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0 • 0 Vol. XXXIV, No.1 January, 1952 Convert Work $ome P~~aeUcal. g~ /M B~ Rev. Benjamin F. Bowling, C.S.P. CATHOLIC PRESS COMMUNITY RE PO SIBILI AMBAS ADOR OF CIIRI 1 Heart of World Peace Lies in Spiritual Order -Pius XII A NATIONAL MONTHLY P BLISHED BY THE NATIONAL CATHOLIC WELFARE CONFERENCE Price: 30e NATIONAL CATHOLIC WELFARE CONFERENCE TABLE OF CONTENTS "Over a manifold activity ot the laity, carried on in various localities according to the needs ot the times, is placed the National Catholic Welfare Conference, an organiza tion which supplies a ready and well-adapted instrument tor your episcopal ministry." Pope Plus XII. JANUARY, 1952 The National Catholic Welfare Conference was organized in September, 1919. The N. C. W. C. is a common agency acting under the authority of the bishops to PAGI: promote the welfare of the Catholics o! the country. Heart of World Peace Lies in It has for its incorporated purposes "unifying, coordinating and organizing the Spiritual Order 3 Catholic people of the United States in works of education. social welfare, immigrant aid and other activities." The English Translation of the The Conference is conducted by an administrative board composed o! ten archbishops 19.51 Christmas Eve Discourse and bishops aided by seven assistant bishops. by His Holitzess, Pope Pius Each department of the N. C. W. C. is administered by an episcopal chairman. XII. Through the general secretary, chief executive officer of the Conference, the reports o! the departments and information on the general work o! the headquarters staff are sent regularly to the members o! the administrative board. The administrative bishops of the Conference report annually upon their work to Convert Work: Some Practical Sugges the Holy See. tions for Beginners 6 Annually at the general meeting of the bishops, detailed reports are submitted by the administrative bishops of the Conference and authorization secured for the work of Rev. Benjamin F. Bowling, C.S.P. the coming year. No official action is taken by any N. C. W. C. department without authorization of its episcopal chairman. Catholic Press Responsibility to the No official action is taken in the name of the whole Conference without authorization Community ...... .. 8 and approval o! the administrative board. It is not the policy of theN. C. W. C. to create new organizations. Article V in the 19.51-.52 forum It helps, unifies, and leaves to their own fields those that already exist. series: "The Catholic and the It aims to defend and advance the welfare both o! the Catholic Church and of our Community." beloved Country. It seeks to inform the life of America of right fundamental principles o! religion and fohn V. R. Lebkicher morality. It 1s a central clearing house of information regarding activities of Catholic men and women. Calendar of Scheduled Catholic Meet N. C. W. C. is comprised of the following departments and bureaus: ings and Events . .. ... 00 00 .. .. .... • 11 ExECUTIVE-Bureaus maintained: Immigration, National Center Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Information, Publications, Business and Auditing, and CATHOLIC ArTION, monthly publication, N. C. W. C. National Council Catholic Women 12 YouTH-Fac111tates exchange of information regarding the philosophy, organization, and program-content of Catholic youth organizations; promotes the National Catholic Ambassadors of Christ- The Youth Council, the federating agency for all existing, approved Catholic you~ ' Christian lP'ay: General Theme groups, contacts and evaluates national governmental and non-governmental yout. Y organizations and youth servicing organizations. of D.C.C.lP. Conventio11S EDUCATION-Divisions: Statistics and In/ormation, Teacher Placement, Research Catholic Sorority News- First in Ken Education, Library Service, and Inter-American Collaboration. tucky: T h e C o vi 11 g t o 11 PREss-serves the Cathollc press in the United States and abroad with regular news, D .C.C.W. features, editorial and pictorial services. SociAL AcTION-Covers the fields of Industrial Relations, International Affairs, Civic Edu cation, Social Welfare, Family Lite, and Rural Life. National Council Catholic Men 16 LEGAL-Serves as a clearing house of information on federal, state and local legislation. LAY ORGANIZATIONs-Includes the National Council o! Catholic Men and the National April 79-20: Annual Meeting Council o! Catholic Women, which maintain at N. C. W. C. headquarters permanent Date for 19.52-"Front-Line representations in the interests of the Catholic laity. These councils !unction through some 9,000 affillated societies-national, state, diocesan, district, local and parish; C((tholic Action" A Valuable also through units of the councils in many of the dioceses. In/ormation Sen,ice- Radio The N. C. C. M. maintains at its national headquarters a Catholic Evidence Bureau, Telet,ision. sponsors three weekly nationwide radio programs-the Catholic Hour over the National Broadcasting Company's Network, and the Hour o! Faith over the American Month by Month with the N.C.W.C. 20 Broadcasting Company's Network, and the Catholic program in the "Faith in Our Time" series on the Mutual Broadcasting System-and conducts a Catholic Radio Bureau. TheN. C. C. W. through its National Committee System maintains an adult education service, transmitting to its affiliates information and suggestions in all fields covered by the N. C . W. C., and conducting Institutes and Regional Conferences for leader ship training; it cooperates with War Relief Services-N. C. W. C. in a continuing clothing project for children; from 1921 to 1947 it sponsored the National Catholic The contents of CATHOLIC ACTION arc School o! Social Service. indexed in the Catholic Periodical Index. CATHOLIC AcTION STUDY-Devoted to research and reports as to pronouncements, methods, programs and achiev&ments in the work o! Catholic Action at home and abroad. CATHOLIC ACTION has granted per All that are helped may play their part in promoting the good work and in maintain mission to University Microfilms, 313 ing the common agency, the National Catholic Welfare Conference. N. First Street, Ann Arbor, Mich., to CATHOLIC ACTION records monthly the work of the Conference and its affiliated produce volumes of CATHOLIC ACTION organizations. It presents our common needs and opportunities. Its special articles are in microfilm form. helpful to every Catholic organization and individual. CATHOLIC ACTION published monthly, except during July and August o! each year when published bi-monthly, by the National Catholic Welfare Conference. Entered as second-class matter at the post office at Washington, D. C., under the Act of 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] CATH OLIC ACTION CATHOLIC ACTION Vol. XXXIV, No. 1 January, 1952 Heart of World Peace Lies in Spiritual Order Follow1ng is the English translation from the Vatican of the 1951 Christmas Eve d1scourse by His Holiness Pope Pius XII. It was broadcast in Italian by the Holy Father and followed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day by broadcasts in 25 other languages. NCE again, and for the thirteenth time, the grace Father, Who at the birth of His Divine Son sent choirs 0 of the Eternal High Priest permits Us, on the of angels to sing of peace upon earth, deign to inspire anniversary of the Nativity, to address the Our words. atholic world from this venerable See. What then the contribution of the Church to the cause of ·ach year this lovely feast offers Us the occasion of peace cannot be. Supposed neutrality of the Church. expressin~ to al.l the faithful of the world Our pater nal greetmg w1th a profound sense of the mysteri The present state of affairs demands from Us a ous bond of faith, hope and love which unites, at the frank and sincere judgment upon events. But these Crib of the new-born Saviour, those redeemed by ev nts have reached such a critical stage that We are Christ. forced to recognize that the world is split into two In contrast with the collapse of so many earthly opposing camps and that all men are divided into institutions and the failure of so many ephemeral pro two clearly separated groups which consequently are grams, the spirit of God sustains, with the vigor of very loath to concede to anyone any sort of liberty perpetually self-renewing youth, His spouse the to maintain a position of political neutrality. Church, the fountainhead of abundant life, whose Now those who wrongly consider the Church as a ever more vivid manifestations reveal her supernatural kind of earthly power, or a sort of world empire are character; inexpressible comfort for each believer; easily induced to demand also from her, as from insoluble riddle for the enemies of the Faith. others, the renunciation of her neutrality and a defi Though great is Our joy in finding Ourselves once nite election in favor of one or the other side. How again in this Christmas gathering united with the ever, there can be no question of the Church renounc faithful of all continents-and also with those who ing her political neutrality, for the simple reason she are one with Us in faith in God-nevertheless the cann t serve purely political interests. harsh reality of the hour casts upon this joyful anni Let it not be thought that this is a mere play on versary the saddening shadow of clouds which still words or concepts. It suffices to have an elementary hover menacingly over the world.