North Carolina Cathotik .
Volume II.
Nazareth, N. C., Friday, March 5, 1948
Number 23
'Who's Next?' Question Asked In
West As Reds Seal Czedr Conquest
WASHINGTON —(NC)— “Who’s next on Moscow’s list?”
and “What will—and can—the Western Powers do to stem the
communist tide?” Those were the questions uppermost in the
minds of statesmen and peoples in countries this side of the
“Iron Curtain” as news from,
Czehoslovakia depicted, step by
step, the communist coup culmi
nating in “the establishment of a
disguised dictatorship of a single
party under the cloak of a gov
ernment of national union.’’
Without mentioning Soviet Rus
sia by name, but obviously re
ferring to Moscow maneuvers in
other countries of eastern Europe,
the three western powers indig
nantly characterized the political
crisis in Czechoslovagia as being
“artifically and deliberately in
stigated.” They said that “the
use of certain methods already
tested in other places has per
mitted the suspension of the free
exercise of parliamentary insti
tutions,” and that the results of
what observers on the spot have
termed a “bloodless revolution”
place “in jeopardy the very ex
istence of the principles of liber
ty to Which all democratic na
tions are attached^’
The results of the communist
coup are already obvious: com
munists, now holding undisputed
power, are busy “purging” the
government, economic and so
cial institutions, schools and uni
versities, from all “reactionary
elements,” that is, all those who
are not ready to play the com
munist game 100 per cent. Many
“reactionaries” have already been
arrested and all Czechoslovak
newspapers are under commun
ist control.
, It looks as if the question as
to the next victim of the com
munist tide will soon be answer
*ed. According to reports from
Helsinki, Moscow has asked Fin
land to sign a “friendship” pact
with the Soviets, along the same
lines as the treaties that tie the
Balkan countries to the Soviet
Union. Other speculations cen
ter on the fate of Austria and
Italy. The precarious situation
in the latter country gives great
timeliness to the Holy Father’s
warning that “Christian truth is
(Continued on Page 8)
NCOS CLUB DEDICATED AT FAYETTEVILLE
mm
FAYETTEVILLE/ N. C. — Ceremonies marking the formal dedica
tion of the first National Catholic Community Service club under
the NCCS peacetime program for the nation’s defense forces were
held here with Bishop Vincent S. Waters of Raleigh, presiding.
Prominent Church, civic, and military leaders were among those
present. Shown here from left to right are the operating committee:
Front row: Mrs. R. O. McCoy, Treasurer; Rev. Charles F. Berg
strom, OMI, Moderator; Bishop Waters, Joseph Monsour, Miss Kath
erine Monaghan. Rear row: Eugene J. Bergmann, Executive Sec
retary; John F. Devaney, Joseph T. Maloney, Vice Chairman; Fred
T. Zahren,' John P. Tobin, Assistant Executive Secretary.
Capacity Crowd Sees
Dedication of New
NCCS Club By Bishop
FAYETTEVILLE -On Sun
day, February 22nd, His Excel
lency, Most Rev. Vincent S. Wa
ters, D. D., Bishop of Raleigh,
dedicated the new NCOS Center
in Fayetteville, A crowd which
taxed the capacity of the spaci
ous quarters heard the Bishop
reiterate the need for religion in
every day life among the military
forces as well as civilians. His
remarks were made at the close
of the recitation of the Latin rit
ual and the blessing of the build
ing with holy water.
Thomas D. Hinton, Executive
Director of NCCS, who made the
trip from Washington for the
ceremony, addressed tlie audience
and said that NCCS was continu
ing the work done for the defense
forces and their families during
the war years in cooperation with
USO. Fayetteville, being so close
to Fort Bragg, was picked as a
key city for these continuation
services which have as their ob
jective the promotion of the re
ligious, moral, cultural and rec
reational welfare of the defense
forces.
Short addresses were also made
by Brig. Gen.. Cornelius Ryan,
Chief of Staff of Fort Bragg, and
Hon. Charles G. Rose, Jr., May
or of Fayetteville. “General Ryan
spoke of the interest which “the
Army officials have in the leisure
time activity of the troops, while
Mayor Rose congratulated NCCS
oil its operation and said that he
knew personally the good work
done during the war years by
NCCS at the Ray Avenue USO in
Fayetteville.
After the ceremonies, which
were broadcast in their entirety by
station WFLB, Rev. Charles F.
Bergstrom, OMI, Moderator for
(Continued on Page 4)
HEADS IRISH GOV.
Mr. John A. Costello, of Dublin,
one of Ireland’s leading lawyers
and a staunch Catholic, who has
been elected as Taoiseach (Prime
Minister) of the coalition govern
ment there following the assem
bly of the 13th Dail Eireann. He
succeeds Eamon de Valera, who
was Prime Minister far 1*3 years.
(NC Photos)
Baltimore Archbishop
Urges Recourse To
Blessed Virgin Mary
BALTIMORE — A solemn
warning that if ^he satanic-in
spired, anti-Christian forces at
work in the world today “should
prove victorious, the night of
slavery will fall on every land”
and all the “fine traditions of
our forefathers, the great men
who made America the land of
the free, will be lost in the trag
ic mist which will envelop the
earth and extinguish the light of
Christian democracy, was issued
by Archbishop Francis Patrick
Keough here Feb. 24 as he was
installed as the eleventh Arch
bishop of Baltimore.
The Hard Way
“Humanity has come a long
road and a hard way,” the Arch
bishop said, “to the precious free
doms we enjoy and accept, per
haps without thinking, just as
(Continued on Page 8)
Generous Local Response To War
Fund Appeal Expected This Year
RALEIGH t— Great interest has been expressed locally in the
appeal of the Bishops Fund for the Victims of War to be sponsor
ed by the American Catholic Bishops on Sunday, March 7th.
The Reverend Francis K. O’Brien, Chancellor of the Diocese ,
Gov. Cherry Speaks At
Waynesville Mission
For Brotherhood Week
WAYNESVILLE, N. C. — The
Hon. R. Gregg Cherry, Governor
of North Carolina, addressed a
radio audience recently under the
auspices of St. John’s mission
over Radio Station WHCC. The
governor, speaking in connection
with the observance of National
Brotherhood Week, exhorted
North Carolinans to have respect
and tolerance for all races and
creeds.
A growing galaxy of stars from
every field of human activity,
ranging from Hollywood film
favorites to religious, civic and
military leaders, is appearing on
the weekly radio program entitled
“Truths Men Live By,” offered
by St. Johns mission since Sep
tember 1947.
Credit for this feature presenta
tion is due to Radio Station WHCC
for making this public service
possible and to each and everyone
of the speakers who are donating
their time and energy to prepare
special addresses for the St. John’s
program.
^mong the speakers so far have
been: Rev. John A. O’Brien, Ph.
D., Professor, University of No
tre Dame; Dorothy Fremont
Grant, Waynesville, N. C.; Col.
W. F. Kernan, Highlands, N. C.;
Rev. Gerald Vann, O. P., Stam
ford, England; Rev. Francis J.
Connell, C.SS.R., S. T. D., Catho
lic University of America, Wash
ington, D. C.; Rev. Louis J. Tow
mey, S. J., Director, Institute of
Industrial Relations, Loyola Uni
versity, New Orleans, La.; Rev.
Joseph N. Moody, Ph. D„ HOUR
OF FAITH speaker, New York;
Dr. Kurt von Schuschnigg, for
mer Chancellor of Austria; Most
Rev. Duane G. Hunt, D. D., Bishop
(Continued on Page 8)
of Raleigh Chairman, of the 1948
appeal for relief of War Victims
said today that donations have
already been made to the fund
which is being raised to continue
the spectacular program of relief
carried on among the starving,
sick and homeless of Europe and
the Far East. The appeal is na
tionwide in character. Plans to
bring it to a successful end are
now under way in 118 archdioces
es ^nd dioceses throughout The
United States.
“The speed and efficiency with
which War Relief Services has
distributed its aid ever since its
organization in 1940 have been
one of its most remarkable fea
tures,” said Father O’Bhien in dis
cussing the March 7 appeal.
“Contributors to the Bishops’
Fund for the War Stricken may
be sure that their aid is going
to reach a needy person. In ev
ery country where it operates,
War Relief Services works
through long-established charita
ble organizations. In France the
Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent
de Paul personally bring the gifts
of American clothing and food to
the destitute. In Poland, mem
bers of Caritas, a Catholic Char
ities organization, distributes -U. S.
reief through its 25 diocesan
offices and its 3,302 parish branch
es. In the Philippines, there is
a “boat to Bishop” arrangement
by which help from America is
transported immediately to local
Ordinaries who know best how to .
get the aid to the islands’ need-,
iest.”
Father O’Brien said that War
Relief Services has won many
commendations for its record of
relief work among the warstrick
en, from religious, civic and po
litical leaders both in this country
and abroad. Pope Pius XII has
lauded the organization as “The
(Continued on Page 8)
Sexton Plays Major
Role At Installation
Of Archbishop Keough
BALTIMORE — He did his
chpras behind the scenes* but
jjpferles R. Connor capably per
formed one of the most import
ant tasks in connection with the
installation of the Most Rev.
Francis Patrick Keough as the
eleventh Archbishop of Baltimore.
Mr. Connor is the sexton at the
Basilica, the Cathedral of the
Assumption of the Blessed Vir
kin Mary. When he took over the
job in 1941, he was 20 and the
youngest sexton of a major Cath
olic church in the United States.
His father and his grandfather
before him had served in the same
post at the Cathedral.
It was Mr. Connor’s task to
make \he seating arrangements
for the members of the Hierar
chy, the -hundreds'' of Monsigno
ri, priests and Religious and the *
array of prominent personages
who thronged the Church for the
rites. Everything went off like
the clock-work—a tribute to Mr.,
Connor.
The young sexton’s grandfath
er, Michael F. Connor, took
over the post at the Cathedral
(Continued on Page 8)
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