The Lay Apostolate
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0 0 • Vol. XXXIII, No. 11 November, 1951 The Secret of Survival Rev. Thomas J. O'Donnell, C.S.C. THE CATHOLIC SCHOOl.~ AND THE COMMUNITY CATHOLIC YOUTH UNITE WORLD CONGRESS OF THE LAY APOSTOLATE Pius XII on The Lay Apostolate Its Place and Role Today A NATIONAL MONTHLY PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC WELFARE CONFERENCE Price: 30e TABLE OF CONTENTS NATIONAL CATHOLIC WELFARE CONFERENCE "Over a mantfold acttvity of the latty, carried on in various localtties accorcttng to NOVEMBER, 1951 the needs of the times, t.s placed the National Catholic Welfare Conference, an organb:a· tion which supplies a ready and well-adapted instrument tor your episcopal ministru." PAGE Pope Plus XII. The National Catho11c Welfare Conference was organized tn September, 1919. The Lay Apostolate-lts Place and The N. C. W. C. 1s a common agency acting under the authority of the bishops to Role Today ...................................... 3 promote the welfare of the Cathollcs of the country. Address to members of the World It has !or its incorporated purposes "uni!ytng, coordinating and organizing the Catholic people of the United States in works of education, social welfare, immigrant Congress of the Lay Apostolate aid and other activities." by Pope Pius XII The Conference is conducted by an adm1n1strat1ve board composed of ten archbishops and bishops aided by seven assistant bishops. The Secret of Survival .. .. .... ... .. .. .. ..... .. 5 Each department of the N. C. W. C. 1s administered by an episcopal chairman. Rev. T. ]. O'Donnell, C.S.C. Through the general secretary, ch1e! executive omcer of the Conference, the reports of the departments and information on the general work o! the headquarters staff are sent regularly to the members of the administrative board. The Catholic School and the Com- The administrative bishops of the Conference report annually upon their work to munity .............................................. 6 the Holy See. Annually at the general meeting of the bishops, detatled reports are submitted by Article III in the 1951·52 Forum the administrative bishops of the Conference and authorization secured for the work of Series: "The Catholic and the the coming year. Community" No omctal action is taken by any N. C. W. C. department without authorization of Rev. William E. McManus its episcopal chairman. No omctal action ts taken 1n the name of the whole Conference without authorization and approval of the administrative board. Catholic Youth Unite for Christ and It 1s not the pollcy of the N. C. W. C. to create new organizations. Country ............................................ 9 It helps, unifies, and leaves to their own fields those that already exist. Monsignor Joseph E. Schieder It aims to defend and advance the welfare both of the Cathollc Church and of our beloved Country. It seeks to inform the Ute ot America of right fundamental principles of reltgion and Month by Month with the N.C.W.C. .... 11 morality. It is a central clearing house of information regarding activities of Catholic men and National Council Catholic Women ...... 12 women. World Congress and the Lay N. C. W. C. ls comprised of the following departments and bureaus: Apostolate: A Challenge to ExEcuTIVE- Bureaus maintained: Immigration, National Center Conjraternitu oJ Chri.tttan American Catholic Women Doctrine, Information, Publications, Bustne.s.s and Auditing, and CATHOLIC ACTION, Paint fob for the Small Fry monthly publication, N. C. W. C. D .C.C.JP'. Conventions Sound YoUTH- Fac111tates exchange of information regarding the phtlosophy, organization, and program-content of CathoUc youth organizations; promotes the National Cathol1c Call to Action. Youth Councll, the federating agency !or all existing, approved CathoUc youth groups, contacts and evaluates national governmental and non·governmental youth National Council Catholic Men 16 organizations and youth servicing organizations. EDucATION- Divisions: Statistics and Information, 7'eacher Placement, Research Catholic Thoughts from the Lay Apostol Education, Library Service, and Inter-American Collaboration. ate Congreu- The Father: Head of the Family-Radio PRESs-Serves the Catholic press in the United States and abroad with regular news, and TV, N .C.C.M.-Comments features, editorial and pictorial services. SociAL AcTioN- Covers the fields of Industrial Relations, International Affairs, Civic Edu· on Human Rights Covenant. cation, Social Welfare, F(Jmily Life, and Rural Lite. LEGAL-Serves as a clearing house of information on federal, state and local legislation. Prayer for Lay Apostles .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 19 LAY ORGANIZATIONs- Includes the National Counc1l of Catholic Men and the National Council of Cathol1c Women, which maintain at N. c. w. c. headquarters permanent representations in the 1ntere:>ts o! the Catholic latty. These counctls function through Calendar of Scheduled Catholic Meet- some 9,000 amuated societies- national, state, diocesan, district, local and parish; ings and Events .. .. .. .. .. .... .. ... .. .. .. .. .. 20 also through units of the councils 1n many of the dlocesP.s. The N. c. C. M. maintains at its national headquarters a Cathol1c Evidence Bureau, sponsors three weekly nationwide radio programs- the Catholic Hour over the National Broadcasting Company's Network, and the Hour of Faith over the American Broadcasting Company's Network, and the CathoUc program In the "Faith 1n Our Time" series on the Mutual Broadcasting System-and conducts a CathoUc Radio Bureau. The N. C. C. W. through its National Committee System maintains an adult education The contents of CATHOLIC ACTION are service, transmitting to its amuates information and suggestions tn all fields covered indexed in the by the N. C. W. C., and conducting Institutes and Regional Conferences for leader· Catholic Periodical Index. ship training; 1t cooperates with War Rel1ef Servtces-N. C. W. C. tn a continuing clothing project for children; from 1921 to 1947 it sponsored the National Catholic CATHOLIC ACTION has granted per School of Social Service. mission to University Microfilms, 313 CATHOLIC AcTION STUDY- Devoted to research and reports as to pronouncements, methods, programs and achievements in the work of Catholic Action at home and abroad. N. First Street, Ann Arbor, Mich., to All that are helped may play their part in promoting the good work and in maintain ing the common agency, the National Cathol1c Welfare Conference. produce volumes of CATHOLIC ACTION CATHOLIC ACTION records monthly the work of the Conference and its aftll1ated in microfilm form. organizations. It presents our common needs and opportunities. Its special articles are helpful to every Cathol1c organization and individual. CATHOLIC ACTION published monthly, except during July and August of each year when pub11shed bi-monthly, by the National Cathol1c Wel!are Conference. Entered as second-class matter at the post omce at Washington, D. C., under the Act ot March 3, 1879. All changes of address, renewals and subscriptions should be sent direct to CATHOLIC ACTION, 1312 Massachusetts Ave., N. W., Washington 5, D. C. Publication, Editorial and Executive Offices Subscription Rates $3.00 per year; $3.25 outside the United 1312 Massachusetts Ave., N. W. States. Make checks or postal money WASHINGTON 5, D. C. orders payable to CATHOLIC ACTION [2] CATHOLIC ACTION CATHOLIC ACTION Vol. XXXIII, No. 11 November, 1951 The Lay Apostolate - Its Place and Role Today An English translatron of the address given by His Holiness Pope Pius XII to members of the World Congress of the Lay Apostolate when he received them in audience on October 14, 1951. A prayer personally composed by His Holiness for lay apostles and said in union with him during the audience appears on page 19. HAT consolation and what joy treat, either incidentally or expressly, two outstanding figures of Catholic W overflows Our heart at the sight of questions which this week have history: one is Mary Ward, that in of this imposing assembly, where We found their well-defined place on your comparable woman whom, in the most see you gathered together before Our agenda. somber and bloody times, Catholic eyes, you Our venerable brothers in the This time, in the presence of so dis England gave to the Church ; the other, Episcopate, and you also, dear sons and tingui hed and numerous a group of St. Vincent de Paul, unquestionably daughters, come together from all con priests and faithful, all most justly in the first rank among the founders tinents and regions to the center of the conscious of their responsibility in or and promoters of the works of Catholic Church, to celebrate here this World toward this apostolate, We would wish, charity. Congress of the Lay Apostolate. in a very brief word, to define its place Nor can one let pass unnoticed or You have studied its nature and ob and it role today in the light of the without recognizing its beneficent in ject. You have considered its present past history of the Church. It has never fluence that close union which, until state. You have meditated on the im been absent from it. It will be interest the French Revolution, marked the portant duties which are incumbent in~ and instructive to follow the de mutual relations, in the Catholic world, upon it in view of the future. These velopment of this apostolate in the of the two divinely established author have been for you days of constant course of times past. ities: the Church and the State. The prayer, of serious examination of con It is often said that during the past intimacy of their relations on the com science, of exchanges of views and ex four centuries the Church has been mon ground of public life generally periences. To conclude all this, you exclusively "clerical" as a reaction created an atmosphere of Christian have come to renew the expression of against the crisis, which in the 16th spirit, which rendered largely unneces your faith, of your devotion and of century had tried to achieve the aboli sary that delicate work which priest your fidelity to the Vicar of Jesus tion, pure and simple, of the hierarchy.