Evening star., 1950-11-01
{. U. Dean Explains
-
Assumption Dogma,
Answers Critics

GAp1dlIlIllS tlIc QOSAId VI tIlS
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin,
the dean of the School of Sacred
q, Theology at Catholic University
declared today that non-Catholics
are utterly Illogical" if they chal-
lenge Catholics to find the doc
trine in the Bible.
The dogma, proclaimed today
by Pope Plus XII, is implicit" in
divine revelation, the Rev. Fran
els j. Connell c. SIS. R., said at a
. pontifical mass in the Shrine of
the Immaculate Conception.
The occasion was the first at
which the Most Rev. Patrick j.
Mccormick, rector of the univer-
sity and recently consecrated auxil-
iary bishop of Washington, cele-
brated a pontifical mass.
1t also was one of numerous
services marking observance of
I the Feast of All Saints as well as
. the papal proclamation of the
= dogma that the Mother of Christ
was taken physically as we'll as
spiritually to Heaven. The Feast
of All Saints is a holy day on
which Catholics are required to
{ hear mass.
Archbishop Celebrates Man.
The Most Rev. Patrick A.
. O'Boyle, Archbishop of Washing
, ton, said the z am. mass at st.
Patrick's Church. Tenth and G
streets NV. He will preside at
a holy hour observance at 8 pm.
at st. Matthews Cathedral.
Most other churches in the
archdiocese will conduct similar
: services. st. Patrick's Church
, scheduled a series of holy hour
, services beginning at 3 pm. The
Most Rev. John M. Mcnamara,
auxiliary bishop of Washington.
will preside at a service at st.
Gabriers Church. Grant Circle,
at 8 pm.
Father Connell's sermon made
no direct mention of the Prot
estant Alliance and churchmen
OF the Church of England who
have criticized the dogma. The
Protestant Alliance offered in
London last week to embrace the
Roman Catholic faith if Pope
Plus could give scriptural proof
Of the Assumption.
Accepted for IL Centuries.
Father Connell explained that
for IL centuries the Catholic
Church has annually celebrated
q feast of the Assumption and
Catholic theologians always ac-
cepted the Assumption as an his
torical fact.
Maintaining that the doctrine
was revealed by God. he said that
according to Catholic belief, di-
vine tradition. the unwritten word
OF God, is just as truly the foun-
dation of our faith as the Bible.
the written word of God"
And so,"- he continued, "it is
utterly illogical for those who are
not members of the Catholic
church to challenge Catholics to
find the doctrine of the Assump-
tion in the Sacred Scripture, as
If the Bible were the sole source
Of Gods message to man
''It Is possible for doctrine to
be contained In revelation only
implicitly. as one aspect of a more
general truth. in such wise that
only with the passing of the cen
turies does it come to the explicit !
consciousness of the church.
-, Doctrine Is Cited.
Undoubtedly, it is in this way
that the doctrine of the Assurnp-
ton is found in-Divine revelation,
There is no explicit testimony Of
this privilege of Our Lady in
Sacred Scripture or in the tradi-
ton of the early centuries. but
this does not indicate that it is
not present in the deposit of reve-
lation implicitly"
Father Connell cited the doc
trine of the Immaculate Concep-
ton as revealed truth which
If analyzed and developed to its
full significance seems to lead to
the conclusion that Mary was
granted the privilege of glorious
resurrection shortly after her
earthly life was ended"
According to the doctrine of the
Immaculate Conception, Mary was
free from original sin. Father
Connell explained. He contended
that ''it would follow logically"
that she was free also from the
penalty of original sin which is
death and the necessity of waiting
until the last day for reunion of
soul and body.
LOST.
BEAGLE, short-legged, black with brown
and white markings. has been spayed,