August 12, 2016

What was in the news on August 12, 1966?

Race violence affects a nun, parish holds a ‘Beatle Burning’ protest rally, and the council that never was

Criterion logo from the 1960sBy Brandon A. Evans

This week, we continue to examine what was going on in the Church and the world 50 years ago as seen through the pages of The Criterion.

Here are some of the items found in the August 12, 1966, issue of The Criterion:
 

  • Raps ‘Catholic mob’ in ‘stoning’ of nun: Brick hits Sister in race march
    • “CHICAGO—Rioters who cursed and injured a Catholic nun of Chicago’s Southwest Side were strongly criticized as ‘Catholic Know-Nothings’ by The New World, weekly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Chicago. ‘For the first time in the history of this city, a nun was attacked on the streets of Chicago in a public demonstration,’ wrote Father Williams F. Graney, New World assistant editor, in a signed editorial. ‘And the attack came from a mob of howling Catholics,’ he said. Father Graney described the nun, Sister Mary Angelica, as a ‘prime target’ of the mob of nearly 1,000 whites that gathered to battle Negro and white marchers led by aides of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The violence occurred near Marquette Park. ‘Sister was struck with a brick or rock that drew blood. Some stitches were finally required to close the wound,’ the editorial said. ‘The cursing, yelling, frantic mob of Catholics [mainly, according to statistics for the neighborhood] cheered when the nun was struck. The mob cheered. Think about that for just a minute if you want to see how out of balance, how crazed and irrational the reaction was to the demonstration.’ ”
  • St. Mary-of-the-Rocks pilgrimage Monday
  • Revelation Constitution seen working like leaven in Church
  • Announce transfers of clergy
  • Summer program: Girls get pre-career glimpse into social worker’s world
  • Name Foster Parents’ Advisory Committee
  • Civil rights bill passed by House
  • Alcoholism: It could be you or your neighbor
  • College to share facilities
  • New Jersey creates commission for study of school aid issue
  • Luci carried rosary, papal gift to Lynda
  • Is compulsory arbitration the answer?
  • Fr. Rivers named to receive medal
  • St. Catherine captures sixth tennis crown
  • ‘Whoozit’ slated at Little Flower
  • Value of suffering is pontiff’s topic
  • Mammoth altar will be used for millennium rite
  • Parent involvement in schools is urged
  • Work of Catholic schools is cited as ‘extraordinary’
  • CIC, Legion slate picnic
  • St. Meinrad clergy assignments made
  • Protest rally held: CYO’ers hold ‘Beatle burning’
    • “The now infamous remarks by Beatle John Lennon, referred to by some wags as ‘the Gospel according to John,’ that ‘Christianity will go’ received public reaction this past Tuesday evening in Indianapolis. St. Catherine’s parish Junior CYO, one of the most active in the archdiocese, promoted a “Beatle burning’ on the parish ground which attracted one thousand teenagers and scores of adults. … Comment from Patty Hornberger, Chartrand senior: ‘We are NOT challenging the positions of the Beatles as entertainers. You may or may not like them as entertainment. Some of us think they are great, and we are finding it very difficult to make the sacrifice of some of our favorite Beatle records. But the sacrifice we are making is a sign of faith in the future of Christianity, which is in our hands.’ ”
  • In early 50’s: Reveal Pius XII’s plans for council
    • “ROME—More than 10 years before Pope John XXIII announced plans to hold the Second Vatican Council, his predecessor Pope Pius XII had ordered studies for a council drawn up. Details never before released of the possibilities of a council in the early 1950s have been published by Rome’s Jesuit magazine, Civilta Cattolica. They were drawn from secret archives of the Doctrinal Congregation. … According to the article…the Doctrinal Congregation favored the summoning of a council to clarify various doctrinal points so as to combat various errors, including communism. … Among the errors to be challenged were those of existentialism, false concerns of the relations between revelation and theology, scorn of St. Thomas and other scholastic teachers, errors regarding the primary end of marriage, the limitation of births, artificial insemination, errors of those who favor communism and class warfare, and against those who desire to resolve problems between nations by warfare and those who advocate total warfare. … The project of a council encountered difficulties within the central commission itself because of a split in opinions. A minority favored holding a brief council and favored an elaboration of the principal truths professed by the Church with the greatest importance for the modern world… The majority, however, favored holding the council in the traditional form with a long period of preparation. Once the council was summoned, bishops had to be given fullest liberty… The last central commission meeting was held on January 4, 1951. Because of the disagreement on what form the council was to take, it was decided to refer the matter back to Pope Pius. And that is where the matter ended.”
  • Pilot project: Seek to pinpoint social needs
  • Nun treasures LBJ ‘note’

(Read all of these stories from our August 12, 1966, issue by logging on to our special archives.) †

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