yell as to churches proper.
The anti-religious tone of the
1917 Constitution was reflected
meantime in the obvious reluctance
of the Motion Picture Office of
the Department of the Interior to
Msgr. Connelly Is
Safely Delegate
Msgr. Harry S. Connelly, pastor
of St. Joseph Cathedral, has been
designated by Bishop Readj and
Governor Lausche as an Ohio re
presentative at the forthcoming
White House Conference on High
way Safety.
Monsignor Connelly will attend
the sessions in Washington's Con
stitution Hall from Feb. 17-19 at
the personal invitation of Presi
dent Eisenhower.
atholic Times
Catholic Press Month Blessing
c- c- I
A IT (PcxtAeH wA? £vy
tie At AevV cornU L?
cerd&t witA
The special letter (above) was sent by Hi* Holiness Pope Pius Xll to Bishop Thoma* K. Gorman,
Coadjutor of Dallas-Fort Worth and Episcopal Chairmen of the Press Deoartment N. C. W. C.
In it the Holy Father imparts hi* Apostolic Blessing to all those who by their support meke possible
its continual***. Th* occasion of the letter is Catholic Press Month which is being observed in th*
United States during th* month of February.
approve the showing of the relig
ious film, “El Portico de la Gloria”
(The Portico of Glory), in which
the leading role is played by Fa
ther Jose Guadalupe Mojica.
O.F.M., one-time renowned Mexi
can singing and motion picture
star.
The film was made in Spain, and
Father Mojica had come to Mexico
for its premiere. However, the
showing continues to be deferred
because of the failure to obtain a
state license. The government of
fice has explained the delay as due
to certain undefined "difficulties.”
It seems clear in Catholic cir
cles here that the difficulties
arise because of the obvious de
votional appeal of the film which
renders it subject to being classi
fied as a "religious manifesta
tion."
The movie was filmed in Santi
ago de Compostela and was design
ed to stimulate interest in the cur
rent Holy Year of Compostela for
which a million pilgrims from
many countries are expected. High
ly praised by critics, the film has
already been exhibited in Madrid
and Havana, Cuba. Taking part in
it was a children s choir from Mex
ico.
Religion Edited Out
It is recalled that on a number
of occasions Mexican authorities
have ordered movies of religious
events to be deleted from news
reels before the films were releas
ed for public showing. Further
more, the Mexican government has
forbidden any kind of religious
program to be broadcast.
Father Mojica, now stationed at a
monastery in Peru, was in the cap
ital also to take part in various
benefit programs, one of which
was to collect funds for the com
pletion of the vast Plaza de las
Americas which is being built in
front of the Basilica of Our Lady
of Guadalupe.
The fact that the government re
tains legal ownership of every
church in the country has not pre
vented Mexican Catholics from
adding their own contributions to
state grants to complete the great
square that will provide a hand
some approach to the Guadalupean
shrine.
Mexican Catholics also are sup
plementing government subsidies
for needed restoration work in the
great centuriesold Cathedral of
Mexico which is dedicated to the
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fvt'i afpteuu tkil time
tfec '.mtn
Assumption of Mary Most Holy, clearance projects.
2 Local Priests
To Be hiteriewed
On WOSU Series
Two w ell-known Columbus
pnests will hold the spotlight on
upcoming programs in the Ohio
State University Symposium series
to be broadcast by WOSU.
Father Urban Nagle, O.P., chap
lain at St. Mary of the Springs
College will be featured Feb. 9. and
Father Charles Curran Ph.D.. ad
minstrator of Our Lady of Mt. Car
mel Parish, Buckeye Lake, 0., will
be heard Feb. 16 The programs
will be broadcast at 3 and 6.30 p.m.
on those dates.
Robert Holsinger, assistant pro
gram director at WOSU, will in
terview Father Nagle on the topic
“Religion and the Theater.” and
will query Father Curran on
“Guidance and Counseling in Re
ligion.”
Various speakers who appeared
on the Religion In Life Week pro
gram a week ago at Ohio State will
be featured in the symposium
series.
Father Nagle is no stranger to
radio and television audiences. He
has made numerous appearances
on “The Catholic Hour,” carried
nationally by the National Broad
casting Co., as well as many other
radio and television programs.
Founder of the Black Friars.
Father Nagle has penned the his
tory’ of the Catholic theater group
in a book entitled "Behind the
Masque.” For many years, he was
editor of the "Holy Name Journal.”
Father Curran, who earned a
master's and doctor’s degree in
psychology at Ohio State, is presi
dent of the American Catholic Psy
chological Association and a well
known speaker.
Ike Asks Change
In Housing Lans
WASHINGTON—(NO—President
Eisenhower outlined to Congress
an eight point program for revi
sion of the Federal Housing Laws.
He declared:
“I am convinced that every
American family can have a decent
home if the builders, lenders and
communities, and the local, state
and federal governments, as well
as individual citizens will put
their abilities and determination
energetically to the task.”
The President, is his program
urged authorization of four more
years of public hoysing, with 140.
000 new units to be started. He al
so advocated that the building pro
gram be coupled with a new and
experimental plan to encourage
private enterprise to meet the
needs of low income families.
The government, he said, should
underwrite longer term mortgages
with lower down payments for
families left homeless by slum
the persecuted in the Church
of Science.
At the seme time, the Com
mittee called upon the Bishops
of the world to select a day at
their own discretion which the
faithful of their dioceses would
observe as a Day of the Sick.
A circular letter announcing the
special Marion Days was sent by
the Committee to all the Ordinar
ies. Also issued by the Committee
was a second letter addressed to
the superiors of all religious com
munities of men and women in the
world and inviting them to issue
special Marian Year directives to
those under their authority.
The letter to the religious su
periors called for study and ap
plication of the encyclical Fulgens
Corona” (Shining Crown), in which
the Pope proclaimed the Marian
Year prayers "ur the spirit of pen
ance” for the persecuted, lor the
persecutors themselves, and for
universal respect for the rights of
the Church.
The letter to the Bishop* stat
ed that all priests, both diocesan
and regular, were being invited
to mark the Feast of the Annun
ciation by uniting with the Holy
Father in prayer, in meditation
on the Mystery of the Immaculate
Conception, and in offering Mass
for the Pope's intentions. Also
recommended was that priests
observe holy hours, perhaps in
unison, in churches dedicated to
the Mother of God.
The same letter stated that Pas
sion Sunday seemed a very appro
priate day for collective prayer by
all the faithful for the Church of
Silence. It recommended public lit
urgical ceremonies in the course
of which the faithful would be
asked "to raise their supplications
for the brethren suffering persecu
tion for the Faith.”
In regard to the Day of the Sick,
the letter said that Ordinaries
could organize religious functions
in hospitals, sanitaria and other
institutions. It suggested that they
would also arrange for broadcasts
to the sick in their homes, inviting
them to offer their prayers and
sufferings for the Pope's inten
tions.
The Central Committee of the
Pope’s Condition
Seen Improved
By A atican Press
VATICAN CITY (Radio, NC)
—A new Vatican press office bul
letin said that the condition of His
Holiness Pope Pius XII is some
what better as a result of the com
plete rest he has been taking.
The bulletin stated that careful
medical tests had shown that the
Pontiff was suffering from a
"neuro-digestive” disturbance, but
added that the tests had produced
“happily negative results.”
According to the bulletin. Pope
Pius still has a digestive disturb
ance and intermittent hiccups, but
had a good night’s sleep, with a
resultant noticable improvement in
his condition.
i
Pari!
Do Your
Your
Support
Times
Catholic
Price Ton Cents $3.00 A Year
Committee Selects
Two Marian Days
For Special Rites
Intentions Of Pontiff, World’s
Persecuted, Focus Of Pravers
VATICAN CITY (Radio, NC) The Feast of the An
nunciation on March 25 has been designated as a special Mar
ian Day on which priests throughout the world will join in
prayer for the intentions of His Holiness Pope Pius Xll, it was
announced here by the Central
i ue cummmee announceci aisu
that Passion Sunday, April 4. had
been set aside as another special
day on which the faithful every
where will join in collective prayer
Committee of the Marian Year.
Holy Year is headed by Arch bishop
Luigi Traglia. Vicegerent of Rome,
who was named to the post by
Pope Pius.
It was announced the women Re
ligious of Rome— numbering 15 000
in 550 houses— would begin Feb
ruary 1 daily Marian Year pilgrim
ages to the Basilica of St. Mary
Major in the Eternal City. Arch
bishop Traglia was scheduled to
lead the devotions at the initial
pilgrimage. Nuns belonging to the
various convents in Rome will take
turns each day in the pilgrimages
during the rest of the Manan
Year.
ff omen I rge
Peaceful End
To Segregation
In Classrooms
WASHINGTON (NC)
A peaceful end to racial segre
gation in U.S. schools was un
animously urged by the Board
of Directors of the National
Council of Catholic Women
here
“We know’ from experience
in some of our Catholic schools
that a change from segregation
to integration can be made
without difficulty. the NCCW
statement said. "We are convinced
that such a change can be made in
the public schools.”
Among NCCW board members
were ^omen from the segregated
school states of Florida, Louisiana
and Kentucky.
The school integration statement
said that 'ome people are already
working on subterfuges to avoid
implementing the decision of the
Supreme Court should the Court
ask for integration its decision
on the constitutionality of segre
gation.
“However, we of the National
Council of Catholic Women, recog
nizing our obligation to ourselves,
to our fellow-meembers in Mystical
Bod ot Christ and. above all. to
God. will work for a peaceful set
tlement of this thorny problem,”
the statement said.
Hit Overseas Show*"
The Board of Directors also ex
pressed "serious concern” with the
entertainment provided for Amer
ican Armed Forces in Korea at
Christmas "as widely reported in
the press of the United States dur
ing the month of December. 1953.”
"We strongly disapprove the
engagement by USO of entertain
ere whose behavior and publie
statements violate even elemen
tary standards of decency and
propriety, impugn the integrity
and reoutation of the constituent
agencies, and flagrantly violate
the basic purooses of the organi
zation," the NCCW board said.
The group asked USO for as
surance that in the future "it will
provide only such entertainment
as is consonant with its high stand
ards and ideals and those of the re
ligious organizations affiliated with
it.”
Discussing Child Guidance
Two export* in the field of child guidance compared notes this
week when they met in Columbus. Mis* Amado Quiroz Diaz, Assist
ant School Supervisor for public schools of Mexico City, left, and
Sister Francois, S.N.D., Director of the Guidance Center of the
Diocese of Columbus discussed the progress being made in their
two countries in the handling of cases involving exceptionally bright
or retarded children. Mis* Diaz is in the United State* on a fellow
ship from the United Nations to study the method* used here In
deeling with handicapped childreiv