North-Carolina Catholir «
Volume II.
Nazareth, N. C., Friday, February 13, 1947
Number 20
Father George A. Watkins Buried
With Pontifical Mass At Raleigh
RALEIGH— The Rev. George Watkins, 68, former pastor
of St. Marcella’s Church, Sanford, who died at St. Leo’s Hospital,
Greensboro, February 9, was buried from Sacred Heart Cathedral,
Raleigh, Thursday morning, February 12, with a Solemn Hieh
Former Sacred Heart
Students Become
Sisters of Mercy
BELMONT— Five former stu
dents of Sacred Heart Academy
and Junior College, here, were
T solemnly received into the Congre
gation of the Sisters of Mercy,
Belmont Foundation, February- 3,
when the Right Reverend Vincent
L, G. Taylor, O. S. B., of Belmont
Abbey heard their vows.
The Sisters who were in the
profession ceremony were: Sr.
Francella Cress of St. James
Church, Concord; Sr. Jeanne Marie
Kienast, Sacred Heart Church, At
lanta, Ga.; Sr. Assumpta Williams,
St. Mary’s Church, Goldsboro; Sr.
Maureen Dees and Sr. DeChantal
A Tomlinson, Sacred Heart Cathed
ral, Raleigh; and Sister M. Fidelis
Colina, Cuba.
The Rt. Rev. Msgr. Arthur R.
Freeman, P. A., V. G., pastor of
St. Patrick’s Church, Charlotte,
preached the sermon. Assisting
Abbot Taylor were Rev. Father
Andrew, O. S. B., and Rev. Frater
Raphael, O. S. B. Visiting clergy
included Rev. Lawrence Newman,
St. Mary’s Church, Goldsboro;
Father Sebastian, O. S. B., chap
lain of Sacred Heart College; Fa
ther Paul, O. S. B., Retreat Master
for the Novices; and Father
Charles, O. S. B., pastor of Bel
mont Abbey Cathedral.
Friends and relatives of the
young nuns who attended the
ceremony were: Mr. and Mrs. R.
B. Whitney, Mr. B. Kienast, all
of Atlanta, Ga.; Mr. Oscar Wil
liams, Messrs. Paul, William and
Edward Williams, of Goldsboro;
Doctor H. Colina, Charlotte; Mrs.
B. Chartier, Spartanburg; Miss
Nora Leza, Miss Pauline Waters,
Charlotte; the Misses Fellow, Mil
ler, and Carlson of Mercy Hospi
tal, Charlotte, and several visiting
Sisters.
148 Catholic Almanac
Soon to Be Off Press
WASHINGTON—The 1948 edi
tion of the National Catholic Al
manac, which now is in its 42nd
year of publication, has gone to
press and shortly will appear on
the book stands of the nation, it
has been announced here by the
Franciscan clerics of Holy Name
College who prepare the annual.
Frater Urban A. Cain, O.F.M.,
editor of the ’48 edition, said it
will contain 832 pages of basic
Catholic and general information
and an 83-page summary of 1947
news events of Catholic interest.
News and feature articles cover
the Papal Encyclicals, status of
the Church in various countries
and European difficulties, while
the permanent background sections
dealing with the Liturgies of the
Eastern and Western Churches,
Catholic apologetics, marriage leg
islation, Catholic literature, Catho
lic Action, the Hierarchies of Can
ada and Mexico and youth activi
ties haVb been revised and ex
panded.
Dealing at greater length with
activities and life of the Church
in the United States, the Almanac
will include the latest available
facts on Catholic education, mis
sions, societies, science, social
movement, sports and a complete
listing of all seminaries, universi
- Mass of Requiem offered by His
Excellency, the Most Reverend
Vincent S. Waters, Bishop of Ra
leigh.
Bishop Waters was assisted by
the Rev. John Brown, deacon; Rev.
William Murray, C. S. Sp., sub
deacon; Very Rev. Msgr. J. Lennox
Federal, V. F., archpriest; Rev.
Herbert Harkins, and Rev. Vincent
S. Stokes, deacons of honor. The
Priests’ Choir under the direction
of Rev. Charles O’Connor sang the
proper and ordinary of the Mass.
Msgr. Federal preached the ser
mon.
On Wednesday morning, a Re
quiem Mass was offered at Fath
er Watkins’ parish, St. Marcel
la’s, Sanford, by the Rev. William
Murray, Q. S. Sp. alter which the
body of the deceased was trans
lated to Sacred Heart Cathedral
where it lay in state until the
funeral on Thursday morning. In
terment was in St. John’s Ceme
tery, Pauling; N. Y.
Father Watkins, although ill for
many years, nevertheless had been
active in parochial duties through
out the Diocese of Raleigh. A
native of Pauling, N. Y., born on
March 26, 1880, Father Watkins
was ordained to the priesthood
at Belmont Abbey, North Caro
lina, on June 8, 1913, by the Rt.'
Rev. Leo Haid, O. S. B., abbot.
His pastoral assignments includ
ed: Sacred Heart Church, Dunn;
St. Patrick’s, Fayetteville; Immac
ulate Conception, Hendersonville;
first pastor of Blessed Sacrament,
Burlington; St. Mary’s, Goldsboro;
and St. Marcella’s, Sanford.
While pastor in Fayetteville,
Father Watkins was a zealous ap
ostle for Catholicism, taking a
wholehearted interest in the sol
diers stationed at Fort Bragg,
which was a mission under his
jurisdiction.
Father Watkins’ survivors in
clude a brother, Mr. Alexander
Watkins, Bayport, New York, and
a sister, Sister Vincent of the
Daughters of Charity, St. Agnes
Hospital, Baltimore, Md.
Bishop of Raleigh Is
Speaker for K. of C.
RALEIGH—At a banquet hon
oring the Fourth Degree Knights
of Columbus held in Raleigh, Feb
raury 9, Sir Knight Dennis J.
Dunn, Sr., Faithful Navigator of
the Fourth Degree Assembly,
Council No. 770 of-the Knights of
Columbus, presented His Excel
lency, the Most Reverend Vincent
S. Waters, Bishop of Raleigh, with
a fchalice in memory of the fol
lowing deceased members: Mr.
Leo Haid'Phelan, Mr. Francis C.
Markwalter, Mr. William A'. Mas
terman and Mr. Warren Hall.
This is to be an annual presenta
tion to the Diocese of Raleigh. In
accepting the chalice, Bishop Wal
ters expressed his gratitude for
the gift and designated that it be
used on the new Trailer Chapel
now being obtained under the
sponsorship of the North Carolina
Catholic Laymen’s Association.
The banquet following the ex
emplification of the ■ Fourth De
gree took place Sunday afternoon
at the Sir Walter Hotel.
ties colleges, normal schools and
retreat houses. All articles are
completely catalogued In a 22-page
index. *
TRAILER CHAPEL FOR CAROLINA HIGHWAYS
Pictured above is the trailer soon to be completely converted into a trailer-chapel which will bring the
Catholic Church to the most remote corners of Carolina. When completed the trailer will house not
only a suitable chapel for Mass and devotions but also lodging quatrers for two priests. It will be
called The Madonna of the Highways” and will carry its name and the name of its sponsor, the
North Carolina Catholic Laymen’s Association, painted on both sides.
Group In New York City Offers Aid
Toward Fund For N. C. C. L. A. Trailer
RALEIGH—Word has been received that the Saint Vincent de Paul Society of St. Gabriel’s
Parish in Bronx, N. Y., will be happy to sponsor, with the permission of His Eminence Cardinal
Spellman, and the generous approval of Monsignor Francis W. Walsh, the pastor, a party at the
Pennsylvania Hotel, New York City, on the evening of Friday, April 9th, the proceeds of which will '
go to the purchase of the Raleigh Trailer Chapel.
Register Cites N. C.
Religious Instruction
NAZARETH— The following
article is taken from the Denver
Register, of which the Rt. Rev.
Msgr. Matthew J. W. Smith is ed
itor. The article appeared in his
column entitled “The Tidings” and
is of interest to North Carolinians
particularly in its reference to
Durham.
“We wonder whether the new
‘Protestants and Other Americans
United for the Separation of
Church and State’ are going to
look into the following dispatch
from Durham, N. Car.?
“ ‘Instruction in the Bible now is
offered as an elective course in
229 public schools in North Caro
lina located in 51 of the state’s
100 counties. The classes have a
total enrollment of 37,518 pupils,
of whom 31,984 are in the elemen
tary grades and 5,534 are in high
school, according to - a report of
the North Carolina Council of
Churches.
“ ‘The report states that in
schools where Bible is offered 98.5
per cent of the elementary pupils
take it, but only 17 percent of the
students take the instruction in
high schools’.”
“We have no objection at all to
having instruction in the Bible
given as an elective course in pub
lic schools, provided students of
differing faiths are not forced to
be present, and the way is open
for any denomination to put in
its own course. But it does seem
(Continued on Page 4)
INVITATION
We cordially invite our
convert readers to write
their Conversion Story for
publication in The North
Carolina Catholic.
We reserve the privilege
of editing the manuscript
because of space limita
tions.
Washington Speaker
Lashes at Atheists
RALEIGH— “We are in a uni
versal foxhole today, yet a fox
hole in which atheistic principles
are readily found in contradiction
to the wartime religious fervor,”
declared Mr. William Collins of
Washington, D. C., as he address
ed the 65 newly inducted Fourth
Degree Knights of Columbus and
their friends at a banquet in the
Sir Walter Hotel here last Sun
day evening. The banquet follows
ed the exemplification which took
place here Sunday afternoon.
Substituting for the Most Rev.
E. J. McGuinness, D. D., former
Bishop of Raleigh, who was unable
to attend due to the death of the
Most Rev. Francis Kelley of Okla
(Continued on Page 8) .
mo uA^cucii^.iy juiaiivjjj vv cttcxo
was most enthusiastic about this
generous offer of help to the North
Carolina Catholic Laymen’s Asso
ciation which will go a long way
in assuring the success of the
Trailer Project, and wished to ex
press through the North Caro
lina Catholic his most grateful ap
preciation to His Eminence, Card
inal Spellman, to Monsignor Walsh
and to the good people of the St.
Vincent de Paul Society which
will sponsor this benefit.
Immediately steps were taken by
the Bishop to get the Trailer Chap
el into production and it was
learned that a trailer chapel could
be very easily produced along with
one which has just gone into pro
duction for the Diocese of Rich
mond by Mr. George Chaplin of
the General Trailer Sales Com
(Continued on Page 4)
Catholics Asked To Aid Misery
Of World; Children To Help In
Offering Lenten Self-Denials
RALEIGH—In cooperation with the nation-wide campaign
of the Bishops’ Fjiqd for Victims of War which will raise $5,000,
000 for the^tricken peoples of the World, the Diocese of Raleigh
will take up a collection in all its churches on Laetare Sunday,
March 7, it has been announced by
the Rev. Francis K. O’Brien, Chan
cellor.
In order that the Catholic chil
dren of America may cooperate
in this humanitarian collection,
Lenten self-denial boxes in all
parochial schools will remind them
of their suffering sisters and bro
thers in war ravished lands. The
Rev. Edward T. Gilbert, Superin
tendent of Schools in the Diocese
of Raleigh, has anounced that the
parochial school children of North
Carolina will cooperate in this pro
ject by offering their self-denials
during Lent and contributing their
money.
To add a spur to the collection,
a prize sponsored by the North
V
Carolina Catholic will be awarded
to the school who wins top place %
on a per capita basis.
Pleas of Bishops
Two members of the U. S.1 Hier
arch, who have seen at first hand
the heart-rending suffering in war
ravished countries, have voiced
their enthusiastic support of the
nation-wide, $5,000,000 Bishops’
Fund for Victims of War cam
paign, which will be conducted in
the form of a collection to be taken
up in churches on Laetare Sunday,
March 7.
The two are Bishop Aloisius J.
Muench of Fargo, who now is ser
(Continued on Page 7)