Ie • • A National Monthly "CATHOLIC ACTION consists not merely of the pursuit of personal Christian perfection, which is however before all others its first and greatest end, but it also consists of a true apostolate in which Catholics of every social class participate, coming thus to be united in thought and action around those centers of sound doctrine and mUltiple social activity, legitimately constituted and, as a result, aided and sustained by the authority of the bishops." -Pope Pius XI. National Catholic Welfare Conference Vol. XIV, No. 1"2 DECEMBER, 1932 Price 20c Bishops' Annual Meeting Number 2 CATHOLIC ACTION December, 1932 CATHOLIC ACTION OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC WELFARE CONFERENCE FACTS ABOUT THE N. C. w. C. TABLE OF CONTENTS :-: What It Is W/tat It Does :-: DECEMBER, 1932 "Th;" organization (the N. C. W. C.) i. not only useful, but neces.arJ/ . .•• We praise all to in an1l tDa1l.cooperate in this great work."-POPE PIUB XI. PAGE The National Catholic We~are Conference was organized in September, 1919. Archbishops and Bishops Meet in The N. C. W. C. is a common agency acting under the authority of the bishops to Annual Session ................ 3 promote the welfare of the Catholics of the country. It has for its inCOl ')Orated purposes "unifying, coordinating and organizing the Catholic people of the United States in works of education, social welfare, immigrant Episcopal Chairmen of N. C. W. C. aid and other activities." Departments Report on Year's It comprises the following departments and bureaus: Activities of Conference. 6 EXECUTIVE-Bureaus maintained: Immigration, Publicity and Information, Hi,torical The N. C. C. M. Conference at Pitts- Records, Pu blications, B ·usiness and Auditi'''11 and Latin American. EDUCATION-Divisions: Statistics and Information, Teachers' Registration. Library. burgh .. .... o' .0. 0 • 14 PREss-Serves the Catholic press in the United States and abroad with regular new., By Oharles W. Oross, Jr. feature, editorial and pictorial service•. SOCIAL ACTION-Covers the fields of Industrial Relations, Oitizen,hip, Social Work, Month by Month with the N. C. W. C. 16 Family Life and Rural Welfare. LEGAL-Serves as a clearing house of information on federal, state and local legislation. LAY ORGANIZATIONs-Includes the National Council of Catholic Men and the National Dr. Ryan Gives Views on Jobless .. Council of Catholic Women, which maintain at N. C. W. C. headquarters perma­ Relief .0 ••• 0 ••••• •• ••••• 0 • ••• 18 nent representations in the interests of the Catholic laity. These councils function through some 3,000 affiliated societies-national, state, diocesan, district, local N. C. C. M. Asked to Work for Strong and parish; also through units f the councils in many of the dioceses. Press ..... 0 • •••• •• 0 • 0 0 0 18 The N. C. C. M. maintains at its national headquarters a OathoUc Evidence Bu­ ,.p-au and sponsors a weekly nationwide radio Oatholic Hour over the network of the N. C. C. M. 1932 Conference Resolu- National Broadcasting Company. tions 19 The N. C. C. W. maintains in Washington, D. C., the National Oatholic School ot Social Service. The Conference is conducted by an administrative committee composed of seven St. Lawrence Catholic Action League archbishops and bishops aided by seven assistant bishops. of Pittsburgh, Pa .. 0 •• 0 • 0 • • • •• 21 Each department of the N. C. W. C. is adminigtered by an episcopal chairman. Through the general secretary, chief executive officer of the Conference, the reports Topic-"Lay Or- of the departments and information on the general work of the headquarter's staff are December Study sent regularly to the members of the administrative committee. ganization" 0 •• • •• 0 ••• •• • •• 22 The administrative bishops of the Conference report annuallY upon their work to the Holy See. Enthusiastic Audiences Attend Ses­ Annually at the general meeting of the bishops, detailed reports are submitted by sions of Providence Regional C. C. the administrative bishops of the Conference and authorization secured for the work of the coming year. I. P. Meeting . .. 25 No official action is taken by any N. C. W. C. department without authorization of its episcopal chairman. Nationwide Cooperation With N. C. No official action is taken in the name of the whole Conference without authoriza- W. C. Urged by New Orleans tion and approval of the administrative committee. It is not the policy of the N. C. W. C. to create new organizations. Charities Director ............ '.' 26 It helps, unifies, and leaves to their own fields t.hose that already exist. It aims to defend and to advance the welfare both of the Catholic Church and of Diocesan Units of N. C. C. W. Active our beloved Country. in Varied Programs of Catholic [t seeks to inform the life of America of right fundamental principles of religion and morality. Action ........... 0 ••••••••••• 27 It is a central clearing house of information regarding activities of Catholic men and women. I All that are helped may play their part in promoting the good work and in main­ taining the common Ilgency, the National Oatholic Welfare Conference. The contents of CATHOLIC ACTION CATHOLIC ACTION records monthly the work of the Conference and its affiliated are fully indexed in the Oatholic Periodical organizations. It presents our common needs and opportunities. Its special articles IndeM. are helpful to every Catholic organization and individual. CATHOLIC ACTION published monthly by the National Oatholic Welfare Conference. Entered as second-class matter at the post-office at Washington, D. O. under the Act of March 3, 1879. All changes of address, renewals and subscrip­ tions should be sent direct to CATHOLIC ACTION, 1312 Massachusetts Ave., N. W., Washington, D. C. Subacription Rate, Publication, JJJditorial and JJJlDecutive Office. $2.00 per year; outside the United States, $2.25. 1312 Massachusetts Ave., N. W. Make checks or postal money orders payable to WASHINGTON, D. C. OATHOLIC ACTION. December, 1932 CATHOLIC ACTION 3 ARCHBISH,OPS and BISHOPS ,t ~ ~ MEET in ANNUAL SESSION REVIEW year's work of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, approve reports as sublDitted by the episcopal chairlDen of the various deparbnents of the Con­ ference, and reelect personnel of the N. C. W. C. AdJDinistrative CornIDittee OR THE thirteenth successive year since the organ­ Oitizens Oommittee of the Welfare and Relief Mobilization F ization of the National Oatholic Welfare Conference states: in 1919, the cardinals, archbishops and bi,shops of "In view of the most extraordinary conditions which the United States met in annual session at the Oatholic threaten so many of our fellow citizens with 'want and University of America on November 16-17, 1932. Sixty­ misery during the coming winter, the bishops of the seven members of the American Hierarchy-two cardinals, National Oatholic Welfare Oonference urge upon their se,,"en archbishops and fifty-eight bishops-were present at people in the United States full cooperation with the the meeting. effort of the National' Oitizens Oommittee of the Wel­ To this meeting the episcopal chairmen of the various de­ fare and Relief Mobilization to avert the worst conse­ partments of the National Oatholic Welfare Conference quences of the economic depression. They pledge submitted their annual reports which reviewed the multi­ themselves to sincere and effective cooperation with fold activities of the Oonference during the past year. the committee in its work and they pray that Almighty The e reports, which are digested elsewhere in this issue God may bless and prosper its' every endeavor." of OATHOLIC ACTION, were approved by the assembled bishops. N OONDEMNING the widespread printing and circu­ Both previous to and following the general meeting of I lation of indecent literature the resolution states "it the bishops, the members of the N. O. W. O. Administra­ would be blindness not to recognize the looseness and laxity tive Oommittee, together with the assistant bishops to the of morals which both hastened the economic chaos of the committee, met at N. O. W. C. headquarters, discussing the world and now plays its part in extending laxity in public problems of its different departments and bureaus and out­ morals, loss of public decency; and consequently, a lower­ lining the work for the coming year. The many serious ing of the standard of citizenship." matters requiring the attention of the Oonference, especially The resolution also charges that "great metropolitan those arising out of the prolonged period of depression, dailies, literary journals, ~arry' laudatory advertisements had necessitated three special meetings of the Administra! of books that have always been known as obscene"; that tive Oommittee during the past year. , 'publishers repeatedly issue new books outdoing the old ones in obscenity"; that "public opinion has influenced the courts of the nation to such an extent that it is now N ADDITION to reviewing and approving the work of almost impossible to have the most obscene of books de­ the N. C. W.O., the general meeting of the bishops I barred from the customs or from the mails," and that adopted resolutions pledging their "sincere and effective "many writers, beggared of talent and of true literary cooperation" to the National Oitizens Oommittee of the gifts, are playing up the sexual, the sensational and the Welfare and Relief Mobilization, 1932; condemned" the in­ superficial, and that these books are exploited by many re­ creasing flood of immoral and unmoral books,