The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1961-09-01
CITY

CITY
From Baptism to funeral
arrangements, topics S,
treated at the 22nd North
American Liturgical Week
here ranged over a broad
spectrum of issues Of Chris.
tan concern.
The meeting brought to-
gether priests, Religious and
laymen from many parts Of
the us. and Canada for dis
cussions on the general theme
Bible. Life and Worship"
But scores Of other subjects
we're treated during the four
day gathering in the Okla
homa City Municipal Audi
forum.
FATHER BENEDICT Ell.
MANN of ST.. Mary of the
Lake Church, Watkins Glen,
NY, criticized over-elaborate
funerals in an address to a
general session Aug. 24).
While a decent funeral is
proper, he said, 1T is more
pagan than Christian to carry
this to excess"
by modern standards it
may be difficult to draw a
line between sobriety and ex-
cess in funeral arrangements.
But we may all agree that
many funerals we attend
have more Of pomp and cir
cumstance in them than of
common sense and Christian
prudence" declared Father
Ehmann, a member of the adj
Vlsory council Of the national
Liturgical Conference.
HE ADDED THAT there is
surely not much evidence
of real faith" in persons who
prefer to send flowers instead
of Masses TO the deceased.
Father Alexander o. Sigur
Of Lafayette, La, suggested
that laymen who think they
don't have an active enough
role in the Church should
spend more time blaming
themselves than the clergy.
you ought to drop the thin
ly yelled Fathers at fault
routine Laymen must lead,
be engines, not cabooses," he
said aug. 23).
DR.. j. c. Willke of Gin.
'cinnati said Aug. 22) that
there is an almost total lack
of real Catholic action in most
lay organizations today"
HE URGED THAT men,
bers of traditional lay organi-
zatl0ns-and the organizations
themselves-be reeducated to
take their true place as ac-
tive, working members of
Christ,
Msgr. Martin b, Hellriegel
of St Louis said that the
Mass should be made the cen
ter of spiritual retreats.
He said aug. 23) thai this
is mot the case at present
and that "the emphasis today
rests rather on retreat mas
ter and conferences"
us lT-FRoM a theologi-
cal-pastoral viewpoint ~ good
judgment TO have for three,
four days a very low Mass
and then close the retreat
with an elaborate holy
hour'?" he asked.
Mary Perkins Ryan of
Goffstown, NH. a member
Of the Liturgical Conference
board of directors, told a gen
eral session {Aug, 23) that
Christians "all are inescap-
ably on trial before our neigh
bors. before the world
mot only when we arc en-.
gagged in religious or 'apos.
tolic' activities, but in every
thing we do. we have to pro-
claim Christ in us, our hope
of glory TO a world losing
hope in humanity along with
faith in Cod she said,
I'VE do not have to show
that we are perfected Chris.
tlans, but that ii is supreme.
ly worthwhile trying to be-
come such" she added.
Fathel Gerard S. Slogan,
head of the religious educa.
ton department at the Catho-
lie University Of America,
said (Aug. 22) that a first
step towards a fitting proela.
nation" Of the Word of God
is for priests to speak the
Latin of the Mass properly.
he URGED PRIESTS to
speak the Latin las if a ma.
tive Latin-speaker who was
blind sat attentively in the
last pew
"rhe maxim deal holly
with holy things has no bet.