The Cross Vol. VI, No.2 (February 1951)

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Title: The Cross Vol. VI, No.2 (February 1951)
Issue Date: Vol. VI, No.2 (February 1951)
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extracted text: "Whom does he think he's fooling?" February, 1951 40 centavos “I’ll tell the Gross../' Sir: PASS IT ON Tugu egara o, Cagaya n It is now sometime since I started reading the catholic magazine "The Cross". And I think I can say that whenever I take it up to read, I always feel a keen satisfaction and holy inspiration. At times when the articles are specially good, I catch myself saying something like this: "At long last we note have a locally edited magazine that is able to set forth in good popular form the beautiful truths of our Holy Faith." Naturally enough, as a Catholic, I am happy and proud ol the achievement of "The Cross". And the way 1 feel about it is, it is too good to be kept only for the readers themselves. They should strive to pass it on to others. For my part in sharing "The Cross" to others, I am enclosing a money order of twenty pesos for five one year subscriptions. You can , tart .sending the copies with the month of January to the addressesgiven below. Thank you. May the Christ Child bless "The Cross", its staff and readers. Respectfully yours, ,1. S. Lazo Ed. Amen.—Poss it on tfien, shod we? All of us. MORE ENCOURAGEMENT Manila Sir: I was once upon a time, a reader of our National Catholic monthly. The Cross, and am still one of those who eagerly devour it today} The' work you have done from the very start up to the present is magnifi cent. You have carried Catholic literature in the Philippines at high level, making it shine over the sc-called "Basura” publications which are really causing moral and spiritual harm to the people. . . (Turn to page 62) An Editorial PRESIDENT QUIRINO ON MASONRY Supreme Council of Scottish Rite Our esteemed President of the Phil ippines has seen fit to eulogize the Masons in a speech delivered before the four-doy annual meeting of the Freemasonry. Obviously, we cannot agree with this eulogy. Is it perhaps that the speech was prepared by some ill-informed Malacanan underling and merely reod by the President in a thoughtless moment? We could point to many mistakes, but one will suffice for the present. Mr Quirino stated: "The ideals and principles that you (Masons) uphold are in their essence the ideals and principles of democracy. They are ideals and principles we must uphold if the Philippines is to remain a democracy." Such is far from the truth. Mosons are not democratic. They ore positively anti-democratic and discriminating in their membership policy. For proof, we merely repeat from o quotation published in The Cross, June 1950 issue: "In the February, 1950 issue of The NEW AGE, official or gan of the Supreme Council 33 Degree A. & A. Scottish Rite Free masonry S. J. U. S. A., published at 1735 sixteenth street N. W., Washington, D.C., the leading editorial entitled "SEGREGATION", proclaims the superiority of the white race and the necessity of segregation between the different races. "We should not have put much weight in this editoriol were it not for the astounding facts that 1) it was written by no other than John H. Cowles, Sovereign Grand Commander of the 33rd degree of Free Masonry and 2) in an official "Grand Commander's Message" to all his brother Masons throughout the world. "The,Grand Commander writes as follows: ‘My opinion is that human blood, which is different from animal blood, does not imply oneness of the races. God made THE CROSS skins of various colors — white, black, brown, yellow, and He placed them in various parts of this planets, as the verse quoted above from the Acts points out. It seems to me that, if God wanted all the races to be equal, He would have made them that way. ‘Today we find various races wanting to assimilate with the white race, but experience shows that, whenever opposite racial strains intermarry, the resulting offspring does not in herit the best in each race, but rather produces the worst ele ments in each racial strain.' "And more in the some strength." Note ogoin that this quotation was taken from the NEW AGE which is the modem bible of the 33rd degree Masons of the Scottish Rite Free masonry. Definitely, the Mosons ore not democratic; they ore a conceited bunch of snobs. One field of education that has THOUGHT FOR been sadly neglected in our Catholic CATHOLIC PRESS MONTH schools is Journalism. Catholic schools hove indeed put out school pa pers or closs journals, but beyond these, nothing has been done to train their staff members for vocations in journalism. Yet Journalism with its allied arts of radio, movies aqd drama de serves special attention. It is a key agency of communication. The Christopher movement lists journalism as one of five key fields. Any one who reads the secular papers cannot fail to appreciate the amount of influence they exercise on our people. It is to be deplored that, while secular schools have shown great interest in developing their journalism deportment, Catholic schools hove been sadly indifferent. And this is one reason why we have not in this Catholic country a powerful Catholic press. Journalism is not just another avenue of employment. It is a vital phase of our Philippine democratic life. Catholic schools cannot afford to neglect it, especially today when our people show every sign of wak ing to their democratic rights. Catholic schools have an obligation to give their students a chance to look into journalism. It may npt be a bad idea, during this Catholic Press month of February, to take definite steps toword developing this particular phase of Catholic eduEDITORIAL CARTOON “THE PYROMANIAC” Cover & editorial cartoon — courtesy of Cincinnati Enquirer & Dallas Morning News (USIS) “CROSS NATIONAL CATHOLIC MAGAZINI Regina Bldg., Escolta, Manila, Philippines FEBRUARY, 1951 Vol. VI No. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS EDITORIALS: President Quirino on Masonry ............ 1 Thought for Catholic Press Month .... 2 Is Juan de la Cruz a Lazy Fellow? ... 5 Smallpox and "Basura-pox" ................ 6 The "Broadening Influences" of Protestant Ministers ............................ 6 Strictly for the Record: NBI Chief Retracts ................................................. 7 The Huks of the Sierra and Escolta's Hawkers ................................................. 8 A Philippine Diplomat to the Votican? . 9 Silver Lining ............................................ 10 ARTICLES: The Philippine Church at Mid-Century......... F. X. Clark, S. J. 12 My Very Own .............. A. J. Martinez 40 An Interview With the Devil .............................. P. L'Ermile 42 Are You a Snooppopath Lover? ............................ J. Iturralde 44 This is a Priest's World . . . P. Morales 46 "51 Means 52" .... W. Driscoll, S. J. 49 Giri With Christ's Wounds . . H. George 52 COLUMNS: The Millionaires' Club ............................ 11 Heart to Heart...................Lily Marlene 23 The Chaperone..................... Aunt Lina 36 Home is Heaven ..................................... 60 DEPARTMENTS: I'll tell the Cross ................................... A The Apostleship Corner .......................... 31 Intentions for March ............................ 32 In Every Parish ............ By MALANG 58 Motion Picture Guide ............................ 64 Managing Editoi Mario, Gatbonton Business Manager Pedro F. Ong Board of Editors Antonio Estrada Hermenegildo B. Reyes Nicolas Zafra Enrique F. Lumba Contributing Editors Salvador Araneta Miguel Cuenco Pacita Santos Renato Arevalo ★ publication issued monthly by THE CROSS MAGAZINE with THE CROSS is a Catholic rejection. Subscription rates: One year — local: P4.90; for eign: M.00. Printed by R. P. GARCIA Publishing Company. 999 Dapltan, Manila. Roistered as second class mail mattar at the Manila Post Offlea. IS JUAN DE LA CRUZ A LAZY FELLOW? Editorial Comment We hove reod with interest the re commendation of the Bell Mission and other interested experts and friends from home ond abroad, who try to analyze the reason for the economic ills of the Philippines. We notice that they mention 1 . Graft and corruption; 2. lack of common sense in economic planning; 3. inefficient production ond antiquated methods; 4. waste of money on useless government corporations and so forth and so on. However, we wonder if they are too unobservant or possibly too po lite to mention what seems to us to be a most important and radical de fect — that which Dr. Rical called “the indolence of the Indio" — and which we fear is still widespread amongst us. With our own eyes we have seet so many instances of this that at : disheartened— The other day we visited a laudable help-the-poor-to-help-themselves project which some good Catholic men had started, a home industry pro ject centering around a little clubroom. These Catholic men, with complete unselfishness, were using their own money to buy the raw material ond equipment, paid for an instructor, ar ranged for the sale of the finished product. Only one thing was locking — the will to work on the part of the poor people themselves. On the morning we visited the center, four women and girls were working. But just outside the door about forty boys ond young men were playing pingpong, bosketball, checkers or just loafing. Invited to work ond earn some money for themselves, they just smiled ond went on — doing nothing. The Catholic men running this little enterprise are not making one 5 THE CROSS centavo of profit. Rather they are losing money — but willingly, in their desire to help the poor to help themselves. But apparently the poor are unwilling to be helped. If our observations are accurate and our conclusion fair, then with our revered hero, Dr. Rizal, let us face this problem frankly and fear lessly. Let us see if we can discover a remedy. We cannot cure a serious disease if we deny or ignore its existence. It is heartening the way local SMALLPOX AND health authorities react to a news of “BASURA-POX” smallpox or influenzo epidemic in neighboring countries. Every man from top to bottom is geared ond galvanized into action enough to scare away even smallpox germs. Every ship coming to port is carefully quarantined for hours; every plane passenger from abroad required to get vaccination; every physician and nurse supplied with quantities of vaccines free of charge, and every small pox case hastily segregated. And even the papers cooperate in arousing the people to the threat of a disease. This is all very legitimate, even desirable. We should all see to it that our people are free from physical harm and possible death. However, when we are confronted with a moral disease, spread by “Basura” publications and filthy shows — a disease that threatens the very souls of our people, especially our youth — we do not get the same kind of action. The Department of Interior, which is charged with the protection of our community from such evil, seems indifferent and toler ant. Our newspapers not only keep mum about this “Basura-pox", but often even succumb to the filth. Then when our crime wove rises and juvenile delinquency spreads, our government officials and educators get alarmed — little realizing that they have been responsible for the free circulation of the germs — bad shows and literature — of crime ond delinquency in our midst. Doesn't make sense, does it? THE “BROADENING INFLUENCES” OF PRO TESTANT MINISTERS In an editorial on Protestant Minis ters and the present day challenge, Philippine Christian Advance, Pro testant Monthly, made the following remark: It is the kind We are called “We are in the midst of a Roman Catholic country, of Romanism which can stand some broadening influences. FEBRUARY, 1951 therefore to banish from, this country narrowness and bigotry, especially in religion.” What these "broadening influences" are may not be hard to guess. First, there is the protestant broadmindedness of keeping away religion from public school children; second, the protestant broadmindedness of liberalizing divorce; third, the recent protestant broadmindedness of birth control, and of course, the very fundamental protestant principle of a broadminded private interpreta tion of the Word of God. Remarkable broadmindedness — these protestants have! Reminds you of the man who was so broadminded that his head was flat. But once upon a time a crowd of Jews challenged a man hanging on the cross to be broadminded enough to come down from the cross — if He were the Son of God. The man hung until he died. Today the Catholic Church is again challenged from all sides to come down from her otherworldliness to the realism of divorce and birth control and abortion and individual interpretation of morality. But people who challenge her should know better. That Church would rather see every Filipino smashed by the Atom Bomb than give in one iota to these principles. That is the "narrowmindedness" of Truth — which connot tolerate the "broadmindedness" of falsehood. STRICTLY FOR THE RECORD: NBI CHIEF RETRACTS MASONRY We are publishing the following news item strictly for the record: “The late Joaquin Pardo de Tavera, styled the Philippines’ J. Edgar Hoover, was received into the Catholic Church and administered the last Sacraments before he died last January 6. “Pardo de Tavera had been ill for about a year and two weeks ago his condition became serious. Expressing his desire to return to the Catholic Church, which he left when he entered Masonry years ago, the NBI Chief asked for a priest who could speak French because he wanted to make a confession in that language. “A priest of the Belgian Community in Quezon City, Father Oscar Deltour, was called. Father Deltour heard Tavera’s confession and later, another priest of the Belgian Community administered Holy Com munion. A Mass was said at the Sta. Teresita church in Quezon city before his remains were interred in the family plot at the Cementerio del Norte. “The deceased was a Mason of long standing and it was only last year that he received a promotion in Masonry. By renouncing that THE CROSS society nt liis deathbed, Tavera joined the ranks of many former masons who chose to die as Catholics.'' Many years from now moy we be delivered from a new Polma writing the NBI Chief's biography saying, "Pardo de Tavera was on intelligent and conscientious man... it would have been against his conscience and his prin ciples to have retracted Masonry. . . The document was forged. . . The Belgian Fathers, like the Jesuits of old, were not trustworthy. . . and so forth and And then when our Cotholic scholars would prove the Catholic death of Tavera, moy we be delivered from a new Bocobo shouting from the house tops, "With the present cttempt of the Roman Catholic elements to create the belief that Tavera died a Romon Catholic, they want to destroy the free dom for which the Philippine Revolution fought, and drive back our people to the Spanish days when the Filipino soul was subdued by Roman Cotholic obscurantism and religious dictatorship." Blah, blah, blah, blah. Local dailies, every now and then, THE HUKS OF THE carry reports of a "New Drive Against SIERRA AND ESCOLTA’S the Huks", or "another major ofHAWKERS fensive being unleashed against a concentration of ormed dissidents" somewhere in the long, low hills of the Sierra Madre. The "major push" is invariably preceded by "artillery barrage", then followed by "ground And after all the "lights, action, camera", the Huks go on in their rampage. . . smiling in their loirs. Does anyone honestly expect these sporadic operations to end the Huk problem? Right in the very heart of Manila may be found a sad reflection of the same situation. For the last several months, Manila’s Finest have been trying to rid Escolta’s pedestrian bridge of street hawkers. Up to this very hour, they have succeeded—not! Every now and then, a surly-burly policeman, who probably got out of the wrong side of the bed, looks at them "with daggers in his eyes”, or wields his night stick like some Toscanini scaring away a row of bulls with his baton. And even as the uniformed figure retreats in the distance, the hawkers are back at their posts, smiling at the peace and order of their world. Have Manila's Finest lost all their guts? Hove our low-enforcing FEBRUARY, 1951 agencies become so chickenheorted that they connot even enforce a simple lew? Or—stop us if we're wrong—have some fallen for the lure of silver coins? The problem is simple. As long as there is a law against street hawkers, Manila's Finest must enforce it whatever the cost. Peddlers violating the low must go to jail and poy the price. There should be no false mercy about it on the part of Manila's Finest or its government officials. But if Manila's government officials, including Manila's Finest, choose to be chickenheorted with the "poor peddlers", theft let us abolish the law and save the face and dignity of our finest men in Manila. It has been reported that after A PHILIPPINE DIPLOMAT his recent visit to the Holy City, the TO THE VATICAN? Bishop of Joro, Msgr. Jose Ma. Cuenco, strongly urged the appoint ment of a diplomatic representative to the Votican. We gladly support the good Bishop's recommendation. The Vatican is the center of Christendom. It is no -exaggeration to say that no other force hes worked more for world peace thon that smallest state in the world. It is olso the center of world information. When Myron C. Taylor resigned his position as personpl representative of the U. S. President to the Pope, Mr. Truman in accepting his resignation wrote: “The exchanges of views and the association of endeavors which your mission rendered possible have made a fundamental contribution to the unity of moral conviction that today sustains the world’s peoples in their unflagging efforts for international peace with freedom and justice and genuine opportunity for progress... The benefits of your work far exceed the 'bounds of ordinary efforts” Of Mr. Taylor's mission, Pope Pius XII wrote: “The fortunate outcome of numberless occurrences which arose both during the course of the war and in the postwar period, the solution of urgent problems, the interchange of important information, the organization of American relief which flowed in such generous streams to alleviate the misery begotten of war, all these would have been well nigh unthinkable and almost impossible, were it not for the designation of a personal representative of the President....” It is dear that on the part of both Mr. Truman and Pope Pius, there is agreement on the mutual benefits derived even from this informal diplomatic 10 THE CROSS arrangement. Shouldn't the Philippines learn from this example of a Pro testant country? Death has become so common in SIT.VER LINING our days and faith so uncommon that men no longer see its hidden beauty. For there is beauty in death— the beauty of dying in order to live forever. And it takes faith to see that beauty. During these days of rank materialism when men would destroy faith in the supernatural life of the soul, it is refreshing to find o truly remark able Catholic spirit around us. The following letter was written to the members of the Knights of Columbus, Manila Council, by one of its members, Manuel B. Roiio,~a few days after the death of his own son. It could have been written by any Catholic because It strikes a cord that is familiar to all who pray the "Apostle's Creed".... "I believe in the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting. Amen." “Worthy Brothers of Manila Council No. 1000 “In the name of my family and of my own, I wish to convoy, through these lines, our deepest personal appreciation to all of you who condoled with us in the hours of our bereavement. Although the loss of a loved one is beyond man’s repairing, your sympathy has nevertheless, brought comfort to our afflicted hearts. “For us who believe in a country beyond the stars, in. life beyond the grave, all is not over with death. Only that which is of dust is sown in corruption and perishes. Indeed, for those who have departed with the fragrance of innocence or resplendent with the fused purity of penance, for them death is not a perrenial slumber, but a glorious awakening; not the end, but the beginning of a 'new day’; an arrival not a departure; not a loss but a gain! For, is not ‘the falling rain that bears the greenery... the falling acorn that buds the tree’? “Amidst our sorrows, we wish you all a Blessed and Fruitful New Year. There is such a thing as generosity in the midst of want, good will in a world consumed in the fire of hate. “Again, our heartfelt thanks to all of you." Manuel B. Roho It is this spark of love in our hearts that Communists who do not be lieve in God ore trying to blot out from the earth. By a diabolical hate bom of hell, they are trying to destroy all thot is God. We know they will never succeed. The forces of love ore stronger than death. "It it in giving that we receive. . The Millionaires Club ALL THE TIME Sir: The small sum enclosed would have been sent earlier had I not lost track of your column on vol untary contributions for our seminarians. I wish to inform you that I will be always glad to help any time—in any way. Just let me know through the Cross MagA Child of Mary Ed. Your help is always welcome. There's so much to be done along this line. . . every penny counts. MORE PRIESTS, IF... San Fernando, Pampanga Sir : Enclosed... my contributions to help poor seminarians. I believe we should all help in this cause, if we do not want to lose our Chris tian principles in this material istic world, or if we want our Faith to triumph over the hammer and sickle of the Huks. (Name Withheld) 1 FOR 8,000 Manila Sir: ■ I’ve read somewhere that in the Philippines we have 1 priest for every 8,000 Catholics. Thanks be to God, you have started this pro ject to help raise more priests, whom we need, if our Catholic country is going to be thoroughly Catholic. Enclosed... (Name Withheld) Ed. Father Clark in his ortide on the next page says: "It has been estimated thot 60 per cent of Fili pino Catholics die without the Last Sacraments.". Whether or not we shall belong to that 60 per cent— only God knows.. But helping to raise more priests is, we believe, some kind of an insurance that we shall have one by our side in that supreme moment.. It is some kind of an Eternal Life Insurance. Of course, we don't mean ta speak dogmatically or something. It's just that God loves a generous giver, don't you think? So, give, give, give. From the year 1900 to 1950. . . a story of loyalty and undefeat. . . The Philippine Church at AN EXCERPT FROM "THE PHILIPPINE This is a year of stock taking. Every endeavour that has gone for the last fifty years is pausing to look back in order to better shape the future. The Catholic Church in the Philippines should be no exception, ft has much to leorn from the past. It hos to prepare itself for the future. The following excerpt from the pamphlet The Philippine Missions written by Rev. Francis Clark, S. J. gives us a vivid picture of the Philip pine Church at Mid-Century.—Ed. THE EARLY YEARS rpHE situation in the Philippines about 1900 was o muddle. Spain was leaving, the United States was toking charge; institutions and cus toms of 300 years standing were changed overnight. The Philippine Commission supplanted the American Military Government in 1901. Leo XIII, acting for the Church, appoint ed Archbishop Chappelle of New Or leans os Apostolic Visitor, and he re ported to Rome. There were many thorny problems to settle, the first of which concerned the friar lands. . Aguinaldo's government had at tempted to confiscate all the lands of the friars, and a most frequent complaint heard by the early Amer ican commissioners was on the same point. Here the Philippines were fol lowing 19th Century Europe, where Mosonic anti-clerical groups had been claiming Church property. As for the implication that the friars possessed "practically all the land" in the orchipelago, one of the wild state ments frequently repeoted in the American press at that time, it was completely folse. Only, fifty years before, in 1842, a Spanish official of long years experience complained that "in Laguna and other provinces there are most fertile fields, aban doned and at the disposal of any one who will take them." But Taft faded a practical diffi culty. On the friar lands lived ten ants, one more Spanish system that was commendable in the early days when the missionaries were teaching the people to live together and to farm more scientifically, but which by now was completely antiquated. Not wishing to evict, the tenants by force. 12 Mid-Century MISSIONS" By Francis X. Clark, S. J. Taft decided on o pion satisfactory to all — to purchcse the londs by a Government bond issue, then re-sell them gradually to the peopl?. To the Vatican Toft went in per son, with Bishop Thomas Gorman of Sioux Falls, Justice James E. Smith, o Catholic member of the early Phil ippine Commission, and Colonel John Porter of the U.S. Army as inter preters ond advisers. In Rome the ground was cleared. Leo XIII ap pointed Archbishop Guidi to go to the Philippines, where over the next year and o half the problem was settled by government purchase. During the next few years the Spanish friars gradually left the Is lands, and this was the blow from which the Philippines hove not yet recovered. In 1898 there were about 1,000 friars. In 1904 there were 250 left; of these, most were in edu cational work in Manila, others were too old for active duty. About 700 porishes were left without o priest. In December, 1902, Leo XIII sent his Pontificol Letter Quae marl sinico to the Philippine Hierarchy, on the condition of the Church there ond what must be done. After the state ment that "... the change in civil matter there has affected religion; also; for when the Spanish yoke wos removed the patronoge of the Span ish kings ceased, and os a result the Church attained to o larger share of liberty, ensuring for everyone rights which are safe and unassailable," he went on to create four new dioceses and to recommend the utmost care for a Filipino clergy: "... the Bishops must moke it their care to increase the number of native priests." Rome likewise saw quickly that American bishops were absolutely ne cessary. One by one the Sponish ops resigned; the Apostolic Delegate in Washington, Diomede Falconio, be gan to notify American priests thot they were now bishops. Jeremiah J. Harty, Postor of St. Leo's in St. Louis, was named Arch bishop of Manila. Thomas A. Hend rick, of Rochester, became Bishop of Cebu. Frederick C. Rooker, attached to the Legation in Washington, wos placed in the diocese of Jaro. And Denis Dougherty, Professor of Theo logy at Overbrook Seminary, Philo13 THE CROSS dclphia, wos chosen for the diocese of Nuevo Segovio, in northern Luzon. Bishop Dougherty wos consecrated in Rome on June 14, 1903. There he was told: "... your seminary is dis mantled. Its students ore scattered we know not where, ond therefore at the very beginning of your adminis tration, you must take to the Philip pine Islands with you, in order to open the seminary, trained priests." Bock in Philadelphia again, he re cruited his volunteers: Father James J. Corroll ond John B. MacGinley, professors with Bishop Dougherty ot Overbrook Seminary, and Fathers Cook, James P. McCloskey and Da niel J. Gercke, engaged in pastoral work. They reached Monilo on October 6, 1903. Bishop Rooker came about the same time, with Archbishop Harty and Bishop Hendrick arriving a month or so loter. They were the first group of missionary bishops the Americon Church had ever sent. To understand the problem they faced then, and the problems the Church would have to struggle with down the years, even to the present, it is necessary to consider the four main obstacles in detail. WHAT IS A CATHOLIC COUNTRY? The first problem was a whole mental attitude, engendered partly by bod history, partly by American Pro testants. Formuloted briefly, it ran like this: Spain is now a third rate power, and Catholic. The U.S. is a great power, and not Catholic. It was only the shortest of steps to assert that Spain wos decadent because Catholic, ond Arherica great because not Catholic. That term "a Catholic country" is o dangerous thing. We can't control it like we con "a Catholic school" or "a Catholic magozine. Actually Spoin's government during the last century and a half had been anything but Catholic, when her officials were confiscating Church property, expell ing Religious Orders and the like. Then, though it was false that America wos all Protestant, a clever case could be made for it. Just a statement like: "Of course, there has never been a Catholic President or Vice-President," while true, could imply a thousand facts not true. Over and over again that reason ing was used to win Filipinos to Pro testantism or to scientific indifferentism. For example: "Why. are you a Catholic? Because you were a sub ject of old, uneducated Spain, and Spain wos Catholic. But now you are a subject of great and educated America; you should follow the reli gion and mentality of America." THE AMERICAN PROTESTANTS What an opportunity the Protest ants had! They above all others could take advantage of the expression: Americo great because not Catholic. They had money, novelty, man-power, and a powerful ally ond argument in the FEBRUARY, 1951 15 overwhelming majority of Protestants in the government service. Their zeal was amazing. They were on the spot in 1899 and 1900, and by July 1902 the Methodists had a Dress and paper in Manila, the Boptists the same in Jaro. In Dumoguete the Presbyterians had o school, Silliman Institute, which, they said, "... gives promise of great useful ness." The British and Foreign Bible Society, together with the American Bible Society, worked on translations of the New Testament into the var ious diolects; by 1901 they hod dis tributed the total of 141,212 bibles. Skillfully, too, they profited from mistakes in previous missions else where. On April 24-26, 1901, the Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodist Episcopal, United Brethren Churches, the Christion Missionary Alliance, the Y.M.C.A. American Bible Society, British and Foreign Bible Society united to form The Evangelical Union. "The idea of the use of a common name is that Catholics will recognise oil Protestants os one great force." They then passed their resolution regarding the division of territory: WHEREAS the evangelization of these people unit be more speed ily accomplished by a division of the territory, thus avoiding the waste of labor, time and money arising from the occupation of the same districts by more than one society, which has marred the work in other and older fields, Therefore BE IT RESOLVED... that each accept responsibility for well de fined areas... All this, note, some eighteen months before the American bishops AND THEN A SCHISM While the Protestants were attack ing from without, a still more serious threat arose from within — a schism atical church, La Iglesia Filipino Independiente. Gregorio Aglipoy, from I locos Nor te province, was a regularly ordained priest of the Catholic Church. Dis appointed in his dealings with Arch bishop Nozaleda of Manila, discon tented with Spanish' rule in the Church, he broke away from the "Spanish" church to form a "FilipiHe made his whole appeal on a nationalistic bosis. His church was to be the same as before, only for Filipinos and run by Filipinos. Many people were deceived, for at the be ginning, at least, he outwardly main tained all details of the Mass, proces sions, etc. Aided by a clever layman, Isabelo de los Reyes, ond unfortunately abet ted by the help of about fifteen priests who joined forces with Aglipay, the movdnent spread like a fire. Within a few years they had about 1,000,000 members, though they themselves claimed 3,000,000. Aglipay himself became the Obispo Maxi mo, or the Supreme Bishop. One of the first moves in many towns was to take possession of the 16 THE CROSS Cotholic Church. For the church, the/ argued, had been built by the people of the town and belonged to them. Consequently, if they wished to change their religion now, they could use the church as they saw fit. So though in most Philippine towns there stood a Cotholic church without a priest, in these Aglipayon towns there was neither church nor priest. Aglipayanism, once separated from Rome, was doomed to die eventually. But "eventually" can be a long time, os many schisms have proven. THE CHURCH LOSES YOUTH But probably rhe hardest blow of oil was in the field of education. The American Government set down cleorly that there were going to be schools for even/one and thot they were not going to teach religion. They would be modeled on the Public School system of the United States. Within a few short years, schools were beginning all over the Islands. In 1904 over 800 Americons were there, teaching, the great majority of them 'Protestants. Just as dangerous, in o more quiet way, was the government system of pensionados, or scholarship students to the United States. Each year the government would select some out standing students, then' send them to the United States for college or uni versity work. Upon their return to the Philippines, they were to be the leaders in improving social, educa tional ond scientific conditions. The future of the Islands would be in their hands. In itself, the plan was commend able. Yet, on the usual plea of "separation of Church and State," the more forceful now because of ex periences with Spain, the strong Me sonic and Protestant influence elimi nated Cotholic universities; off went the top Filipino Cotholic young men and women to the non-Catholic uni versities of America. Anyone could see that within a few years the lead ers of the Islands were going to be anything but Catholic in thought. The Church was on its woy to los ing youth. WHEN THINGS LOOKED BLACK It was a dark hour. Countless parishes had no priest. The war had damaged many churches. With Spanish state financial support gone, for the first time the people hod to support their own Church; yet for 300 yeors they hod scarcely heard of this commandment of the Church. Protestants wpre in their first zeal, with more men and money in* the offing. Aglipayanism was a fire; any false step might make it a raging blaze that would sweep the country. The educational future wos frightening. As Taft told-the Faculty and stud ents of the University of Notre Dame on October 5, 1904: The condition of the Roman Catholic Church after the treaty of peace between Spain and the United States was a critical one; and while it has somewhat improved, there still remains FEBRUARY, 1951 17 much to be desired before it can assume its proper sphere of usefulness.... The truth is that the Church has been placed under the necessity of prepar ing a new priesthood and of establishing the old Church on a new foundation...” Or as another writer familiar with the situation, the non-Catholic James A. LeRoy, expressed it: "For Rome to regain there her prestige will require heroic measures." THE HARD YEARS If America could or would hove sent some 700 priests to replace the 700 or 800 Spanish priests who hod left, the Church in the Philippines would have been back to normal within a few years. If even fifty would have gone, with others to fol low gradually, they could have check ed the growing dangers. Yet it is pathetic to count the number of Americon priests in the Philippines during the first twenty years. With Bishop Dougherty had gone the first heroic group. Several American Augustinions, Dominicans and Jesuits were there from about 1904. That was a start, at least. As the years passed, however, some died, others broke in health. In 1912 there were eight American priests. In 1919 there were four. Irr 1920 there were two! It made a sorry contrast with the thousands of other Americans who hod been or were in the Philippines, making it the most up to date na tion in the Orient. American genius and industry were doing a magni ficent job. American doctors wiped out cholera and smallpox, segregated lepers, and began the largest leper colony in the world on the island of Culion. American engineers built roads, including the famous zig-zag highway to the mountain resort of Baguio, dredged harbors, reclaimed land to beautify the Manila water front. Through it all, the Church somehow seemed "behind the times." The Protestants were active. In Manila they had four inexpensive dor mitories for out of town students. Striving to counteract their influence, Archbishop Harty struggled to build a Catholic dormitory. Appeals to America for funds netted little; after four years it had to close. Yet in 1913 one Protestant group could describe their work like this: Meanwhile the dormitories have been overcrowded and land has been purchased a bloclc away for a new girls’ school, $17,000 of the necessary $20,000 being already appropriated to ward the new concrete building. Cebu station is now enjoying the rare sensation of erecting five buildings in one year—two residences, two dormitories and a church — all of reinforced concrete. The net cost of land and buildings when complete will be $35,500. Then, speaking of the effect of their school, Silliman Institute, they 18 THE CROSS state that "a politician recently re marked that in ten years Silliman con name every office holder in Orientol Negros." Finally, though many American government officials were outstanding men, a number of others were bitter Masons and Protestants, whom Fili pinos had to emulate to advance. Few could be practical Catholics in thot framework. BUT LITTLE BY LITTLE Despite these depressing angles the situation little by little grew better. Missionaries had come from Europe; the Belgian Missionaries from Scheut, lhe Divine Word Missionaries from Germany, and the Mill Hill Fathers from England. Then, among other;, came the Irish and Australian Redemptorists, who did wonderful work in giving missions to the people in their own dialects throughout the Visayan Islands. In 1911 the Chris tian Brothers opened De la Salle Col lege, the first run completely by Eng lish speoking Catholics. Then in 1921 American Jesuits of the East ern Provinces replaced the Spanish Jesuits; four years later there were fifty American Jesuits there. During all these years of slow growth missionary nuns, so essential to modem missions, come into the field. But once again European con gregations supplied the great major ity. About 1907 the Belgian Mis sionary Canonesses of St. Augustine established their first mission in Nuevo Segovia; by 1941 they had twenty houses and 202 Sisters in the Philippines. Gradually a few other European congregations arrived to de dicate themselves to school and hos pital work. Four congregations with American Sisters came to the Philippines: Fran ciscan Missionaries of Mary, the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Holy Ghost Sis ters and the Moryknoll Sisters, of whom the Maryknolls were the most numerous. When the war broke in 1941 there were about sixty Maryknoll Sisters on Luzon, some in St. Paul's Hospital, Manila, others teach ing. All these American Sisters have done magnificent work; the one sor row is that more American groups have not been able to join them in a field where they are so needed and so welcome. Little by little, too, Aglipayanism declined. It had begun as a wild re action to exaggerated grievances. Like Protestantism in the‘-16th Cen tury, it soon had little to protest against and, although violently annoy ing, it began to fall apart. In 1908 the Supreme Court ruled Aglipayans hod to return the Catholic churches i hey had usurped. Throughout the years the Cotholic Church followed a "non-recognition" policy, disregard ing the Aglipayans as much as possi ble. It worked. Protestantism, too, for all its pow er, was far less hopeful than in the early years. Filipinos become Protest ant almost invariably for material ad vantages, ond it is a magnificent tri bute to the faith and loyolty of the FEBRUARY, 1951 19 Filipino Catholics that with all the in ducements, relatively so few have yielded to the temptation. CRISIS PASSED, BUT CONDITION STILL SERIOUS With all the difficulties, in 1926 Archbishop O'Doherty of Manila could write: "Trust in Divine Provid ence, however, should make us look upward for encouragement. The crisis is passed." During the years from 4-926 to 1937 the growth was quietly steady. In eleven years five new Dioceses and two Prefectures. The Catholic Press, for instance, begon to assert itself. In 1934 a group of copoble college graduates began to edit The Philippine Com monweal. ’After many hard days, it won well merited support and became a forceful, fighting weekly. The So ciety of the Divine Word conducted e bookshop in Manila that did much to stimulate Catholic reading. And the annual Catholic Literature Ex position, which followed a little later, grew to an impressive exhibit that widely diffused Cotholic books in English. As for the Filipino clergy, slowly a new generation of Filipino priests was arising. Some of them today ore bishops. But it was exacting work. In 1926, after twenty-eight years of Americon rule, in the Archdiocese of Manila there wos one priest ordoined, and thot in an archdiocese of about 200 parishes. So much had to be broken down, so much had to be built up, before vocations could even begin in a normal stream. THE EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS The days of the Eucharistic Con gress, February 3-7, 1937, were a perpetual wonder. For the Eucharist, the Sacrament of Unity, gathered all things into one. Forgotten now, for instance, were the wars of only forty years ago, when Filipinos and Spaniards fought, ond Spaniards and Americans, and Americans ond Filipinos. Three na tionalities joined now with one Inten tion, and in every function and pro gram they took equal part. It also gathered people together from all over the world, with the Orient for the first time contributing a substantial share. For this Inter national Eucharistic Congress was the 33rd and the 1st; the 33rd of the series and the 1st Mission Eucharistic Congress. The setting, the theme, the Mission Exposition, the officiol hymn, the official seal — all bespoke the missionary dream of the Church and the providential place of the Phil ippines in that dream and scheme. Finolly, the last night of the Con gress gathered together all Philippine history. The procession passed the monument to Legaspi and Urdaneto; it possed the monument to Rizol. It followed Dewey Boulevard along the shores of Manila Bay. Then, from that great altar, Cardinal Dougherty, the "Missionary Bishop", returned os Apostolic Legate, gave Benediction to almost a million people looking out 20 THE CROSS toward Corregidor and Bataan, little mindful of the tragedies to come. Rising from their knees offer that precious blessing, facing out toward Chino ond the whole Orient around it, they sang the official hymn, an invitation to all those nations: Venid, pueblos del Oriente Naciones todas, venid; Y en abrozo de fe ardiente A Dios hostia bendecid. Come, peoples of the Orient, All Notions, come; And in the embrace of ordent faith Praise the Host that is God. "THE POPE OF THE MISSIONS" AND THE PHILIPPINES One of the last official letters of Pius XI, "The Pope Of The Missions," was sent to the Philippine Islands. It was dated January 18, 1939; he died on February 10. Recalling the Eucharistic Congress, he repeated the constont hope for the Philippines: Then, indeed, we realized clearly how great and benefi cent might be the mission of this dear people, destined, so long as it keeps alive and active that Faith which it has preserved for four centuries, to become a center from which the light of truth will radiate, and to be, as it were, an advance guard of Catholicism in the Far East, a great part of which is disquieted and still plunged in the dark ness of religious error. Then, offer o pointed explanation of what a program of Catholic Action should be, he ends on that same hopeful note: In this way your noble and beloved nation will be enabled to fulfill its providential mis sion through the living faith of its sons. Its children, “receiv ing the word of the Lo+d.... with the joy of the Holy Spirit,” will be a pattern to all that be lieve, and f rom each of your -is lands the seed of supernatural life, the word of God, -will spread to all the countries of the Far, East: A vobis diffamalus est sermo Dei... in omni loco (Thess. 1: 6-8). FROM THE CONGRESS TO THE WAR (1937-1941) After the Congress things moved clong in the slow but steady growth which hod characterized earlier years. One of the main intentions of the Eucharistic Congress many holy priests." answer the prayers. 1940 an exceptional had',been "for God begon to In 1939 and group entered the seminaries and novitiates; the heroism of some reads like the lives of the saints. Several young men. refused permission by their parents and told to forget the whole idea, did so until • their twenty-first birthday, when they left a note in the house and walked off to the novitiate; there they remained steadfastly despite all inducements of parents and friends. Among the Catholics there was grow ing a "fighting faith." Then more missionary congrega FEBRUARY, 1951 21 tions entered the field. The Society of Foreign Missions of Quebec took over the missions cf Davao, the Amer ican Oblates of Mory Immaculate entered into the work of Cotobato and Jolo, the Columban Fathers ex tended their fruitful apostolote from Luzon to Mindanao, four more Maryknoll Fathers arrived, to carry on "Cotholic Action projects" in the diocese of Cebu, ond Franciscan miss:onories of Mory began nursing ond educational work in Mindanao. For the first time the Philippines began to hove just o smattering of the priestly and religious help it needs. THE JAPANESE COME On December 8, 1941, the Philip pines heard that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Horbor. It sounded incredible, but that very doy Japan ese plcnes oppecred in Philippine skies; the wor wos on. Almost everyone figured it would be a matter of weeks or months. Most knew that the Asiotic Fleet, based of Cavite In Monila Bay, was only a token force, but once the Pacific Fleet could steam from Pearl Horbor, America would really take the offensive. Scarely anyone knew that the Pacific Fleet could not come. The Filipino people were whole heartedly loyal ond dedicated their lives and goods to the struggle. Side by side, Filipino ond Americon sol diers fought to protect the beophes, gradually dotted now with Japanese landing barges, and threw up defenses to stop the odvonce. The missionaries likewise filled the need of the moment. Many priests become chaplains, nuns became re lief workers and nurses, and all were ready for some general duty work, from feeding people to burying them. By Jonuary, despite all efforts, the Japanese had taken Manila ond were pressing on to Bataan and Corregidor. Filipinos and Americans kept asking: "When will help come?" Few wor stories are more pathetic thon that of the soldiers on Bataan, fighting ond hoping, relying on the vogue promise that help would come But help never come. Without food, without medicine, lacking every thing necessary for modern warfare but courage, Botoon surrendered in April,. 1942. The mojority of the so'diers on Bataon were Filipinos, mony of them with no more military experience than their ROTC training in school. In the following weeks the Japan ese took Corregidor, Cebu, Mindanao and other islands south of Luzon. The first stage of the war wos over. The Philippines now faced another new era. THE JAPANESE STAY For their conquered countries Japan had a definite regime, called the Asiatic Co-Prosperity Sphere. Those who lived under It make two general comments: First, excepting those who grew rich in black markets, the only ones who prospered were the Japan ese themselves. Second, the dis. creponcy between the Japanese des 22 THE CROSS cription of things and reality was amazing. While the Japanese news papers and radio in Manila were telling of glorious harvests, the people were starving; while they painted the peace and order of the country, there wos brutality and torture. They boasted of great naval triumphs so often that the people began to under stand that their "victories" were really American victories, and news boys in Manila used to smile ond shout: "Read the upside down news." The Japanese had likewise a de finite plan for the Catholic Church in the Philippines. Immediately they set up an Office of Religious Affairs. They knew well that ony persecu tion, especially at the beginning, would be foolish. Instead, they plan ned to utilize the Church to streng then their influence over the people. Soon after the military invasion a Japanese bishop ond some Japanese priests arrived in the Philippines. In general, therefore, the Japanese allowed a good measure of religious freedom, figuring that in return the Church would preach submission to authority and obedience to law. Thus ran their theory. In prac tise, apart from some isolated in dividuals and instances, it just never worked. The Church maintained its freedom as a right, not as a gift. In general, few people ever took the Japanese Government seriously, be cause the Japanese Government never command enough sincere respect by its accomplishments. What happened to the missionaries during all this time? Missionaries of the United Nations, with which Japan was at war, were put into custody, some for a time in their own houses under a modicum of surveillance, and finally all in either of two camps at Sonto Tomas in Ma nila and Los Banos about forty miles south of Manila. Missionaries of those nations with which Japan was at peace, as Ire land, Germany ond Spain, were free to remain at their usual work. This privilege, however, became a death trap when the Japanese fought for Monila. Some missionaries the Japanese never captured. Moving into the hills with their people, for three years these priests lived a game of hide and seek with Japanese patrols, and refused to leave their work even when American submarines offered o chance of escape. THE JAPANESE GO In October 1944, General MacArthur returned, landing with his forces on Leyte. A few months later the main- landing was made at Lingayen, and troops swept down the Luzon plain toward Manila. All along the Japanese offered slight resistance. Mile after mile the troops odvanced, always querying: "Where are the Japanese? Where will they make their big stand?" The answer came in Manila itself. The Japanese pulled the city down In ruins around them. Each street the American and Filipinos had to take in turn, building by building, floor by floor. The Japonese set tire FEBRUARY, 1951 23 Io wide areas; other sections were wrecked by American bombs and shells, for they had no other way to drive the enemy from the buildings they had converted into fortresses. The destruction was complete that Senator Millard Tydings, who headed a group of twenty experts sent over to inspect conditions ond then report to the President ond Congress, return ed as quickly as possible to urge im mediate help. "Conditions as I sow them In Manila," he told correspond ents, "are beyond description." The damage to Church property in oil Philippine dioceses totals $75,000,000. Forty-seven Church build ings, including the Cathedral, were destroyed just in the Manila area. Whot is true of Manilo, Is true of other sections of the Islands on a smaller scale. Churches, schools, seminories, libraries, all built up so painuflly over the years, were wreck! ed in a few moments. Still, all material damage does not compare with the loss of people. Filipinos died in thousands for loyalty to their Church, their country and America. In some places Japanese troops wiped out whole towns, while individuals died for individual deeds; a number of Filipino priests lost their lives in the performance of their duties Many missionaries also perished In those last days, about a hundred of them. In a country that needs them so badly that loss is especially heavy. Though some of the dead were Amer icans and Australians, strangely enough most were from the nations not at wor with Japan. For during those lost days in Ma nilo, the missionaries from the Allied Nations, though enduring the hunger ond horror of interment camps, were none the less in crowds of 2,000 or more; and though the Japanese are reported to have planned some sort of mass atrocity for them also, Fili pino and American troops attacked ahead of schedule to rescue them. In Manila's street, however, the Japanese seem to hove killed anyone in s:ght, ond the smaller groups of Spanish Augustinians, Capuchins, Franciscons, Recollects ond Vincentions, Irish Columbans, ond German ond Irish Christian Brothers, who were living in freedom in their respective communities, were burned alive ond bayoneted indiscriminately. These mass murder accounts seem incre dible, yet the reports hove been care fully documented. Of thirteen Au gustinians, only two escaped death; sixteen Christian Brothers were bay oneted in their own school, even in the chapel. Though the Philippines had sor rowed and suffered all thiough the three years, these lost days were a climax. Yet suffering can make heroes and saints. With outside en couragement and assistance a finer, more perfect Catholic life can rise up from the ruins of the Philippines. TODAY AND TOMORROW Always presupposing gigantic work of reconstruction,' today and tomorrow 24 THE CROSS the Philippines face three moin mis sionary activities: PIONEER MISSION WORK For tough, dangerous mission work, with little natural hope of suc cess, few missions anywhere surposs those among the Moros of Mindanoo ond Sulu. They ore a grim, brave, fighting people. Among them polygomy is common, interest in cleanliness ond education is not. Though some men hove made the pilgrimage to Mecca, most hove just a veneer of Moham medanism, the only well learned les son being "never to become Chris tian." Since American troops sub dued them in the years following 1900, they have been forced to limit their warlike spirit to occasional juramentados, skirmishes with Con stabulary and frequent battles with one another. When the Spanish Jesuits returned to the Philippines after 1859, their missions were among these Moros. Tamontaca in Cotabato was an im portant settlement, with an orphan age that gave hope for the future. Yet, though systematic effort accom plished something, it was proportion ately so little. Then came the 1900 shortage of priests, making it neces sary tc drop this missionary work to care for the Catholics. Since then no large scale missionary effort has been mode, and the Moros still await I heir apostles. In the interior of many islands there ore pagan'tribes still to be con verted. In the diocese of Zamboonga there are 511,000 Moros ond 230,000 pagans against 387,000 Cath olics, while in the prefecture of Ba guio there are 157,600 pagans to 89,600 Catholics. Finally, there are the lepers. The Island of Culion alone has 7,000, while smaller leper colonies dot other islands. So of dangerous, primitive mission work there is plenty in the Philippines. FILIPINO CLERGY The great need, as ever, is for priests: It has been estimated that 60 per cent of Filipino Catholics die without the Last Socraments. The ultimate aim and hope, of course, is a complete Filipino clergy. Toward that goal we have progressed. Filipinos direct ten of the seventeen ecclesiastical divisions of the Islands; in 1934 Cebu welcomed the first Fili pino Archbishop, Most Reverend Ga briel M. Reyes, and native vocations ore slowly increasing. The Society of the Divine Word opened their Christ the King Seminary in 1934, and by 1940 there were forty stu dents; since 1920 over 100 Filipinos have become Jesuits. Yet the statistics of 1 priest for every 8,000 Catholics prove how ur gently necessary ore American and foreign priests to encourage voca tions in parishes and schools and to help run the seminaries. EDUCATION Where will vocations come from if not from Catholic Schools? So FEBRUARY, 1951 25 from the aspect of training priests, Brothers and nuns, schools are ab solutely necessary. Even apart from vocations, how ever, the general good of the Church cries out for Catholic Education. In 1900 the Church hod fears of losing youth; today we con see how well founded were the fears. Ninety per cent of Filipino Cotholic boys ond girls who have gone to school hove gone to public Schools. Some pensionados likewise have done their worst, ond higher education in Ma nila is a prime need to combot the false philosophies they have cir culated. C1RCUMDARE MUNDUM In a sense, we can say that Magel ion's voyage around the world was "a type" of the Missionary Church. Further, del Cano's inscription primus circumdedit me suggests the end and aim of missionary effort: circumdare mundum—to circle the world. And just as del Cano's escutcheon quaintly personified the world os soying: "The first who circled me," so we dream of the day when the Church will be fully established everywhere and o similar inscription can read: Ecclesia circumdedit me—"The Church has circled me." Now just os the Philippines figured prominently in that voyage round the world, so in God's plan and pro vidence, os Pius XI wrote, it should figure prominently in the Church's missionary conquest of the world. Though up to now Filipinos could not go as missionaries to their fellow Orientals, that doy can come quickly if vocations get a chance to develop in parishes, schools and seminaries. There are a few lines by an out standing historian of the Philippines which sum up the Philippine Missions, past present and future. Though the writer, James A. Robertson, was not o Cotholic, he wos not onti-Catholic; ond though he wrote these lines in 1918, they are just as true today: Above all, the work of the Spanish priests in the Philip pine is a work that can be built upon by American Catholics, and Catholicism has no cause to hide its head because of mis takes made by its human agents, because a great work was done and there is yet a (/teat work to be done in the Philippine is lands. MA MON LUK A visiting provinciano wonted to impress her girl friend with her knowledge of city life. He took her to Ma Mon Luk and, posing as aa cosmopolitan and a connoiseur of Chinese food, told the waiter: "Bring us two orders of Ma Mon Luk." "Beg pardon," said the waiter, "but that's the proprietor." Dear Miss Marlene, I am a student of FEU and am 21 years old. I happened to write you because I am so eager to know how some body feels when she is in love. I hope you will help me because 1 don't really know if I am in love. Eager Dear Eager, When one is in love, Hiere are no two ways about it—one just knows that it is so. The lover seeks Hie company of the beloved. When separ ated, everything seems flat and dull and lifeless, together—everything be comes alive and aglow ond exciting. The one in love is eager to do things for the beloved, to moke sacrifices to please the loved one. Each one seeks the hoppiness and the welfare of the other, even beyond his own. Lovers tend to idealize each other, to regard one another thru rose-colored glasses. They wish to share everything together—their work, their play, their hopes, their dreams, Hieir very lives. Real love, the love that is blessed by God, the love thot ii' necessary for a successful marriage, is a love that is constant, pure, unselfish, en nobling. It is not only a physical emotion but also a matured intellectual conviction that in each other's lifelong company, both the lover and the loved one will realize Hieir destiny in the scheme of God's creation. Dear Miss Marlene, For two years I have been going steady with a girl named A—, because firstly, her parents object to me (they detest the very sight of me), secondly, A— is too possessive (though we are not yet engaged— she considers it being engaged, thirdly, much as I hate to admit, I’m sort of henpecked, and mind you—whatever she says, goes!! Last summer, when I was vacationing, I met A—s’s cousin, M—, at the CSC auditorium (a friend was being crowned, incidentally also the cousin of M—). At first she was shy, she couldn't look at anyone, 26 FEBRUARY, 1951 27 she wouldn't talk, but after she overcame her shyness, she talked to me, and asked me if I knew A—, I blushed at first, then said a little, I guess, remembering that maybe M— was another spy of A—’s Mom (A—'s Mom had loads of spies!) Two nights later, I met her again and danced with her this time, —All we talked about that evening was about A—. She asked me loads of questions and when she asked if A and I were going steady, 7 denied it, but she only smiled and said I didn’t have to worry, she; understood, anyway she knew all about A— and me. We became a regular twosome and everytime we were together (we were with our gang) I’d ask for advice and once I told her A— and I would call it quits, she said, “Are you nuts? You’re both in love and now you call it quits! Girls in love I understand but guys!! brother!!!’’ I guess that did it, I knew I’d fall for her sooner or later and I guess I did—then and there— After that, Td give her driving lessons, bowling, badminton, pingpong, and tennis lessons and the gang noticed I was in a pink cloud everytime I was with M—. She received a telegram from her Mom, asking her to go home. I was shocked, even to my utter surprise because I never had this feeling for anyone. I felt her leaving so much that even if she was still there, I missed her—(or rather was beginning to miss her). You can’t blame me, what with our being together always and also because she was so understanding, so con siderate, so sweet etc.—and I guess that made me fall for her. Here's my problem: Have I the right to love her (M) 1 A— and I aren’t engaged— besides A—’« parents are against me. There’s a guy who is also after A— but I don’t want to hurt A—. I guebs I also like her, but I guess I love M. What shall I do with A—? Anyway I'd be much happier with M, but what will I do with A—? Help me, Miss Marlene. Puzzled Dear Puzzled, If you do not really care for A— there's really only one course open to you and that is to cut off all your relations with her. Nothing is to be gained by keeping up a pretense. So take your courage into your hands and telb her the truth. The fact that her parents dislike you should make things easier. Or if you do not dare to face her, just fade out of the picture gradually ond she'll know that things are no longer what they used 28 THE CROSS As for your "right to love" M— if you think she's the right girl for you—why not? And more power to you. Dear Miss Marlene, I've been engaged to a man of my age for about one year now. But we always have misunderstandings, even for a bit tf error, especially now that he is already in Manila. Once, lie joked in his letter that he is now married. I said it was a joke, for he asked forgiveness especially when I sent him a letter of separation. In his letters, he often hurt my feelings so I often lose my patience and even think of ending our engagement. Trully speaking, I really love him very much, since he is my first love. I don’t like to have so many boy friends. I already stick to my own saying "Love one and die for it". Hoiv could this be remedied, Miss Marlene? Sometimes my teacher advises me not to stick to one alone, because if the boy concerned looks for another, I would be at a loss. So she said I better seek another one. But it’s really hard for me. I would rather be a spinster than follow my teacher’s advice. As days go by, I find myself midway, when a man, a classmate of mine, shows his actuations as if he has a feeling for me. I was not really mistaken in my concept of that man. He is also handsome, and I think he 'belongs to a better family. He is also intelligent though he does not approach that of a genius. Doubt MJC Dear Doubt, Judging from the tenor of your letter, I gather that you are still too young and immature to become engaged to anybody. You seem to base your choice of your future partner in life on his looks, his family, and his I. Q. Granted that the latter two should be considered, here are other much more important qualifications—such as a sterling character, industry, unselfishness, consideration, congeniality in your outlook on life,—etc. Your teacher is quite right when she advices you not to tie yourself to one boy at your age, and not only for the reason you mention. Youth is the time for enjoying yourself, for developing your personality, for cultivat ing as wide a circle of friends as possible—both boys and girls, for learning about human nature and human relationships—so that when the right time comes you moy be able to choose wisely and well. Then, and only then, when you are ready for marriage, should you become engaged. Then, of course, you should be faithful and true, and as you say "Love one alone". For the present, however, you would be wise to break off your present engagement, especially, since at such an early FEBRUARY, 1951 29 stage you already have frequent misunderstandings and quarrels. And don't be in too much of a hurry to become engaged to the other fellow. Take your time and you will have no regrets. ])e<iT Miss Marlene, Can you imagine how a girl feels in a labyrinth? A labyrinth of love? I am a girl of 20, a high school student in one of the leading Catholic colleges in Manila. I know I receive adequate instruction in this college, but this my problem cannot seem to get a solution from them. Two years ago a certain gentleman transfered to a nearby boarding house. I came to notice him because of his exceptional character. I saw also that he had a certain interest in me. He befriended my younger brother and later he began to visit my brother often. He essayed to speak to me thru his smiles, but I didn’t have the courage to answer those alluring smiles. I like and love him, but I don’t know why I can’t speak with him, not only that, but I also try to evade him in all places. Everytime he tries to talk with me, if I happen to come across him, I feel myself retreating and that is always the hard thing. I want to know him so that I can love him more. I know it isn’t a crush. It isn’t, I tell you, because even in dreams he is my ideal man. Belinda Dear Belinda, Well, it seems to me that only you can help yourself. There's nothing on earth to stop you from cultivating the young man's friendship except your abnormal shyness. For if you really set your heart to it, you can over come your handicap. Next time he comes near you, take yourself firmly in hand and stay put. Answer him, even if it is only yes or no ot the start. The beginning is always hard, but once the ice is broken, you'll find that there's nothing to the whole problem that cannot be solved by just being yourself and acting naturally — the way you do with your brother and the rest of your family. Dear Miss Marlene, I am a girl of 21 and have fallen in love with a man one or two years younger. I met him at a birthday party. After writing me three times about his love, I realized that I really care for him. I really don't know what eventually came into my mind of loving him so much with my whole heart, in spite of the fact that he is not handsome. My friends used to criticize him, but they didn’t realize that they hurt me so much, proving that I really love him. 30 THE CROSS On one of his visits I told him I didn't want any serious relations yet, and that I want to finish my studies and help my parents first, hut he insisted in his pleadings and asked me whether I am in doubt of his love for me. I told him that I don't doubt his love. Upon hearing this, his face brightened with happiness, I too was very glad that night upon seeing his happiness. One day he invited me to his sister’s birthday party. But I re fused. From that time on, he ceased to visit me (it is almost 2-1/2 months now) and he never wrote me. Thus I’m terribly worried. Before this, I met a certain man who is very pious,—the thing that I admire in him. He is very kind to me. Later on his sisterly attitude changed. Since my ideal man is a good practical Catholic, I prayed to Our Lady of Perpetual Help to give me a sign. Thus I received the exact sign I asked for. Later on rumors spread that he and my best friend have a certain understanding. At first I didn't believe it, but later by observation, it seemed that the rumor is true. Then one day my best friend teased him to me. This I don’t appreciate, so I wrote to him and told him that he must explain to my best friend that she has a wrong concept of us. I also asked for explanations and I learned from him that everything was a mistake. As days passed, I realized that I love him just with a “brotherly love". Now my problem: Have I the right to love the first man, in spite of the sign granted by Our Lady. If so how could I make the second man (the one I met at the party) know that I love him since he ceased to visit me. (The reason rthink is my refusal to his invitation.) Lonely Sampaguita Dear Lonely Sampaguita, I think that you are making a mountain out of a molehill — and that you really have no problem on your hands. It is rather obvious that the man you met at the party does not care for you any longer. It takes much, much more th^n a mere refusal to go to a party to change a man's love, if it is genuine. True love is more lasting and much deeper and stronger than that. What he felt for you was just a passing infatuation, very com mon to boys of his age. So I would try to forget all about the matter, if I were you, and save yourself much needless misery and heartache. Regarding the first man — the solution is entirely up to you. Perhaps when you will have succeeded in forgetting all about the other fellow, you moy find that what you think is just "brotherly love" is something else again. Keep praying and doing your part and Our Lady will not forsake you. THE APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER CORNER In League with Hie Sacred Heart By Rev. PEDRO VERGELES, S.J. National Director And now we come to our last scene of the apparitions. The vision our saint had on July 16, 1688. Here God showed her the double and dis tinctive mission confided to the Visi tations ond to the Society of Jesus, relative to the devotion to the Sacred Heart. Omitting here some of the preliminary acts let us come at once to the most important ones. It wos on the feast of the Visita tion. The saint hod the hoppiness of spending the whole day before the Blessed Socroment. "He seemed to me," says our saint, "in a place very high and spacious admirable for its beauty." In the centre of it wos a throne upon which the loving Heart of Jesus; its wounds shedding forth rays so fiery and luminous, that the whole place was lighter and heated by them. On this occasion the Sacred Heart was not alone. The most Blessed Virgin was on one side and St. Francis de Sales and Blessed De la Colombiere were on. the other. The Daughters of the Visitation each holding a heart in her hand were there olso ond their Guardian Angels on their side. The Blessed Virgin spoke, "Come my beloved daughter," she said, "approach for I wish to make you the guardian of this pre cious treasure." This Queen of all goodness continuing to speak to the daughters of the Visitation said while showing them this divine Heort, "Be hold this divine treasure. It is spe cially manifested to you in particular as his dear Benjamin. For this rea son He exacts more from it than from all others. It must not only enrich it self with this inexhaustible treasure but endeavor wifh all its power to distribute abundantly this precious coin and try to enrich the whole world with it. Such was the part appointed to the religious of the Visitation Mission os it had been clearly indicated to them by their Blessed Mother and MediaThe second mission is not less me morable ond the saint relates it to us: "Then turning toward Fr. Colombiere the Mother of mercy addressed him. And thou faithful servant of my di vine son, thou hast a great port in this precious treasure; for if it is given to the doughters of the Visita(Continued on page 34) 31 Intentions Blessed by General Intention: For the general and particular intions of the Holy Fother. In extending the blessings of the Holy Year through out the whole world, outside of Rome, during the yeor 1951, the Holy Father recommends in our prayers the following intentions: 1 . The peoce of the world. All humonity is anxi ously concerned these doys about the security of peace Prompted by this ardent desire, millions of pilgrims visited the Holy Father in Rome during the Holy Year as a sym bol of the universality of Christianity — one community of life without jealousies, but filled with mutual respect and love, with a genuine satisfaction in participating in the same spiritual benefits and without forgetting one's own nation. It had been a magnificent reunion with all the force of an international plebiscite for peace. 2. The. fortitude of the martyrs for persecuted Christians. For the millions of priests who are suffering in prison ond in exile in the nations of central Europe, for the many religious who have been cruelly driven qnd tortured in Hungory by the Communist regime; for Cathc-ic Poland who hos seen millions of her priests deported to Siberia; for the Catholics of Korea and China and for many other nations in which the Church is systematically attacked and persecuted, let us ask the Holy Spirit that He may help our brothers in their firm ond steadfast confession of their Faith. 3. The spiritual and moral well-being of families. The destruction of the Christian family is the principal objective of atheistic communists. The struggle obliges us to renew our Christian customs ;— the fidelity of spouses, the sacrifice of the fatheirs of families, the Christian education of children and pifety in the home. 4. The union of all in fratemdf charity and justice. 32 the Holy Father for March Sociol justice problems cannot be solved without the spirit cf justice. Charity ond justice, the pillars of the moral life, ore impossible without disinterestedness. Social or der, with oil that it implies in the exercise of the rights of property, in the reform of industrial relations ond in the hormony of the different classes, cannot be obtoined if mon remains engrossed in his individual interests. 5. The triumph of the Church means her power to exlend to all the pagan nations the blessings of the Faith, because no one who voluntarily denies her authority can be saved. This means also the free exercise of her rights to sanctify souls by means of her teachings, her lows ond the exercise of her sacerdotal powers in the ad ministration of the sacraments ond divine ceremonies. Minion Intention: For the Catholic education of Japan. The development of the catholic students in Japan may be seen in the ;organization started about two years ogo, which concerns itself with the problems of youth in the campus. Numbering 1,500 students out of the reduced number of Catholics in Japan, this organization is very important. The Japanese Catholic Union takes care cf the apostolic activities of the students during the Holy Year with the aim of increasing its members to more than 2,000. It is composed of students, recently converted, who hove the desire to carry the Christian ideal inside the walls of the universities in which priests.find it difficult to enter, and also to prepare the students in their future activity in public life. The Union has held important assemblies. In Na goya the Union studied the participation of Japan in the movement of the UNESCO, and maintaining democratic liberty in the university, protested against birth control propogonda. Jose Ma. Siguion, S. J. 39 34 THE CROSS THE APOSTLESHIP . . . (Continued from, page 31) tion to make it-known and loved and to distribute it to others, it is reserved to the fathers of the Society of Jesus to make known the value and the util ity of it understood, so that they moy profit by greatfully receiving a benefit so immense. Thus while the Visitation shall guard the deposit of the Sacred Heart and distribute it through its grates to enrich the world the Fathers of the Society of Jesus will be its teachers, its preachers, its doctors, its catechists, apologists, missioners, apostles and if need be martyrs of the Sacred Heart. Beginning of the New Devotion By means of these great revela tions the devotion has been consti tuted in itself. It now remains but to propogate it. We shall therefore see by what small beginnings and slow degrees this was accomplished during the 15 years that St. Margoret Mary lived. After our Lord's clear ond distinct word to the saint in the 4th apparition, that she should address herself to His servant Fr. de la Colombiere; the Saint did recur to Fr. De Io Colombiere and confided to him what she received from our Lord. When the saintly Father assured her that she could rely on it, for with out doubt it came from Tieoven, Mory Morgoret knelt before the divine Heart of Jesus and solemnly conse crated herself to it ond thus rendered it, the first ond one of the purest acts of homage that it was ever to receive on earth. Fr. De la Colombiere wish ing to unite with her also consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart on Friday June 21 the doy after the octave of the Blessed Sacrament the day that has been designated by our Lord, to be forever the feast day of His ador able Heart. This marked the inau guration of the devotion. From this time on Fr. De la Co lombiere begun and never ceased un til his death to instill this devotion to his spiritual daughters, brothers, and friends. And even in London where he was sent to preach to the Duchess of York the- future Queen of England he continued to exercise his apostolate. Altho his apostolate was very restrict ed because of his early death, never theless it was in dying that he would particularly fulfill his mission, in the wide publicity of his' retraete spirituelle and other writings about the devotion. But, what, we ask did St. Mar garet Mary do to spread this devo tion? The Saint tells us that so far she hod not yet found a way of mak ing the devotion known to the world. She was too humble to disclose the secrets she received from our Lord in public, she only spoke of them to a few intimates of the Sacred Heart and she did so in terms of burning love. But at last on the 20th of July 1685 the devotion sprung into full growth; the first public homage was FEBRUARY, 1951 35 rendered to the Sacred HEART. And how did this happen, the Saint will tell us. On her feast, happening on a Friday ond here are her words "I begged our sister novices of whom I had the care at that time, that they would render to the Sacred Heart of Our Lcrd Jesus Christ all the acts cf respects which they intended to pay me on account of my feast, which they did cordially, by making a little oltor on which they put a little paper picture, sketched with a pen, to which we tried to pay all the respects with which that divine Heart inspired us." It wos for her a day filled with most perfect joy she herself tells us. And thus the community ot Paray was de dicated to the Sacred Heart. During this time the devotion too was spreading in the world outside. Several Jesuits hod entered into cor respondence with its ardent apostle ond were preaching the new cultus. At Dejon a Capuchin Father was also engaged with the same work. From 1686 St. Margaret Mary's activities increased: her letters grew constantly greater, she distributed more pictures of the Sacred Heart and the little book of Fr. De la Colombiere's retroetes. She interested herself in Fr. Getta's little office, in sister Joly's attempts and in the little book pub lished at Dijon, as well as on the steps taken by Mother Desbarres to obtain permission from Rome for the Feast ond th'e little Office. In all these efforts to further this devotion the Saint too had the assistance of her brothers. Such then were the beginnings and first developments of this greot devotion of God's passion ate ond undying love for men in these our times. RETURN TO UNIFORM The Chicago Archdiocesan New World tells the story of a visit paid not long ago to Archbishop Josef Beran by the Czechoslovak minister of justice, Alexei Cepicka. After urging him for some time to support the communist ideology, and getting nowhere, the official became somewhat nettled, and cried out: "You'd better support us, or else. . ." The Archbishop smiled, walked over to a closet and opened the door. In a moment he came back to his visitor holding some rags in his hands. "Here is my uniform from Dachau," he said. "Let's go." The chagrined minister walked out of the Archbishop's house abruptly. —The Liguorian 7)ke Chaperone Pen Pol Column conducted By AUNT LINA Dear Family, Things are on the up-grade as far as mail is concerned. You should see the pile that comes in about twice a week. Maybe you are really deadset on following your New Year's resolutions. Or perhaps the holidays gave you a welcome—break from studies or office. At any rate, that "Chaperone club" spirit is on a steep incline. Swell work! I'd like to thank you for the very informative letters relating what you did with the holidays. Gildo V-105, for example, went to visit her sister in the convent of Siervas de Son Jose. Most wrote that they stayed up on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve— then slept the following day. Prac tically everybody loafed around tak ing things easy before the old grind starts again. But why look back on that blissful post? This is February —ond you are knee-deep in books and lecture notes once more. There's a sort of Pen-Pal trium virate thot has developed lately. The "honorable" members are Amanda S-102, Ernesto P-100 ond Mike G-101. They broke into print lost issue but that's old stuff compared to this one. According to Amondo's recent "letter-report", Ernie and Mike pop up in Pasig (That's her hometown ond their headquarters) os often os you please. They came for the town fiesto, then a dance, next a jam session, then a New Yeor's Boll, then—midnight Mass. They disappeared after that. Amanda went into a much-needed sleep when, at the unholy hour of 8:30 the next morning, who should come to visit her? You guessed it — Ernie ond Mike again! Oh, but they enjoy it— these kids. Jose Q-100 sent a letter practic ally dripping with worry. It seems I addressed him mistakenly os Jose Q............ Jr.! "Please, auntie," he wrote, "unless I decide to become a priest, I'll probably have a Junior in—say, ten years,—and even then, he'll be much too young to receive letters. Meanwhile, please strike off the "Jr." from after my name." Righto, Joe! A very queer idea entered Pilar 36 FEBRUARY, 1951 37 M-104's head. Because she seemed to have lost her pen pals, she began to lose confidence in herself, and sent in her letter of resignation. That wos three weeks ago. It's a very different story now. A new member, Moria Corazon -J-104 wrote her a "Chin-up" letter. See whot a "chinup" note con do? Just write us when you feel blue ond we'll "boo" your worries away. Congratulations are due to quite o number of new members who, on getting the go-signal in the form of a letter of acceptance, rolled up their sleeves and pitched into the Family doings with gusto. Now, they are receiving bundles of "hiya" notes from their "cousins". That's the spirit, children. It isn't merely o club you are joining; it's a family— with very normal members who laugh ond cry and boast a little and fight and moke up once more. It's very unique, and it's fun. I am also very proud of my "nieces" ond "nephews" who toke it upon themselves to welcome their new "cousins" ond to make these feel at home by telling them all about the Chaperone Club procedure, and then start introducing the newcomers to their own established circle of "cousins". You just don't know how much you ore helping me in the work children. I know you are on needles-andpinr waiting for the pions for our coming acquaintance party. The only item we're not sure of is the place because going to a dine-anddance place moy prove to be rather expensive, ond besides, some parents moy object. So, we're scouting for a club member who hos a big enough sola or lawn for the offair. Vol unteers, please come forward. We con't hold that during the Lenten season, neither can we slote it for early February. That's too soon. So, we've decided on the first Sundoy after Easter—that's April 1 —so that those in the provinces and hoye a chance to come up. to Manila moy join. Sunday — because this gives the working members o chance to shore in the fun. It's going to be a jam-session— not a dressy semi-formol affair (some moy not be able to afford this—be sides, why the formality?); neither is ir going to be a barn dance—re member, we're going to "borrow" a place and we mustn't mess the place up. Besides a jam-session gives a lively ond friendly touch to the party. The time is from four to nine. Yes, kids, I know it's for from "sleep head time" but some members hove their time limits to meet on the dot— particularly those who stay in dor mitories. Maybe—we con stretch the "last dance" time on our next gettogether — say, during the Christ mas holidays. But this time, let's stick to the 4 to 8 or 9 allowance, huh? Now comes the questions—whot to wear. Golly! children, this is not going to be a royal presentationsball. It's just going to be a "family" jam-session. Boys, if you wish to come in coat and tie, it's okoy; if you feel better in those very boyish 38 THE CROSS printed shirts, do so. Now, listen here, girls — leove thot semi-formol dream-dress in peace. You're not going to be comfortable over-dressed. Any simple blouse-ond-skirt affair will do. I repeat: this is just going to be o jom-session. Emeterio M-106, you'll look swell in your navy uni form. Come in thot. We'll probably have o salad, pancit, sandwiches, ice-cream and SOFT drinks. I wonder if I could form a cooking-legion from-some of you girls to hosh up the eats in the morning. Those who know how to wield the spoon and fork ond knife, write me of once, huh? I'll need around six volunteers. This will cut down the expenses considerably — ond it's very much better then order ing the food from some classy res taurant. We're going to hove a group pic ture—ond we'll send some copies to those who won't be able to attend the affair. Don't forget your code number. You'll hove to identify yourself to someone at the door to make sure there ore no gate-crashers. The damage is three pesos and fifty centavos per person—and that covers all expenses. Send in your reserva tions as early as possible so that we can calculate the number coming. When you send the money, do it via Postal Money Order. Don't forget: write in soon. And those who think the offair can- be held in their place, write in, too. About o month before the affair I'll write tc all the members informing them of the chosen place as well as the other details. Reserve the first Sunday after Easter (April 1) for our cffair. Now let's get back to normal. Here's the list of new members. As usual, choose your pol ond write “hello" .... Josefina J-103 Pasig, Rizal was recommended by Amanda S-102. She is a college sophomore in the University of the Philippines—taking Home Economics . . . just turned 16 last December—crazy about sports, especially basketball. . . loves cooking... hates (believe it or not) dancing. Her moma ond Amando have a difficult time making her dance. Another sixteen-er is Virginia £-110 of Holy Ghost College. She took a long time overcoming her shyness to write the letter of applica tion to the Club. But she's in now... likes reading, movies, bowling, badminton and singing. Ninfa D-102 is a seventeen-year-old High School Senior at U.S.T. She says she's very fond of pen pals, but wants to be sure she meets the right people. She collects school pennants ond stamps; she goes for swimming, top. Those of you who go for the real McCoy in Music will enjoy meeting Virginia £>-103. She is a recent Bachelor of Music graduate, FEBRUARY, 1951 39 and at present is resting in Bulacan. After all, preparing for a grad uation recital is certainly telling on one’s weight. From way down South in Davao City comes Primitive S-108... 16years-old. . . Junior student of the Immaculate Conception College. . . plays the piano, goes for badminton, biking, letter-writing and stamp-collecting. Antonio C-104 is another UST student-member of the family. He's nineteen and in the Second Year, Chemical Engineering... likes reading, hiking, Mathematics (ugh!) and Chemistry. Her brother Paul is a Club member, too—Paul C-103. Maria Rosario U-101 writes "in despair". She's o sociable enough eighteen year old ghost (cops! I mean—student of Holy Ghost College) 5-z" tall, fair complexion... loves teaching Cotechism. . . helps pass the collection plate every Wednesday at Baclaran. . . thinks it's about time to become "sociable" to "toll, dark and handsome" Catholic boys of her own age. By the way, she hos a flair for writing delightful "jingles". Lastly, there’s Ma. Corazon J-104, at present a Third Year Com merce student at the University of the East. She’s an alumna of St. Paul College—takes active part in Glee Club and Dramatics Club pre sentations... hep on movies, dancing, reading, talking—(accent on the last item.) She wrote that chin-up letter to Pilar M-104 which pre vented her from resigning. Thot's all, children: this letter-article is very lengthy. Thanks for reading it through. Write me soon. God love you. CIRCUMLOCUTION Monsignor Boland tell* this story for Holy Name men in one of his columns in Hie Catholic Labor Observer. It seems that a member of the Holy Name Society, out of practice with his hammer, struck hi* thumb instead of the noil he was aiming at. "Grand Coulee!" he exploded at the top of his voice. His wife asked him why he used that rather quaint expression, and her spouse answered: "That is the biggest dam in America." A priest tells the story of a Bishop who, at Confirmation, asked the about-to-be-confirmed the usual questions: “Who am I—and what have I come to do?" "You have come," answered the children, "to impose on the Holy Ghost." —The Priest Because I am what is often re ferred to os on “average" man, I know there must be thousands and even millions, who ore as ignorant of mony things as I am. Because I am, more specifically, an "average" Cath olic, I know there is a tremendous lot of Catholics who know as little, or less, about certain things as I do. I am verging on forty. It's not a youthful age, and it's not a senile age. Still, I'm learning. Learning, for exomple, thot there once lived a soint by name of John Bosco. Only a few weeks ago I met him between the covers of a book, then in the pages of a booklet entitled: "To My Filipino Boys". I should have wept for the years thot passed before I found him. But I did not weep. At leost I hod the comfort of knowing I hod been directed to the threshold of a friend. Surely, Don Bosco is the particular' friend of the "average" man, of the "overage" Catholic. As I Wish to write some of my im pressions about John Bosco, I find it extremely hord to write anything new or original about any subject, partic ularly about any saint. I remember, however, thot whatever I say in my own way is always my own, and from thot standpoint it is original, "my very own" story of Don Bosco. It's a strange woy how most of us "toke' 'to this or thot saint. When you read the lives of the saints, usual ly you are left cold by their mortifications, their mysticism, or their aloofness from the common things that are of concern to the majority Very. Oivn of us. Invariably they seem so high above you thot you feel you can't-approach them as some one you would like to know intimately. They breathe the breath of God Himself—and al ways there seems a for distance be tween them and you. It should not be so, but it usually is. Perhaps that's the fault of the hagiographers; they have done so much to dehumanize the saints. “My very own" story of Don Bos co is thot I first "saw" him with the eyes of o mon. I never *Saw" him with the eyes of a boy. John Bosco is a very human saint' to me, because I know he was a very human man. So human that I con't look at a pic ture of him without wishing he were my parish priest. There is something in his face, in his bearing, that draws you to him. He is the antithesis of anything that is cold or forbidding. It should be extremely easy to pray to Don Basco, because he was ex tremely easy to approach during his life. I do not mean to go into o resume 40 A STORY FOR THE "AVERAGE MAN" By ARTURO J. MARTINEZ of Don Bosco's life, or even to write of porticulor incidents in that life. It oil hos been done before, and with a vividness for which I hove no gift. But on one thing I mean to dwell a moment or more, because it happens I have a son. Thot is Don Bosco's love for boys. It was such a tre mendous love, Such a holy love, such a blessed love, that boys everywhere should write his name in gold. The world may never see his like again. When I think of my boyhood years ond remember many of the things which shall never be told; I hove o sod regret there wos not a John Bos co olive In my home town. I imagine I would hove run to him. If priests would hove the unreserved confidence of boys, let them first determine that they will understand boys. And un derstand them outside the confession al/ Don Bosco hod "dreoms". Doubt less he dreamed of a doy when all boys would be gathered under the montle of the Blessed Virgin Mory. The materialistic world of his doy wds no less vicious than the world of our day, it's no secret that Don Bosco knew thot boys alwoys get the worst of any deol. If the old men of the world loved themselves ond their for tunes less, more boys would grow to a healthy manhood. But—ond you write your own line after the "but".. I was delighted when I read about the organization of "Don Bosco's Boys' Association" here in the Phil ippines. This gives our Filipino Boys o chance to know more about this great friend of youth and to proft abundantly by his powerful interces sion on behalf of the boys in partic ular. I had not to orgue with my son in order to convince him to join this Association. A simple narration of what Don Bosco felt about and did for the boys quickly aroused in him a sincere desire to become one of Don Bosco's Boys. So, there you have some of my im pressions, if such they can be called. No great writing, and nothing that's really new to a reading public. But underneath the wordage, where none shall ever see, throbs a new love of on "average" man for a saint who was made to pattern for the "aver age" man. Greater saints may have lived and greater saints may yet come, but I know one toy and one father whose hearts will never be far from Don Bosco. The booklet "To My Filipino Boys" is sold at the Central Office of Don Bosco's Boys' Association, Quezon City at a nominal cost of P0.50. 41 IN one of the main streets of Paris I ron into the devil. "What are you doing here?" I said. (We've often met before ond don't beat around the bush.) "I'm watching your 'Convention of the Good Press'." "Worried?" "Very little!" he answered sar castically. But I could see from his monocle, thot he was lying. I con tinued on my way but he remoined at my side, and said: "You may boast oil you wont, but I got you by the neck. Your reports amuse me. See my honds? I have put blinders over the eyes of Catho lics that have not come off for many years. I know how to keep them on tight." Nervously he pointed to the possers-by with his cane. Look ot that gentleman. He's wearing my blinders. He is a good Cotholic, but for all that, he is o subscriber of one of my morning papers and every evening sends for another of my papers. He reads it, throws it in the waste bosket and from there it passes through the hands of all the servants including the cook." A few steps more and we passed a young girl. "See her? She is on her way to Mass, but she is a very faithful sub scriber of mine. Every day she gives me a . few pennies. A drop in the bucket, one of the mony blind Cath olics will say, but you know, though one drop of water is nothing, the An Interview with the Devil By PIERRE L'ERMITE oceon is made up of such drops. With the pennies of this pious, girl ond others like her I have built up my palaces with the linotypes-and rotary presses and ■'strung the cables that connect us with all the capitals. A T THAT moment we reached a newsstand. The eyes of Satan shone. "Count, count your papers, count them!" he said. I counted them: one, two—three —four—five—no more. "Now count mine!" With his cane he rapidly pointed them out to me. "This one is mine because of its leading articles. . . . This one because of its feuilleton. . . This one belongs to me because of its illustrations. . . that one on ac count of its advertisements. . . and thot one over there because of its crime reports with the lurid details, that ore avidly devoured by all peo ple, even the small children. And this day after day." Thus we counted and counted unti I grew tired of counting and my 42 FEBRUARY, 1951 43 interlocutor of describing the detoils of his periodicals. At thot moment o priest passed by. Saton followed him with his eyes ond with particular attention. "Even he. . . wears my blinders. Look at him. He is tired. . . he has just preached o sermon, a beautiful sermon. His discourse was well thought out. . . But he only spoke to four hundred people os alwoys before. "While I. . . but why talk? Lock at my stands, take this one, think how much it nets me." It wos five o'clock ond the street was full of people. Many stood in front of the newsstand looking at the illustrations and reading the heodines of the papers on disploy. Mony bought copies. . . the ven dors had hardly hands enough to supply the demand. Every ten min utes or so came trucks delivering new heavy bundles of copies fresh from the presses ond the ink still wet on them. SATAN said proudly: "This is my pulpit. . . and thot priest who just passed by does not see that between my preaching and h s there Is the same difference as that betwen a machine gun and a catapult. But he does not see it. These stcnds do not alarm him nor any ethers. Every day and every hour of the day it robs him of souls, even the souls of little children all re deemed by the blood of the Other. "This priest also wears my blind ers." The devil was getting very con fidential. "Don't you know thot I om the angel of darkness? I have no blind ers over my eyes. I see clearly. I know the feeling that the Catholics have experienced, the pride of my own great and beloved press. "It is the most efficient expres sion of my voice. It is heard in the editorial office, it goes out to the stand, to the street vendors. . . it fills the city. . . it invades the railroad stations. . . it takes the train and enters the country towns, eager hands carry it to the homes, is read by the hundreds, even the small children. "The Catholics don't know all this. My blinders keep them from know ing it." We finally reached the door of the theater where our convention was be ing held. Satan pointed to it with a gesture of contempt. "Bah," 1 said... "The Cenacle wos still smaller. . . Despite your insolence and royal triumph I believe in the victory of Him who has words of eternal life. . . I believe that some day the Catholics will see clearly. . . on that day. . ." And leaving the devil at the door I entered the hall in which appeared to be most vivid the memory of Don Bosco, the illustrious educator, the knight of the modem crusade who turned on Satan the terrible weapon, which we do not see and use because of the blinders he put on us. Meet Mr. Snoopo. . ." Are You a “Snoopopath” Lover? By JULIA ITURRALDE ■ You ore tense. You wotch each movement of the Man in the screen. You see him os he slowly rises from his swivel chair, pole ond staring hard ot the figure emerging from the shodows. As the silhouette stealthily approaches with a gleam ing stiletto in hond, the Man's nose starts quivering in o unique way; the pupils of his eyes, grow bigger ond bigger and, finally, he cries out in a hollow, sepulchral tone — "You!" The effect of that single cry strikes you like a thunderclap. And why? Because you've been snoopopothized. The Mah who brought you to thot state belongs to the category of hu man beings termed by the great Stephen Leacock as "Snoopopath." The sound of the word moy strike a strange note in your ears, but, in reality, snobpopoths are not rare. For all you know, you moy even be one of them or, at least, one of their dearest friends. If your eyes grow misty when you heor snoopopathic words, if a thrill sweeps over you when you read snoopopathic literature or see snoopopathic scenes, then you ore a snoopopath's friend, or better still, o snoopopath lover. But what exactly is a snoopopath? To catch his essence, think of a two-legged creature who goes for melodramatics, dishing out works which lock spontaneous genuineness and which ring like counterfeited coins. The modern world, boasling to be coldly scientific ond unsophis ticated, looks with disdoin ot melo drama, yet it allows the snoopopath to live. In fact, Mr. "Snoop" is a 20th century phenomenon. He has a peculiar appeal to the 20th cen tury phenomenon. He has a peculiar appeal to the 20th century audience whom Leacock said can take only thin fiction, short enough, eosy enough for them to bear without overstraining their minds, while drinking cocktails. Yes, snoopopathism sells, because modem people buy it. People will shut their eyes ot the -crudeness of an illogical romantic plpt provided they get suspense ond thrills out of it. Besides, in the present doy hurry and grind, the sequence of events in the screen runs so rapidly that people have no more time to see the wobbliness of the whole pro duction. They are simply swept off their feet. They are also snoopopathized into patronizing highly sensa44 FEBRUARY, 1951 45 tionol goods by the roce of superodvertisers which hos sprung up in the past decades. Here is a snoopopath's work in movife advertisement: "See the greatest of them all! Romance! Lov:sh splendor! "But you also meet the same, old string of adjectives or, ot least, words to thot effect describ ing cnother picture concurrently shown in the some movie-house. Logic tells you there can't exist two superlatives of the same species side by side, yet the snoopopolhic ad vertiser shoving all logic away man ages to label each film "the great est". And he not only hoodwinks people that woy. He also sugarcoats the goods he sells by giving it some attractive name, like "Springtime in Versailles" or "Voices of Moy". He knows the psychology of modem peo ple who reject melodramo, but who relish it when presented to them un der a different name. He knows that all and capitalizes on it to his secret glee. If you fall for the superadvertiser's line and buy a ticket to the show, you will witness grand snoopopathic scenes which will put you into -throes of suspense. You will notice how the - snoop actor works, how he loves to relapse- into attacks of serenity just at the time you expect the wildest action. Why the doldrums? What will come next? The snoop actor delights in making his audience feel a certain vogueness, a certain "in complete, shodowy effect". That is his woy of cotching their sympathy and people surely are thrilled. If most of the shows downtown are snoopathic 99.99% of the soap box operas carried daily by the radio waves ore just big doses of snoopathism. Just listen to the screams, gngry voices, and sobbings issuing from your radio day after flay. These discordant things make up the storm after the calm, the hurricane after the snoop actors' state of blissfulness. Have you ever tried translating the language used by the snoopopaths in certain radio scene# Believe it or not you will hear words like these: ' I will be true to you as the stars which never swerve from their course, os the pools which e’ernolly mirror the creation, as the eagle in the aerie which remains constant and clear when its sole mate dies." This is one time, yes, when you con really cry out, "Help!" Today everywhere you will meet snoopopaths. They obound in all walks of life, from acting to pro ducing, from advertising to direct ing. They pull the wool over man's seeing eyes, giving him cheap, falsi fied good for something which could be of invaluable worth. There exists a Maginot line between melodramatics and genuine art and emotion. One is shollow and artificial, proceed ing only from man's nervous system; the other, is deep and spontaneous, springing from the human heart and bearing with it the laughter, pathos, and tears of man. If you are snoopopathaizable, you will take the trivial and the false. You will let him live. Do you love him that much? NOT long ago, a swarm of critics buzzed over the activity of a local priest in behalf of the working classes. We do not intend now to go through the unnecessary trouble of cracking down the fluky props which awkwardly supported the contentions of those "wise" (or "otherwise") judges. However, every now and then, we still hear some squawks from the papers about the some Fa ther and we feel inclined to be lieve that these cries are no longer directed at him alone, but ot every member of his race — the priest. And we may be justified to conclude that these criticisms arise, not from any personal grudge towards any par ticular priest, but rather from a mis token idea about the priesthood, an idea which beclouds the minds of many, if not the majority, of our people. And that idea boils down to this: "the priest is a man appointed by God to lead us poor mortals to salvation, but the priest's world must be limited to the four walls of his church and his convento." Thonk God, our people have still enough fai*h to recognize in the priesr a man of God with a divine calling. And to soy this means much. But if the priest is to lead all men to Heav en, then why keep the poor man re stricted to the sonctuory and to his house, when the men he is supposed to save ore found everywhere in this old sphere we call world? And the trouble is, this milling crowd of mor tals will not come to the priest in his A man's man... he must become "all things to all church to be saved; no, he has to gc, out to them to save them where they are, in their shacks or in their paldces, in their classrooms or in their offices, in their saloons or in their workshops. "If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then he must go to the mountain," that is, if Mohammed is wise enough. Yes, the priest must go to the pec-t pie no matter where they are, if he is to bring them the salvation which is the main object of his vocation. THE WORLD IS A PRIEST'-S WORLD and he cannot be a true priest who does not go out to the last man in this world, for every single individual is a member of God's flock, the priest's own flock. And no priest will be deterred from this duty of saving all men by mere Pharisaical bicker ing. Hence we shall continue to sec and hear much of priests of this kind. And we shall see them not only in Port Area or in the International Air port, but in Muntinglupa, in our Boy's Town ond in our soldier's Camps; in our asylums and in our hospitals, in 46 a Prieit’i World By P. O. MORALES our schools, in our session holls ond in our courtrooms. And the priest is a figure to. be counted with not only in a cotholic Philippines but in o pagan China or Jopan. The priest is a blazer of trails in the jungles of a New Guinea or Africa; the priest will rough it in the burning deserts of a Sahara or in the icy wastelands of an Alaska. He is a leader in a cultured Europe and in a progressive Americo. Yes, sir, the priest is as ubiquitous as his call ing is sublime, and his work is as manifold os man's salvation is uni versal. Those who would confine the priest to the church or to the rectory ore first cousins Io the Scribes ond Pharisees of old who took umbrage at Christ's eating and drinking with Publicans and sinners, wise guys who wanted to limit Christ's divine power to six doys of the week ond would not hear of a miracle worked on a Sabbath. And Phorisees or Scribes ond their cousins are fellows who can judge about others' actuations but will not themselves move u finger for the alleviation of their less fortunate brethren. And for such people, Christ, though Charity Himself, did not mince words: “ye brood of vipers, ye whitened sepulchers." Those who would tie down the priest to his church or to his house, forget thot "times have changed and we are chonged with them." Now adays, we do not expect to see a priest carried in on easy chair on men's shoulders in order to visit his flock in the barrios. No, the priest of these our days must either be a wolkathon or a jockey or a driver. He must know hew to mount a horse (sometimes, a carabao) just as well as he knows how to ascend his pulpit. The priest of today is one who can sweat it out in the confessional but at another times con steer the wheel of a jeep that he may bring the same par doning grace to those who cannot come to kneel ot the penitents' box. He must know how to raise his hands in blessing ond just os adeptly, he shculd propel o ‘chompion' through 47 48 THE CROSS ongry waters in order to reach out the grace of salvation to other members of his flock. The priest's hands moy be annointed, but it will not be un holy, nay, it will sometimes be very useful, for those same hands to wield o tennis racket or flip a ball into the basket. The priest must "become all things to all men," if he is to lead all men to God. Hence, for the same reason, the priest must be in courtrooms and in session halls to uphold what is right and just, for the priest should be 0 chompion of justice and righteous ness; he must be fearless before the Pilotes and Neros and Apos of an atomic age. The priest must be with the pcor workmen especially in the solution of the old problem of the "doily living wage", for the priest should be father of the poor par ex cellence. He must be in asylums ond hospitals, in prison cells and on bat tlefields to bring comfort to the body ond peace to the soul, for he serves a Master Who is both a Physicion and Prince of Peace. The priest must be in clas rooms and in printing shops in order to see that his flock leom and read only whot is of truth. And the priest must be in recreation halls, in stadiums or bowling alleys, if neces sary, in order to direct the ways of the young and the lovers of fun arid goity. For fun ond pleasure are not in themselves sins, but the "ways of men may make them so," therefore the priest must direct those "ways" along the line of what is licit fun and pleasure. Now, don't soy I'm "kidding" when I say thot on old nun recently wanted to report a priest to his bishop because "Reverend Father" told h'er it would be good if she sometimes sow some of the modem movies. Thot holy nun certainly wonted to make headlines of her first invitation to th? movies. No, I am not kidding. I am dead serious and earnest about the need of active priests, of priests who real ize their position in the present-day world. Sad thing is that we do not have many more of them;. May our nun pray thot God will give us more priestly priests who will go out to save all men, "in ond out of season," in and out of the church, through the length ond breadth of this wide world, for this is a PRIEST'S WORLD. A distinguished visitor at a lunatic asylum went to the telephone and found difficulty in getting his connection. Exasperated, he shouted to the operator: "Look here, girl, do you know who I am?" "No," came the reply, "but I know where you are." —The Liguorian ”51 Means 52" By WILLIAM DRISCOLL, S. J. "Ring out the old; ring in the new," and we final!/ hove the yeor 1951 with us. This moy mean lots of things for each of us: bigger ond better Buicks, a deoth in the family, colored television, a pause in the wor in the Eost. But more than all else, 195 i means 52! 52 more weeks, 52 more Sun days, and 52 more times you and all the Catholics of the world will troop to church and ottend Holy Mass. It means 52 more Mosses which you will offer to God. This is a tremendous fact: you with the Priest offering the Moss, together with the whole Church throughout the world, will hove the Sacrifice of Calvary, whereon Christ died as the price of your salvation, to hold up to God and say: "Accept this sacrifice: forgive me ond all of us; bring us to Heaven with you." This will be yours to do 52 times. To attend these 52 Masses with more understanding, with more de votion, ond with more real prayer, would be the most practical way you could increase the effectiveness of your daily ond weekly prayer, with out adding to its quantity. You ccn improve the quality of what you al ready do. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the real and true Sacrifice of the New Testament in which Christ is offered under the appeorances of bread and wine, thus continuing the Sacrifice of the Cross is on unbloody monner. The Moss is the same sacrifice as thot of the Cross because the offer, ing and the priest ore the same in both. Christ Our Lord was the offer ing on Calvary, ond He wos the Priest making that offering there. He is also the priest and the offer ing in every Mass. And in oddition, the purposes why both Calvary ond each Mass ore of fered are the some. There are four purposes for which the sacrifice of Calvary was offered and is reoffered in each Moss. Let us see what these are one by one. I shall add a portion of a prayer, written and used at Mass by St. Margoret Mary, after each. If you would think about why the Moss is being gffered to God each Sunday as you attend, and recite this 49 50 THE CROSS little preyer of St. Margaret Mary each Sunday, you would come closer to on appreciation of what you and the Church ore doing 52 times a year. Your prayer would improve m its quality. Jesus Christ, Who wos true God ond true mon, the Son of God the Father and the Son of Mory the Vir gin, died on the cross so that men might have a sacrifice to offer to God for their sins — all the sins from Adom's disobedience down to your sins, and mine. This Sacrifice of the Godman Jesus Christ olone satisfies for these sins of men. And so, St. Margaret Mary (that greot friend of the Sacred Heart of Jesus), thinking of this, would pray at every Moss: "Eternal Father, I be seech Thee to receive the offering of the Heart of Jesus Christ, Thy well beloved Son, as He offers Himself to Thee in sacrifice. Be pleased to ac cept this offering for me, with all the desires, oil the sentiments, all the affections, all the pulsations, all the actions of this Sacred Heart. They are all mine, since He immolates Himself for me: and I desire for the future never to have any other in tentions than His. Receive them in satisfaction for my sins." The Sacrifice of the Mass thanks God, too. It thonks Him in the only complete way possible, by our giving Him as our gift back to Himself. It thanks Him for all the graces and fovors, spiritual and material, which we hove; for they are all from Him. And Margaret Mary prayed: "Receive this offering of the Heart of Jesus Christ in thanksgiving for aN Thy benefits." Since we will all need more favors tomorrow, the Mass as it were pulls them down from the bounty of the Father for us; it is offered to obtain all the graces and blessings we need for everyday of the coming week. "Receive the actions of this Sacred Heart, and grant me, through their merits all the graces necessary for me, and particularly the grace of final perseverance," St. Margaret used, to say. And lastly, ond yet always firstly, the Sacrifice of the Cross, was offered to honor ond glorify God. So too with the Mass. God is only perfectly hon ored by One Who is His equal. Christ is His Son; He has the Divine Nature. Hence He is equal to God the Father. And with Christ as our oblotion in the Mass, we have the perfect gift with which to adore God as He should be adored. "Receive these as so many acts of love, adoration and pro He, which I offer to Thy Divine Majesty," con cluded St. Margaret, "since it is by Him alone that Thou art worthily honored and glorified. Amen." If you think over the ends for which the Sacrifice of the Cross was offered every time you attend Mass, and say the little prayers indicated, you will find that the Mass will become more and more real each Sunday of the year. You will increase the quolity of this supreme, this one perfect prayer. You will be going to Mass in the way you learned wos proper when you FEBRUARY, 1951 51 were children from the catechism: "We should assist ot Moss with greot interior recollection ond piety and with every outward mark of respect and devotion, offering it to God with the priest for the some purpose for which it is said, meditating on Christ's suffering ond death, ond going to Holy Communion." In this woy 1951 will mean for you 52 times you hove personally and progressively more intimately united yourself to God through His Son for your own salvation and that of the whole world. This is truly a real ad vance in your personal holiness and sanctity. This is truly "ringing out the old, and ringing in the new." And best of all, it is not '51 times new, nor only 52 times new." It is infinitely, and eternally, New. The LATEST and Most Authoritative! By an Educator & Scholar! A BIOGRAPHY OF RIZ AL By Dr. Jose M. Hernandez Documented! It presents CATHOLIC viewpoint. Sole Distributors: ALEMAR’S 749 Rizal Avenue 220 P. Sta. Cruz Tel. 3-39-14 During the summer of 1922, Bish op Williom Hickey of Providence, R. I., launched a million-dollar drive for the construction of several new High schools in his diocese. The bish op did not expect any collection to be endorsed in all quarters, but he never surmised thot this drive would be bitterly opposed by Rhode Island's French-speoking Cotholics, so tradi tionally loyal to the church. They did not orgue that the drive was wrong. Instead, they questioned his right to ossess their parishes. The parishes already supported their own elemen tary French schools, on’d they pro tested even though the drive was for the high schools. By 1924, a leader had arisen to crystalize the movement around the weekly newspaper called La Sentinelle. The paper spared no words in attack ing the bishop, and its circulation grew. By 1927, its followers had be come so bitter that they refused all financial support to the church The bishop now had to resort to drastic action. He ordered his priests to re fuse the sacraments to all who per sisted in their opposition. He finally felt himself forced to excommunicate the 56 leaders. At the height of the unhappy epi sode, the broken-hearted bishop look ed for someone to give him super natural assistance. The person he chose was the daughter of a black smith named Ferron, who lived in Woonsocket. Ferron before begin ning his day's work, assisted ot Mass, ond on his way home reported again THE STORY OF ROSE FERRON GIRL WITH at church for that typically man's de votion among French Canadians, the Way of the Cross. His wife, dedicat ing each of her children to a mystery of the Rosary, had finished all 15 aecades. Marie-Rose, the child de dicated to the tenth mystery, the cru cifixion, was a person Bishop Hickey called upon in his distress. At the oge of six, Rose had already hod a vision of the Child Jesus. "I sow Him with a cross," she said, "and He was looking ot me with grief in h s eyes." When Rose reached ,13, she be come seriously ill after carrying din ner to her fother on a slushy spring day. Her right hand and her left foot were paralysed. Her hand was cured, however, while she wos taking holy water one morning offer Mass two yeors later. In an instant opened and once again she could freely move her fingers. But her foot never heal ed, ond for 12 years she could not wo>k without crutches. Rose sow herself destined to be a cripple for life, ond sodness and lone52 CHRIST'S WOUNDS By HERBERT GEORGE liness cast a shadow over her girl hood. One summer morning, when she was 17, she felt tier misery more acutely thon usual. Yeors later she recalled what she felt. It was Sundoy ond from her window she could see her sisters ond friends chattering and loughing os they left for church. "The life that overflowed from these girls seemed to be the best that the world could give, and I contrasted my self with them. I felt crushed. I sow myself miserable, destitute, and aban doned by God; I thought of my in firmity, of my crutches, ond I was heart-broken." Then Rose met a priest who tought her how to suffer, so thot by the time Bishop Hickey called on her, when she was 25, she had completely solved the mystery of suffering for herself. She could even say that she could hunger and thirst after it and that suffering was" to be her state of life. By this time she had been bedridden for five years. The bishop called on the Ferron home becau:; l .-.cw he would meet there the victim who would be willing to offer herself to his diocese. On her part, Rose recognized "a good heart" in the bishop. He felt so much at ease in her presence. Such incidents cause greot annoyance to Rose's mother. "My child," he pleaded, "will you suffer for the Diocese of Providence, for its priests, and for those I was obliged to punish?" "I will do what ever you wont," answered Rose without hesitation. "I am willing to suffer as you wish for the return of those you have excom municated. I will pray for their reThe bishop thought that Rose should reflect a little before comply ing, for thot might become a real martyrdom. He left the room for a few minutes to let her consider the full import of her acceptance. When he came back Rose repeated her con sent. Calm again begun to settle slowly over the Sentinelliste battlefield. Many thought it wos the calm before o fresh storm. But a lone victim was obtain ing graces for an entire Diocese through unusual, mystic suffering. Once in ecstacy, she was heard to plead: "Take away my speech, if thot will help. Take my eyes! Take everything I have and cherish. I am ready to suffer until the last one is converted, even 100 years if you so wish it—!" One by one the 56 rebel leaders came back to their church. One day when Rose was 22, the 53 54 THE CROSS house was filled with the odor of freshly baked bread. Her young sis ter, who was munching a crust, in vited her to hove some. "I can't," answered Rose, who already knew that her eating habits were going to the unusuol. "If I do, I may die." "Die from eating or die from hun ger — what's the difference? Try, at least." Rose tried and suffered as if she was actually going to die. When-all was over, her left hand was deformed. It was to remain cripple until her death. After that she ate no more solid food. For 11 years, until her death, Rose took only liquid food and even this she was at times unable to keep. Realizing that she could take Holy Communion, a priest once gave her some tiny unconsecrated particles. They promptly made her ill. More over, four years before her death she did not even drink water for a period of three months. But Rose felt hunger and thirst. She still craved food even though she had to subsist on a diet thot would have meant starvation for an ordinary person. "Little Rose," as she was colled by her friends, had begun a role of victim without forseeing the type of suffering in store for her, or whot unusual signs God was to work in her martyred body. Her abstinence from food and drink was only the begining of many phenomena. Through put them oil, she remained docile to >uthc,iity, both medical and spirit ual, and tried always to avoid pub licity. Bishop Hickey authorized a private oratory next to Rose's room. When Moss wos said there, especially on the feost of the Virgin Mary, Rose would drop into ecstocy after the opening prayers, though she always revived in time of Holy Communion. Generally, the instant she received the Sacred Host, (olthough it disappear ed) her head fell back and she again drifted into ecstacy. Not a slightest movement of her throat muscles in dicated that she was swallowing the Host, a'though it disappeared Instantaneusly. Various priests noted this fact, even one who seemed not to believe in the mystic character of Rose's experiences. Rose Ferron was one of the most completely stigmatized person on rec ord. Rose had five wounds and the crowning of thorns, as well as the shoulder wound and the bleeding from the eyes. The wounds of Christ's scourging had appeared too and then during the lotter part of 1926, but it was in the lent of 1927, a few months before Archbishop Hickey sought in Rose a victim for his diocese, that these wounds began to appear regularly every Friday The red ond purple stripes were clearly visible an her arms, which seem to have been lash ed with whips. Two days loter, before the eyes of her biographer ond another priest, the wounds of the nails appeared In her hands. Her feet, too, bore the maizes FEBRUARY. 1951 55 of the noils. Rose had a sensation that her blood did not circulate beyond the stigmata, but that the blood "streamed forth" from them. In describing the piercing of the muscles of her hand. Rose ex claimed, "I feel them tearing apart; they seemed to separate into shreds and to be drawn aside." A priest who examined these wounds in 1930, wrote, "The blood gave a sweet smelling odor known to me. some what like a perfume; my hands be came saturated with it. It was not a transitory smell, since the odor per sisted till the following morning." The stigmata of the heart began during the Lenten season of 1929. They bought such sharp pains to Rose that she sometimes fainted. She said that the interior pain was "fright ful". At times it was in her bock, "where the lonce seemed to have stopped." The wounds of the crown of thorns resembled, in her mother's words, "two heavy cords that encircle her head". The holes made by the thorns themselves made Rose feel "os If her head were breaking open." These thorns stigmata never disappeared completely. They were still visible after her death. Finally, Rose suffered from the shoulder wound, which also brought her acute pain. The five wounds and the crown "came to stoy", but the others ap peared every Friday and disappeared every Saturday as rapidly as they had come, without leaving o trace. On Friday's, when the bleeding would be gin, Mrs. Ferron would lock the deor of the house and admit only few visitors who have obtained special permission. Rose wos embarrased ot feeling herself an object of study ond would keep the stigmata under cover. Some of the visitors fainted upon see ing her agony. Such incidents caused a great annoyance to Rose's mother. There are various descriptions of Rose's sufferings on Fridays, dur ing which the progress of crucifixion could be followed. She would re peatedly ask the time, clearly await ing her hour of deliverance. As three o'clock approached, she would begin to tremble and ask all to leave the room in order that she might be alone with her dying Saviour. Father Boyer has described Rose's agony on Friday Nov. 1929. "At 1) A.M., at the cavities of both eyes were filled with brime. The night before, I asked her why she did not wipe away. She answered, 'By wiping it off, the skin is often token along with it, but, if I leave it, the blood is burning, as though it is an acid. "The bright eyebrow was split open while I was there, and as the wound enlarged, the surrounding of the eye became blue, yellow, and black. I hove seen many bruised eyes. But thot one was the worst I have ever seen. The very sight of It was very pain'ul. The right side of the lip, also, split open, and as the swellinc' 56 THE CROSS creosed, new form were formed in the chin. "After dinner time, she entered in to ecstacy, her eyes and right arm straightened out; if her left arm, which was tied to her body, had stretched out in the same way, she could have been the form of a cross. Shortly afterwards, she writhed with pain. Her lips clenched ond trembled and I could hear the mus cles snap, os the arms seemed to be pulled out of their sockets. Suddenly the movement of the mon stopped, her head jerked backward ond while she wos gasping for breath, I could heard a crunching sound at short intervals. Was it the rearing of the muscle that made the sound, as if the limbs were pulled out of their joints? As I heard them, they seem-, ed to me as though the pains of Christ echoed from Calvary. Rose felt as though her bones were out of their sockets, but still touching one another on ends. To avoid the poin, she did not dare move. At times, Rose could clench her teeth to over come the tortures. The chill of the death made her silver, and cold sweat would appear. At that moment she said, "I thirst.' They gave her water to drink. Rose repeated a second time: 'I thirst for souls'. "Finally her chin dropped, her mouth remained open, and the pallor of death suggested a corpse." A physician from Massachussetts assisted Rose ot a number of these ’’'Vcifixion sufferings. After the eche helped her bring her dislocat ed arm back into its natural position, for the joints were out of their sockets. In his own words, "This sometimes took half an hour to perform and was accompanied with excruciating pains. Two weeks before her death I did this three times on the same after noon. I never could understand how the girl could suffer too much!" The inevitable question -of official medical observation finally arose. We have Rose's own description of her ccccptance of this proposal in 1931 In July, I bled every day os on Fridoy. It was terrible! I felt that if it was the time. I had no repugnance to being examined ot the time and was willing to submit to the ordeal. But on the first of the month, the Fridoy on which I bled so regularly and for so long a time, on that very day, there wos no trace of blood ond even the wounds could hardly be seen. That day, , Father* • called to tell me that I would be examined in tv/o weeks. On seeing me, he said, 'What! Today, Fridoy, and there is nothing?' It's strange, but since the authorities were to do something, lhen my wounds have not bled." Rose was pleased at the temporary relief afforded her parents, for her torments allowed them little peace of mind. She had even asked her ex terior signs of the stigmata. During an ecstacy she had prayed: "0 my Jesus, I wish to suffer more and more, but spare my parents. Increase my sufferings, if You will, but allow no one to see them." FEBRUARY, 1951 57 Her prayer was answered. During her last five years on earth, she bore no stigmata, except those of the head. But her sufferings did not cease. Every Friday, the blood rushed to the members thot had borne the wounds and caused even greater pain than she had endured before. Rose wondered if she should not ask for the wounds to reappear, to which a priest replied, "God has. brought them about ond God has token them awoy. If God wants their return. He can do so without being asked." The official medical investigation wos never made. But we still have ample medical pronouncements on Rose Ferron's cose. The testimony of one physician who died before wos, "I have hod all kinds of doctor exam ine Rose ond none of them con ex plain her case on natural grounds. To me her cose is supernatural, be cause no one could have lost so much blood ond still live." Referring to the very small quantities of liquid food which were her sole nourishment, he added, "She is sustained by God alone. I am thoroughly convinced thot the manifestations ore super natural." The little victims of the Diocese of Providence had no more rest while she lived. Not only was her body rocked with pain, but she seemed not to have slept for years, except per hops when she would faint from sheer pain. From midnight until one o'clock, Rose kept her Hour of Re poration. Then for three hours she kept busy as well as she could with her crofts. She had learned to make bookmarks, to braid, and to repair rosaries. After four o'clock, she dozed for two hours. But Rose insisted that she did not sleep. In fact she was aware of all thot happened in the While in ecstacy on April 13, 1929, in the presence of six visitors. Rose asked in prayers how long she still had to suffer, and repeatedly she an swered aloud, "Seven Years." She began to count how old she would be after seven more yeors, and stopped ot 33. Rose Ferron died in 1936. She wos 33. On May 6, Father Boyer called ot one o'clock in the morning. "I walk ed into the room", he wrote in his biography, "and when I saw her con dition I was moved with pity. I could net recognized her, she wos so changed; her face was not only dis figured, but wrenched out of shape. Her eyes were half-closed ond in their comers thick blood was gathering; her complexion was copper red and her skin appeared coarsed and swollen; her breathing was painful; her mouth was open and twisted." Rose lived five more days. In death she still had "the expression of anguish embedded in her face." But as the women whom she herself hod appointed for preparing her body for the coffin were washing her foce, its frightful distortion disappeared. A change came over her features at each stroke of the towel. Her face emerged with a charming smile. IN EVERY PARISH "Male Gossipers" Thanks to Miss Lulu Flores Mexico, Pampanga 58 By MALANG "New Shoes, eh?" Thanks to Freddie Dimalanta of Davao City "Comes the Collection plate. . . there's the "Pasikat" and the guy who suddenly acquires the power of concentration..." Thanks to Lina Vinuya of Molosiqui, Pangasinan. 59 J4ome Jh JJeaven SANTISTEBAN!!!" exclaimed Na nay, letting the daily paper fall into her lap. "What if they drop it on us?" Totoy looked up quizzically from the toy airplane he wos fixing. "Who will drop whot on us?" "The Russians and the atom bomb of course!" "We-e-ll?" Totay baited encour agingly. From his 20 years of mar ried life he knew that this was only the preliminary barrage before the general attack. "Well, here we are without even an air-raid shelter." Junior stopped biting his pencil to remork, "Air raid shelters won't do, Nanay. Our Physics teocher told us the atom bomb is 20,000 times as explosive as TNT. It is as effective os 167 ten-ton blockbusters." Nanay looked puzzled for o mo ment. Then with sudden realization she cried, "Naku! that's terrible!" Returning to her prey: "Tatay!" she pleaded, "Let us evacuate to Porana"Pareho rin, Nanay," Junior con tinued. "The atom bomb at Hiro shima destroyed 7 square miles of the city. Paranaque is only 14 kilo meters from Manila." "Oy, SontisTeban!" then we must evacuate to Novaliches. That's for enough, isn't it?" "Not if the Russions drop the HYDROGEN bomb!" This from Lucy who wos trying on a new dress be fore a full-size mirror in the comer of the room. "My goodness, whot is that?" ask ed Nanay in alarm. "It's a new bomb. Nonoy." Lucy turned around, then with a Bette Davis' gesture: "They say it's the most awful thing—more awful than the atom bomb. It will blow us up even if we were ot Novaliches." Nanay was almost hysterics. "We sholl oil be killed! What shall we do? Totay! TATAY! Where sholl we go?" Everyone looked at Tatay. But thot imperturbable man seemed not to notice the emotional tempest thot was raging on. Picking up the toy airplane he said to Junior, "Here, you finish fixing tFiis broken wheel. Use the smqll screw-driver in my desk." Pause. "Uh... better fasten it with a paper clip." To 5 year-old Felicito waiting pa tiently by his side, he said, "You go with Junior to the other room. He will fix your toy airplane for you." FEBRUARY, 1951 61 Then roising his voice o bit: “Lucy! the phone is ringing in the solo. Will you onswer it?" When they were clone in the room, Totoy said kindly to his wife, "To night is too beautiful to be talking about bombs, Auring. Let's have a breath of fresh air on the porch." The stars were out. All around them the evening breeze wos wafting the sweet scent of the dams de noche. "Auring," Totoy spoke softly, os he looked at the stars, "do you re member the nights we watched by Lucy's bed when she was deliriously ill—coughing her life out with pneuNanay wos too stunned at the sud den change of topic to answer any thing. "Our first child—ond to think she was going to die so early. It was too much for me. I wos ready to breok down. But you weren't. You wrapped the rosary around my fingers and bode me pray—and pray hard. 'God ond Hi* mother will see us through,' you said. And they did." Tatay wos no longer looking at the stars, but beyond them. He had for gotten the presence of his wife by his side, and was talking to himself. "The first time I learned about the atom bomb, I was frightened. I could not sleep. I trembled with fear for you ond the children. Always and everywhere I sow the pictures of ruined buildings, and lying out stretched on the debris, your mangled bodies. Then one doy at Mass, some thing happened. As the priest was elevating the Host ot the Consecra tion, an old truth come back to me, but with such force thot it seemed it was the first time I've ever seen it. I realized in that one instant that God knows about the atom bomb Even before this aging world and all the planets in the universe were creat ed He knew thot in the twentieth cent ury of humon history man would dis cover the atom bomb ond run the risk of blowing himself ond his world to Kingdom Come. "Strange, isn't it, that we have be come so overwhelmed by the power of the atom bomb thot we think God con no longer help us? Oh yes, we still go to Him for our little private troubles and the various crises that pop up in our lives, but when it comes to talking about the atom bomb— the greatest threat to our civilization yet—we simply shy away. We ima gine that if we mention the atom bomb to God, He may be—well, em barrassed. You know, as if the thing were too big for Him to handle... I'm not afraid... God and Hi* Mother will see us through." The moon had burst the clouds that swaddled her, and was now shed ding her beams upon the two figures on the porch. "Look! the moon is up!" cried Tatay. "Yes," Nay answered quietly, tak ing hold of his hand. "The moon is up." Then looking straight up to him she -soid, "If you are not afraid, Peping, neither am I." “I’ll tell the Cross... (Continued from page A) In your November issue, 1 read your editorial “In Defense of Catholic Missionaries". The “nasty remark" of that Protestant editor was really untrue.... For all that you do and have done, please accept my warm con gratulations to all of you who edit the Cross. To the Cross... more encouragement... more vigor. Very respectfully yours, Bro. M. Aurelius A SUGGESTION Davao City Sir: I would like to suggest that in order to increase the circulation of the Cross, the management sponsor a provincial and individual contest. Publication will be made every month of the provinces and individuals subscribing and selling the highest number of copies. Provincial agents will take care in sending by air mail to The Cross before the end of every month the number of copies sold and the name of the individual selling the the highest number of copies. Special prizes will be given to individuals selling the highest number of copies at the end of the year. How do you like the idea? Sincerely yours, A Catholic Actionist Ed.—We're throwing up your suggestion to our provincial agents. DISCRIMINATING LILY? De La Salle College Taft Ave., Manila For the past three years, I’ve been an avid reader of your “Miss Lily Marlene". How I love her inimitable way of giving admonition to the love-stricken adolescents of our day. Her touching advice to those who vitally need it never, fails to impress me. Indubitably, in numerable people have profited from her non-pareil skill. Yes, I just appreciate the unparalleled Miss Lily Marlene, whose column is (and I am sure, will always be) the teen-agers’ favorite... the delight of Cross readers. 62 FEBRUARY, 1951 63 This admiration encouraged me to consult her. BUT beyond my expectation, I got nothing but mere disappointment. I waited patiently for her advice in the Cross for four months. My second letter to her received her insouciance, no doubt. Naturally got impatient. Until now, I don’t know what to do with my problem. Does Miss Marlene think my problem is not worth her attention? I (almost) can’t believe it. Really! Would you mind enlightening me in this matter, Mr. Editor? You wouldn’t say the well-loved Miss Marlene has some kind of discrimina tion, would you? I would like to hear from you... if not from her. More success to the Cross. God bless you in your work. Keep up the good grade. "Esto perpetua”. Yours in Christ, (Name Withheld) Ed.—The "unparalleled" Lily regret* that due to her bulky—repeat bulky— mail and space limitation, she cannot answer her fans as quickly as they desire. And for the sake of her 24,000 readers, the "well-loved" Lily DOES discriminate in the sense that she gives preference to new problems rather then to the usual run-of-the-mill type. However, space limitation permitting, the "inimitable" Lily promises to answer all letters, including yours, love-struck La Sallite. So. . . more paciencio, huh? EVERY PARISH HAS THEM 137-A Lardizabal Sampaloc, Manila Sir: I heartily approve of your new column entitled "Every Parish Has Them’’. I hope it would, aside from providing entertainment for your readers, help those who are “pests” themselves, consciously or uncon sciously, to mend their ways. I have an idea for your column. I think it should properly be called "The Reluctant Genuflection”. The offenders are of both sexes. For some unknown reasons, many church-goers seem to be in an inordinate hurry and execute a half-hearted bob whenever they pass the Blessed Sacrament. I am sure all the parishes have them, for I have seen their like in all the churches I have visited. With prayers for the long life of the Cross, I remain Yours in Mary, Getulio L. Ambrosio, Jr. Ed.—-Good idea. Our cartoonist will sketch it for you in a coming issue. Cross reader* are invited to send in their ideas of "Church Pest*". MOTION PICTURE GUIDE Class A-l TREASURE ISLAND BREAKTHROUGH RIDE 'EM COWBOY TWO FLAGS WEST HARBOR OF MISSING MEN MR. HEX BLUE GRASS OF KENTUCKY DUCHESS OF IDAHO THE FIREBALL LAST OF THE BUCCANEERS HAPPY YEARS Morally Unobjectionable for General Patronage FANCY PANTS FAREWELL TO YESTERDAY FATHER OF THE BRIDE THE WHITE TOWER BROKEN ARROW ENCHANTMENT COMMANCHE TERRITORY THE IROQUOIS TRAIL THAT MIDNIGHT KISS ROGUES OF SHERWOOD FOREST COLT .45 Class A-ll Morally Unobjectionable for Adults COPPER CANYON DESERT HAWK AMERICAN GUERRILLA IN THE PHILIPPINES SUNSET BOULEVARD STELLA THE JACKPOT BODYHOLD THE GLASS MENAGERIE LADY WITHOUT PASSPORT BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND DAWN TEA FOR TWO MYSTERY STREET DEPORTED TOMORROW IS FOREVER HOMECOMING ANNIE GET YOUR GUN I, JANE DOE THE AVENGERS CAGED THIS SIDE OF THE LAW WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS CONSPIRATOR THE OUTRIDERS WINCHESTER '73 CHINA SKY THE BLONDE BANDIT CASABLANCA BAGDAD EAGLE SQUADRON OBJECTIVE BURMA FAUST AND THE DEVIL Class B ----- - Morally Objectionable in Part for All MY FRIEND IRMA GOES WEST THAT UNCERTAIN FEELING THREE SECRETS A GENTLEMAN AFTER DARK THE UNDERWORLD STORY ALWAYS TOGETHER BORN TO BE BAD 64 Every HOME, CLASSROOM, OFFICE should have a Crucifix NOTE: PRICES DO NOT INCLUDE TRANSPORTATION CHARGES TAXIHXG: No. L-21 —18” Mabolo cross, 6” corpus. Boxed. No. L-10—Narra Cross Bronze ................. P 8.00 1-6/16” wide, 14” high Chromium ........... P 7.50 with 6” corpus. Boxed. No. 30—Walnut cross Bronze corpus . . P 8.50 with moulded edges, No.'L-ll—Same as above 12” high with 6” bronze but made of Mabolo. corpus. Boxed ........... P 5.50 Bronze corpus .. P 9.00 No. 50—Walnut or ebony Chromium corpus P 8.75 cross with moulded edges, 15” high. 7” bronze corpus. Boxed P 7.70 IAXG1XG: No. 1061/18—Ebony cruci fix inlaid in bronze or No. L-20—Narra Cross silvered brass h ” thick, 14” high with 6” cor >s” wide and *2” high. pus. Individually boxed. Corpus — 2 >2” high. Bronze ................. P 7.65 Boxed .............................. P12.00 Just Arrived! FIFTEEN-HOUR VOTIVE GLASSES. Colors available: Blue, Red, Green, Crystal, White, and Amber—Each P0.80 A set (Glass and 15-hr. candle) P1.00 A set, postpaid ............................ Pl.20 Regina Bldg., 15 Banquero & Escolta, Tel. No. 3-22-31, Local 42, ALL YOU NEED FOR THESEASON OF LENT AT THE HOME OF RELIGIOUS ARTICLES Paschal Candle CRUCIFIXES (complete kinds) Triple Candles for Holy Saturday “Three Kings” . Incense imported from Holland Censer & Boat Self-Lite Charcoal CHURCH GOODS Vigil Lites Collars (Water proof) Vigil Stands Vigil Glasses Sanctuary Lights And other items 909 R. Regente, Manila Tel. 2-82-81