CATHOLIC ACTION INSTITUTE
AT RALEIGH HEARS DIRECTOR ,
EXPLAIN PRACTICAL PROGRAM
A most inspiring Catholic Action Studs Day was held recently
■\n conjunction with the annual Diocesan ' Teachers’ Institute. His
Excellency, Bishop Waters, invited as guest speaker on the subject of
Catholic Action, the Rt. Rev. Monsignor Donald Kanaly, of the dio
cese of Oklahoma City-Tulsa.
In his first address, “Secularism
in Education,’’ Monsignor Kanaly
pointed out that the whole world
is at the crossroads. Never in the
history of the Church have we
been blessed with such exemplary
Bishops, priests, and Religious,
and above all, with such zealous
laity. Yet, in spite of the growth
of spirituality within the Church,
there has grown up a tremend
ously destructive force in Secu
larism, a force which has ^ound its
way insidiously into all our insti
tutions, even into our Catholic sys
tem of education,
Fitting Weapon
Monsignor Kanaly reminded the
audience that the recent popes
have repeatedly urged the use of
a fitting weapon, in fact the only
real weapon, to combat this grow
ing evil — organized CATHOLIC
ACTION. He insists that the sal
vation of this materialistic age is
in the hands of the young people,
and that once they are awaken
ed to a sense of their responsi
bility and filled with a zeal for
the Apostolate, they will revolu
tionize the world.
It is the firm conviction of Mon
signor Kanaly that individual
groups will die of discouragement
if they do not have the support of
other groups working together for
the same purpose. At the evening
session he showed colored films
taken at a Young Christian Stu
dent Rally in Oklahoma City last
May. All Catholic school groups
throughout the state took part in
a tremendous demonstration of
their zeal for the Apostolate. The
purpose of the Rally, which in
cluded a “living” Mass, a parade,
and a pageant, was to give the
Catholic students in that state,
which is only three percent Cath
olic, a sense of solidarity. Partici
pation in such a program trains
our Christian youth to sanctify all
their work, study, recreation, their
entire life, and to place it on the
paten in one magnificent Offer
tory.
Fourth Director
Monsignor Donald Kanaly is
Youth Director of the Diocese of
Oklahoma City, Tulsa. While a
student at Louvain, he heard Can
on Cardign, the founder of the
Jocist movement, speak of his
work. So impressed was he that
he studied and worked with Canon
Cardign to acquire a first-hand
knowledge of the movement. Af
ter coming to the United States in
1938, Monsignor Kanaly asked to
work with the Federal Bureau of
Prisons in El Reno, Oklahoma, in
an effort to discover the cause of
delinquency among the inmates.
After seven years of very success
ful work, Monsignor was given
his present position as Youth Di
rector of the Diocese. This past
summer, he was made Monsignor
by Bishop McQuiniss, after the
latter’s return from Rome.
In the three years during which
he has held this position, Mon
signor Kanaly has, with the co
operation of the Bishop, priests,
Sisters, and students of the dio
cese, produced a set-up which
will serve as a model for many
other dioceses. By means of In
stitutes for priests and teachers,
similar to those held in the Dio
cese of Raleigh, he has acquainted
them with principles of Catholic
Action and has inspired them with
his extraordinary zeal for the
spread of the Apostolate. These,
in turn, are awakening the stu
dents to a realization of their re
sponsibility as laymen.
The closing feature of the In
stitute held in Raleigh was a panel
discussion—Catholic Action, a Co
operative Movement. Sister Mary
Stephen, R. S. M., a member of
the National Committee for Cath
olic Action for Religious, acted as
Chairman. Sandra Dore, a senior
j of O’Donoghue School, presented
! the role of the student. Sister M.
j Cordea, O. S. F., Principal of St.
] John School in Waynesville, spoke
on the role of the teacher. Sister
! Mary Christine, R. S. M., Com
munity Supervisor for the Sisters
of Mercy in the state, explained
the strategic role of the principal
in fostering Catholic- Action. At
the close of the session, Sister
M. Stephen called on representa
tive Sisters from the schools of
the diocese, who told of the many
activities in their schools to fos
ter the apostolic spirit and to ad
vance the cause of Catholic Ac
tion.
Visiting Priest Speaks
To Wilmington Laymen
WILMINGTON. — The Rev.
Robert Williams, who is the pro
moter of special program honoring
“Christ the King” in various dio
ceses through the country was
the guest speaker at a meeting
of the St. Mary’s NCCLA Unit
here. Father Williams has re
ceived a temporary assignment to
the parish.
Thg events of a special audience
with His Holiness in which he
presented the Pope with a medal
and flag honoring Christ the King,
were told in an interesting man
ner.
Reports were made by commit
tees on the petitions for the sup
port of the U. N. decision on the
internationalization of Jerusalem,
the recommendation of the Good
Friday legal holiday, and the
membership committee.
Recognition was given heads of
the entertainment, greeters and
publicity groups, Mrs. C. D. Maf
fitt, Miss Davie Duffy and Mrs.
H. E. ^Picot. Martin Barron,
Chairman, presided. -
First NCCLA Program
Held at Salisbury
SALISBURY — The Catholic
Woman’s Club of Sacred Heart
Church under the leadership of
Mrs. P. S. Hastings, President,
sponsored and were hosts to the
entire membership of the parish
in a delightful Covered-Dish So
cial and Christmas Party in the
Church Recreation Hall, recently.
Father Cletus Helfrich, the Pastor,
declared the meeting to be the
first official gathering of the North
"Carolina Catholic Laymen’s As
sociation and the following of
ficers were elected from the 76
members of the N. C. G. L. A.
President, Miss Mary Nash,
Vice-President, Mr. Edward Mur
phy, and Secretary-Treasurer, Mr.
John R. Fish,
After a delicious supper served
Cafeteria style a very amusing
Christmas program under the di
rection of Father Helfrich was
participated in by the entire
group. Gifts were given and
Christmas Carrols sang. y
‘THE CHRISTMAS STORY’
From the campus of Manhattan College', New York, comes this
“Christmas Story" etched on a leaf by Brother Adrian Lewis, F.S.C.,
of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. (NC Photos)
*
NCCLA MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
Rocky Mount Deanery Report of the N. C. Catholic Laymen’s
•Membership Drive
Deanery Committee: Mrs. S. S. Marks, Chairman, 712 South
Tillery St., Rocky Mount, N. C., Miss Nancy Speight, Secretary,
217 South Church St., Rocky Mount, N. C.
Parish: Ordinary: Supporting:
St. Anne’s, Scotland Neck. 14
St. Catherine’s, Tarboro. 16
St. Catherine’s, Elizabeth City. 10 1
St. Elizabeth’s, Farmville. 9 1
St. Charles, Ahoskie...,... 7 2
St. John’s, Roanoke Rapids... 69 1
St. Anne’s, Tarboro. 1
St. Anne’s, Edenton. . 27
Holy Trinity, Kinston.:... 27
St. Peter’s, Greenville...-.. 50
St. Alphonsus, Wilson
Immaculate Conception, Rocky Mount. 24
St. Mary’s, Goldsboro
and its Mission Stations... 138
Total..'.... 392 5
No reports received as yet from the following parishes:
St. Elizabeth’s, Elizabeth City; Sacred Heart, Goldsboro;
St. Gabriel’s, Greenville; Our Lady of the Atonement, Kinston;
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Rocky Mount; St. Agnes and
Mother of Mercy, Washington, and St. Therese at Wilson.
, NEW YEAR'S
CUSTOM
What better time than the
first day of 1950, the Holy
Year, to revive an ancient
and beautiful custom long
fallen into the discard—the
Paternal Benediction.
“The father’s blessing es
tablisheth the houses of the
children” " (Eccu. 3, 11.)
Scripture and history are
filled with incidents of
children asking for and re
ceiving the parental bles
sing: Noe blessing his sons
(Gen. 9, 26-27), Isaac and
Jacob (Gen. 27, 28-29), pav
id and Solomon (3 Kgs. 2,
2-9), the Emperor Theodos
ius, St. Louis of France,
Chevalier Bayard, St. Thom
as Moore—to cite only a few.
The general procedure—
still followed in some-fami
lies of the United States and
■Canada—is for each son and
daughter to greet their par
ents on New Year’s morhing
with these words: “I wish
you a happy New Year. I
wish you long life, a happy
death when God calls you,
good health throughout the
year.” Then father and
mother, respectively, extend
their good wishes and bless
each child for the coming
year.
K. of C. National Ads
Offer Correspondence
To 5 Million Readers
NEW HAVEN. — The Supreme
Council, Knights of Columbus,
announces in the January issue of
Columbia, its official publication,
details of an extensive advertis
ing campaign in general mass-cir
culation magazines, offering a
free correspondence course in
Catholic instruction.
The first advertisement appears
in the January 8 issue of Parade,
a Sunday supplement magazine,
which'has a 5,00,000 circulation.
In sizeable space, the copy head
ing reads, “Learn the Truth About
the Catholic Church — By Mail —
No Cost.” Other publications se
lected for the campaign include,
American Weekly, This Week, Col
lier’s, Liberty, Pathfinder, Atlant
ic Monthly and Grit. This list
provides a total circulation of 30,
000,000.
The advertisement explains that
the course is short, yet complete.
It includes a book explaining Cath
olic belief and worship, which
is written in easy-to-Understand
form.
The title of the first of the new
series of messages isr “Yes . . .
I Condemned The Catholic
Church.” It points out that many
sincere pon-Catnolics have been
unfriendly to the Catholic Church
through a misunderstanding of
what the Church actually teaches
and what Catholics believe.
Magazines to feature
Efforts to Break Down
Racial Discrimination
NEW ORLEANS, La. — A crew
of writers and photographers,
headed'by John Davis, J^ew York
publisher of “Our World”' maga
zine, have compiled an article on
Catholic Negroes in New Orleans,
showing what the Church has ac
complished toward breaking down
the pattern of discrimination in the
South.
“It is the most ambitious job
we have undertaken, so far,” said
David” A. Hepburn, the magazine’s
senior editor, who added 16 pages
will be devoted to the article. More
than 1000 photographs were
made to select illustrations for the
article.
Catholic elementary and high
! schools for Negroes and Xavier
University will get much of* the
picture display and Notre Dame
major seminary, where two Negro
students are at present enrolled,
will be treated. The churches Ne
groes have built .for themselves,
were covered. The article will
trace the ordinary daily activities
of some Negro Catholic families,
their church organization meet
ings, professional and educational
activities and charities.
Vitality of Catholic
Life in U. S. Impresses
Visiting Youth Leader
GHENT, Belgium — Mile.
Christine de Hemptinne of
Belgium, president of the Inter
national Federation of Catholic
Yotuh (Girls), was impressed by
the earnestness and vitality of
Catholic life in the United States,
she stated here on her return
from a several-month tour of that
country.
She began her U. S. tour in Sep
tember, visiting a number of key
cities. Purpose of the tour was to
study intellectual, cultural and so
cial centers and to confer ‘with
leaders of American organizations
affiliated with the International
Federation, which has headquar
ters here.
Miss de Hemptinne said she
found that American Catholic
youth is receiving good religious
training and has the advantage of
splendid Catholic colleges. She
was also impressed by the. up-to
date Catholic activities through
the press and radio and by the
generosity of Catholics in charity
work and in providing recreation
facilities fpr children.
American Catholic youth work,
she thought, is not different from
that in Europe in its aims and in
the field it covers. “But in the
States,” she continued, “young
people seem to prefer acting with
more personal responsibility and
choosing their activities, while in
Europe movements enlist youths
and give them activities.
“I loved the simple, fair play
atmosphere of good - tempered,
healthy young people with a solid
faith and sound optimism.
Bishops Endure Death
PHILADELPHIA. — Catholics
Bishops have endured imprison
ment and even death to uphold the
moral law whereby men live in the
love and service of God, Msgr. Hu
bert J. Cartwright emphasized in
the sermon at the consecration of
his seminary classmate, Bishop
-Francis Edward Hyland, who will
be Auxiliary of Savannah-Atlanta.
More than 2,000 persons filled
the Cathedral of SS. Peter and
Paul for the impressive ceremony.
Present were three Archbishops, 21
Bishops, six Abbots, 30 Monsignori
and hundreds of priests from both
the Philadelphia and Savannah
Atlanta Sees, Brothers and nuns.