All about ecumenism
Media
Part of The Cabletow
- Title
- All about ecumenism
- Language
- English
- Source
- The Cabletow Volume XLIV (Issue No.1) January 1968
- Year
- 1968
- Rights
-
- Fulltext
- NBM ECUMENICILLO.. A little lesson in Ecumenism in volving the owners of a small primary school, the parish priest of a small community' in a housing project in Quezon City, small cub scouts, their parents and guardians. It happened in Boys’ week last month. The cub scouts were to have their induction, for the new ones, and advancement for those who have been scouts at least six months. The school authorities had been given permission to be in the last mass and thereafter to use the church for their cub scout induction and advance ment ceremonies in the presence of their teachers, parents and guardians. Usually, cub scouts’ day in church was segregated; Catholic scouts had masses said for them in their churches and Protestant scouts, in Protestant church services. That Friday, De cember 8, 1967. the school authorities thought it would be something new to have Catholic and Protestant scouts together in a Catholic mass with ad ditions. The parish priest, who had earlier granted permission, without notice, cancelled the mass for the cub scouts and told the school authorities so, in the morning of that day. The school head literally flew all around the greater Manila area, using some thirty pesos for taxi fare to see the Car dinal and curates in other parishes. Scmi-finally, the plan had to be changed; mass for the cub scouts was to be said in a parish church in another housing project where the parish priest was ecumenical. He even called this Protestant reporter. Brother! But finally, the parish priest who first approved and then cancelled the mass, called up the school head a couple of hours before the mass that he had re-approved the p'an and the cub scouts with their teachers, parents and guardians could be in the last mass of the evening for their induc tion and advancement ceremonies All’s well that ends well. The additions in the mass? Ex cept for one Martin Luther hymn, the hymns and pieces played in the mass by a Protestant organist, were pre-Reformation church music, better known to Protestants than to Cathol ics, but purely Catholic, historically speaking. This reporter presumed that there must be Protestants in the neighborhood who heard the music for some of them came down their homes to peep in the church to see if every body was happy. And they were. IVe arc grateful to WB Don Diaz Deocales, who, with his family, now re side in Placerville, California, for send ing us, thru irB Romeo Pasco, Secre tary of Luzon Bodies, AASR, the fol lowing story on Ecumenism as nract'iced in the States. Thanks a lot, Bro. Don. MASONIC OVATION FOR JESUIT PRIEST ..Vcw York “I wish that good Pope John could see me now—a poor, defenseless Jesuit taking his life in his hands before Turn lo next pago JANUARY, 1968 15 thousands of Free and Accepted Ma sons. He would have loved it. This is the way he wanted things to hap pen.” With these words, the Rev. Robert L. Gannon, former president of Ford ham University, began his talk yes terday at the annual dedication break fast of the Masonic order in New York State. The Masons loved it, too. There were some 5000 of them in two hotels. Father Gannon spoke at both and at each hotel he received a standing ova tion. The Jesuit, the first Roman Catho lic priest to address the yearly gather ing of Masons, drew rounds of hearty applause and guffaws of laughter throughout his speech. VATICAN At one point, he remarked that when the late Pope John XXIII convoked the second Vatican council, he did not expect the Masons to join the Knights of Columbus. “But,” Father Gannon added, “I saw in the paper the other day that you have been playing around to gether Let me warn you to be on your guard. You may wake up some morning and find that you have joined not only the Knights of Columbus, but the Jesuits.” His reference was to an announce ment last month that the Masons and the Knights of Columbus were plan ning joint national programs in the "moral, civic and social action fields.” Antagonism between Masons and Roman Catholics goes back to a Pa pal bull issued in 1738 by Pope Cle ment XII in which he condemned the Masons on the ground that their beliefs and rituals constituted a false religion. EXCOMMUNICATION Roman Catholics still are forbidden to join the Masons under pain of ex communication. The Masonic order, or Freemason ry, came to the United States in the 1730s. The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 by a Roman Catholic priest, in New Haven, Conn. Secret organizations were popular at the time and Catholics were not permitted to join them, so they formed their own. A GRAVEL AND SAND . . . From P.s. it Noli-me-Tangere Lodge No. 148 installed its officers on January 3, at the Rafael Palma Hall. The installa tion rites were in a tiled Lodge. After the ceremonies, the visitors were in vited to dinner. Bro. Galen Forsythe of Biak-NaBato Lodge No. 7, was elected Sen ior Warden of George Washington Lodge in Kaiserlautern, Germany. Funeral Services in honor of the late MW Luther Boone Bewley was held last January 4, 1968 under the auspices of the Grand Lodge of the Philippines and the Supreme council of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in the Philippines. The team that performed the cere monies was composed of the follow ing MW Mariano Q. Tinio, Worship ful Master, RW Manuel M. Crudo, Senior Warden; RW Edgar L. Shepley, Junior Warden; MW Cenon S. Cervantes, Treasurer; MW Esteban Munarriz, Secretary; MW Charles Mosebrook, Chaplain; VW Hermogenes P. Oliveros, Marshal, VW LoTum to pig* 22 16