The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1957-02-22

Parents who sought religious in
struction for their children were
penahzed. Nearly all Catholic
schools were forced to close. /
heard of only three surviving:
two primary schools for girls and
one school for boys. The Jesuits,
for instance, no longer have any
schools in Poland.
In public schools, indiffer-
enlist or Marxisf teachers fed
maferialism TO their pupils. The
most that Catholic teachers
could do was TO disagree by
silence.
Thus boys and girls found
themselves between two conflict
ing worlds. At home there was the
world of intense Catholic faith.
At school there was the state
backed cult of materialistic evo-
luton.
Marxist pressure mounted as
the student approached the uni
versity stage. He had to matricu-
late in Marxist doctrine. He just
learned it off and repeated it as
If in quotation marks.
On the practical side, a uni
versify student seen going TO
Mass ives likely TO be warned
that religion was out Of fash
ion. I have heard Of a student
being sdnonished because his
mother went TO church fire.
qUentiy.
This is socialist state now, +"
he was told. Religion belongs to
the old capitalist society"
If such warnings were not
needed, the student might find
his marks lower than those of
class fellows who conformed to
the Marxist line.
The Marxist pressure naturally
strengthened the indifferentist
trend that already existed among
some university people in Poland
as in other continental countries.
One student told me that not
more than so per cent of his
fellow students went to Mass
regularly.
Still, strong currents ran in
favor Of religion. One was the
unpopularitY Of the Sovief-spon-
sored communist regime. Mater
fialism could hardly have
less acceptable statesmen than
the Communist party OF the
time. The multiplication tsble
would have been doubted by
the Polish people If the party
had made il official.
The anti-Church campaign ac.
tually stimplated religious fervor
among many of the Polish youth,
as among the intelligentsia gener-
ally. The Lenten retreats for stu.
dents held in four Warsaw
churches drew crowded congre.
cations during the communist
persecution. The attendance was
better than in pre-war years, a
priest told me.
The communists have not failed
entirely, however. The constant
beat of their propaganda has af
fected minds to some degree.
Young Poles find themselves now
using Marxist Jargon and apply,
ing Marxist standards unwilling.
ly. "The social and economic
ideas of communism have infect.
ed our young people" a shrewc
observer said. He did not seem
to regard the infection as deep
seated, however.
Perhaps more serious harm
hes been done 10 morals. Where
the communist regime could
not destroy fhe Faith, II endan-
sered II by weakening moral.
among the youth. In the
schools, children were taught
disrsspeet FOR parents and for
traditional standards Of be-
havior. | was told repeatedly
THAT This had resulted in Q low.
srins Of morals among youth.
With this decline has come
In the past two years, a decrease
In the number of candidates TO,
the priesthood and for religion,
life. But there is still no shortage
of vocations.
Our seminaries and novitiate,
are overflowing," / was told
Thus no simple phrase can de
scribe Polish youth today. Cros
currents meet in il, but tn,
strongest currents are those of re
llgion and patriotism.