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Enables Your Parish to Reach Its 'Quota
Subscription Sunday coincided with storm Sunday. The topic of the week was the temperature. But the circulation department Of The ANCHOR was, electrified when the parishes that were able to report gave an account of their readers. The number of renewals assured the staff that its wee~ly publication had been well :received and is desired for another year. Some even included a brief note reassuring
Homes Sought 'For Exchange Students Fall River Diocesan Council of the National Council of Cath olic Women has been requested by the Education Department of the 'NCWC to help in locating homes for teen-age students from abroad who will partici pate' in the NCWC International High School Program. The purpose of this exchange program is to give these boys and girls the opportunity of liv ing with American Catholic families and studying in Amer ican. Catholic high schools for a full year. In this way the youngsters arc given a good in sight into American Catholic life., ' Living and studying "the American way" acquaints them with the ideals and principles of democracy and develops in them an enduring spirit of friendship toward the United States which brings the coun tries closer together. The teen age exc~ange program also gives .. Turn to Page Eleven
Bishops Relief
Praised by
Ambassadors
A·.series of r\lgional meetings opened in key cities throughoiJt , the nation in preparation for the .12th' annual Laetare Sunday (March 19) campaign for the Bishops' Relief Fund. The fund is to assist the needy throughout the world. Rev. Francis A. McCarthy of St. Joseph's Church, North Digh ton, met with Cardinal Spellman and 25 other campaign directors from 11 Eastern states in the New York Chancery. Father McCarthy is campaign director for this Diocese. In Chicago, two U. S. Ambas lI8dors paid high tribute to the U. S. Bishops' Relief Fund for its assistance to needy through out the world. Turn to Page Twenty
all that The ANCHOR is the type of Catholic newspaper that is instructive, il}formative and interesting. Subscriptions are the life blood of the Catholic Press. They are the stabilizing in fluence when- it focuses its sights on another year of publication. An increase in yearly subscriptions promotes a multiplication of advertisers. The growth ~f our advertising space enables the business office to add fea-
The
.ANCHOR
An Anchor of thp Soul. Sure and Firm-ST. PAUL
Fall River, Mass. Vol. 2,
~o.
8
Thursday, Feb. 20, 1958 Second CI888 Mail Privileges
Authorized at Fall River. Ma••.
11,375 Negroes, 890 Indians Converted During Past Year WASHINGTON eNC) - About 11,375 Negroes and 890 Indians were reported here as having become converts to Catholicism last year. ' The total number of Negro Catholics in the United States was given as 575,925 be content until they have all and the number of Indian been given at least pressing in Catholics living on or near vitations to arise and come to the rese'rvations was given as True Light." about 117,400. These figures came from a report of the Church's efforts last year in the Indian and Ne gI'O missions. The review was issued in advance of the col lection to be taken in many dioceses on February 23 which supports much of the mission work. . The report was distributed by Father J. B. Tennelly, a mem ber of the Society of St. Sulpice, who is secretary of the 72-year old Commission for Catholic Missions Among the Colored People and the Indians. The commission has headquarters here. The statement said· that 17, 000,000 Negroes and 250,000 In dians are in spiritual darkness, and· that Catholics "should not
Forum for Young ·Adults to St-art
Sunday in New Bedford, Fall River
New Bedford A Lenten Forum for young adults, 16 years and over, will commence Sunday at the Ken nedy Youth Center in New Bed ford at 7:30 P. M. with the first of a series of five conferences? entitled "Let's Talk About Turn to Page Twenty
FATHER CHABOT
PRICE JOe $4.00 per Year
Fall River The Lenten Forum for young adults, juniors and seniors of the high schools, and any boy or girl, 16 years and· older, will begin at 7:30 P. M. Sunday at the Catholic Community Center, 31 Franklin Street, Fall River. The general topic of the c;:on ference is entitled "Let's Talk About Marriage" and is being sponsored by the Catholic Youth Organization with the coopera tion of the Diocesan Family Life Bureau. Rev. John P. Driscoll of SS. Peter and Paul Church, Fall River, will conduct this confer ence, emphasizing the general notion of vocation, both reli gious and in the married state. Vocation should be viewed from God's ideal and standards. The talks will be informal and a question and answer period will conclude all conferences. Registration cards 'will be avail able at the high schools, parish rectories, CYO building at Ana wan Street and at the Catholic Community Center. "
According to the commission's report, the new total for the number of Negro Catholics rep resents a gain of about 30,000 over a year ago. Turn to Page Eleven •
50,000 Pilgrims Attend Lourdes Jubilee Opening LOURDES (NC)-The jubilee year in this mountain city of Our Lady opened with a vibrant echo of Mary's call for prayer of a hundred years ago. Thousands of pilgrims from all over the world-some of whom had spent the night pray ing at the grotto where Our Lady first appeared to St. Ber nadette on Feb. 11 1858-assis ted at the opening Mass offered by Bishop Pierre Theas of Tarbes and Lourdes in the morning. His Eminence Pierre Cardinal Gerlier, Archbishop of Lyons and former Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, presided at the centennial year's opening and also preached at Pontifical Ves pers in mid-afternoon. The throng for th~ inaugural Mass, estimated conservatively at '50,000, filled the esplanade fronting the basilica and the great armlike ramps and stairs mounting to the church, as well as lining the Way of the Cross path up the mountainside.
tures-pictorial and editorial-and to give a greater coverage of news. Bishop Connolly stated in the first issue, April 11, 1957, "I am sure The ANCHOR will find an honored, place, like the crucifix, in every home. throughout the Diocese." Have The ANCHOR delivered by mail to your home every week-be sure to hand in your subscription envelope on Sunday.
Pope's Message Stresses 'Terrible Ne'ed' in World NEW YORK (NC)--':A reminder that ever so many children throughout the world are "terribly in need" of help for their souls and bodies came from His Holiness Pope Pius XII to more than four million, youngsters in this nation's Catholic schools in The Pontiff said:
a radio address yesterday. Sunday, March 19. The mInI
The Holy Father's message mum goal of the Laetare Sunday
campaign is five million dollars.
. launched the annual chil dren's phase of the Bishops' Re By means of a tape recording lief Fund campaign to give help distributed by CRS-NCWC, the to the haggard, homeless and voice of the Holy Father was hungry in all parts of the world. carried on all the major radio In recent years, the small indivi networks as well as by indi 'dual sums contributed through vidual stations throughout the out the Lenten season by the na nation. tion's Catholic school children Pope Pius told the school chil have added more than a million dren that this year he was en dollars annually to the Bishops' trusting to St. Joseph "the Fund. ' . charge to bestir the unselfish affection that fills your hearts The Adults' phase of the col lection, conducted by Catholic for those who need and ask Relief Services-National Cath -assistance." He told the youngsters the olic Welfare Conference, world wide relief and rehabilitation story of the protective role that agency of the U. S. Bishops, will St. Joseph filled in the life of the Holy Family' at Nazareth. be held generally in parishes Turn to Page Twenty throughout the nat!on on Laetare,
Post Office· Supports Parents
,In Opposing Mail Order Filth
WASHINGTON (NC)-"I sin cerely believe that trash such as this serves only one purpose-to 'incite more sex crimes." -"It is shocking to know that even little children a're able to obtain such filth just by answer ing an ad. . . How many more sex crimes must be committed before the public wakes up?" -"To my mind ihis is rde graded---and filthy trash. Why should it be in the mail boxes of people who are trying to be decent?" These are excerpts from three of the 50,000 letters of protest and complaint received annually by the U. S. Post Office Depart ment in regard to one ·problem the direct mail trade in por nography which is centering more and more on the nation's chlidren. Mail order pornography is relatively new. Postal officials say it has become big business only in the past 10 or 12 years. While its true proportions are
guesswork for the most part, available facts indicate that it is very big business indeed: ~ig Business -A U. S. Senate committee investigating juvenile delin quency estimated that dealers in obscene material do an annual gross mail business of between 300 and 350 million dollars. -Postal officials say these promoters distribute as many as' 100,000 of their circulars daily. -One New York dealer, at the time of his conviction on obscenity charges, carried on a business worth $270,000 annu ally. -Postal meters showed the same dealer sent out $3,000 worth of mail every month. Two Cities' The ~ail order obscenity racket is centered in two cities, New York and Los Angeles. The bulk of the business is carried on by 12 or 15 individuals who have been in the trade for years. Turn to Page Twenty .
Easter Duty Catholics are reminded that the time for making· their Easter duty begins on Sunday, the First 'Sunday of Lent. Between the First Sunday of Lent, February 23, and Trinity Sunday, June 1, all Catholics must receive Holy Communion. This reception of Holy Com munion during the Easter Time is, of course, the minimum, and the Church encourages her members to receive Holy Com munion as often as they attend the Sacrifice of the Mass.
ASH WEDNESDAY ON CAPE COD: Very Rev. Leonard J. Daley, Pastor of St. FFancis Xavier Church, Hyannis, distributes blessed ashes to John Toocchi, Donna Barrows and Paul Sullivan.