The Jeffersonian (Jefferson, Tex.), Vol. 4, No. 7, Ed. 1 Saturday, March 1, 1952 Page: 3 of 4
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march ins
THC JEFFKMONIAjN
' 1
atL
All The Money In The World Cannot Pay for One Holy Mass
PRIEST, ON MARRIAGE CASE, TOLD ABOUT
$200 RUMOR, TELLS FRIENDS HE WOULDN'T
BE A CATHOLIC PRIEST IF SUCH WERE SO
1
A marriage investigation case,
just one of the many things that
i lve the average Catholic priest
little time for himself, lay on
the parish desk. Tha priest pick-
ed it up, got in his car and drove
out into the country to ask two
close associates of the party in-
volved to give any testimony
they could to help determine the
freedom or lack of freedom of
the said party.
The couple, both very sincere
Protestants, received the "priest
cordially
Catholics are the largest reli-
gious group in Texas as well as
the nation, but in the vicinity
where these good people farm-
ed Catholics had been hardly ov-
er heard of.
"One of my daughters married
a Catholic," said the father, "but
he's not one now."
Then the man told of his son-
in-law's background. Both parents
were Catholics, and the papa
shot the mama, th'en killed him-
self.
SOMEONE SAID SOMEONE SAID
A report had it that someone
had said that someone else said
that the priest said that lie
wouldn't bury the father next to
the mother in a Catholic ceme-
tery because lie, the priest, de-
clared the man to be in Hell. Al-
so it was reported in the same
fashion that the priest had said
that if someone would give him
$200. he would pray the dead
man out of Hell.
WOULD RESIGN IF
The marriage investigator lis-
tened until the man had finish-
ed. Then he told the man and
his wife that if such were the be-
lief of the Catholic Church, that
he would not 'be a Catholic
priest. He pointed out that there
were sacrifices asked of a priest-
the vow of celibacy, very little
earthly remuneration, etc. He
said that he and every other
Catholic priest would not be' will-
ing to give their full life to the
Catholic Church if they had to
believe either (1) that they were
equal to Qod and could know
who la in Hell and who isn't,
and (3) that they could pray
someone out of Hell, a place
which no one can leave, and that
they could or would do this for
money.
A CALM EXPLANATION
Calmly the priest commented
on the man's story. The priest
in the murder-suicide cfe.se, he
said, had simply followed Catho-
lic Church canon law which for-
bids burial in Catholic blessed
ground to suicides unless they
are adjudged insane. The priest's
compliance with this Catholic
Church law was then interpreted
in the process of the rumor
stage to mean that he was spy-
ing that the soul of the suicide
was in Hell.
Likewise since it. is known that
Catholics do pray for the dead
and request prij.iis also to iruy
for them, rumor enlarged on
this custom and the 4200 to gat
you out of Hell offar developed.
Father pointed out that un-
doubtedly somewhere Uong the
line someone had very much mis-
understood what the priest was
Baying. He certainly could not
have said what was charged to
him and be a Catholic priest in
his sound mind.
ALL ,THE OIL NOT ENOUGH
The couple listened as their
visitor told them that it waa
Catholic Church doctrine that no
amount of money in this world
could get anybody out of Hell or
Purgatory. He said that all the
oil wells in Texas couidu't buy
release for a single soul from
the state of Purgatory
The good Protestant couple
seemed happy to know that this
Catholic Church teaching so much
coincided with their own t>ellef
that money doesn't help the
dead. They listened Intently as
the priest told them about the
custom of the Jews in the Old
Law in giving offerings^lo the
priests of their temples with
the request that they fray for
the dead. Recalling the ease of
the Jewish genera), Judas Mach-
abeus, Father told how this gen-
eral had a collection of money
taken up and sent to Jerusalem
to the priests as an offering for
their support with the re<flrest
that they pray for the dead sol-
diers who bad not been bad en-
ough to deseTve Hell but who
had died not good enough to en-
ter Heaven. The priest recalled
that Judas Machabeus, In words
written down in holy Jewjah his-
tory, had said: "It Is therefore
a holy and a wholesome thought
to pray for the dead that they
may lie loosed froth sins."
NOTHING NEW
The Catholic Church, he said.
Introduced nothing now when
she had her people pray for the
deaa too. And he Bald that critics
of the Catholic custom of giv-
ing offerings to their priests not
for prayers but for their living
expenses would have tor criticize
God's Chosen People as well and
through them criticize God Who
approved of their supporting
their priests in that way.
FOLLOW JEWS
Father pointed out that Catho-
lics usually gave an offering
when they requested a Mass ba
offered. Iji doing this they fol-
lowed ancient Jewish practice,
understanding as did the Jews
that their little offering is not
and cannot pay for the M ss but
is simply an offering to help sup-
port the priest. ' •
The priest then explained in
detail Catholic belief about Pur-
gatory, the help that prayers
give to the suffering souls de-
tained there and the value es-
pecially of the Mass, wherein
Jesus Christ Himself offers mer-
its for the dead. He noted that
it was Catholic belief that Jesus
Christ passed on whether or not
to release a soul from Purgatory
and on just how much merits
from Masses offered, etc. to ap-
ply to a particular soul. In cases
where a soul for whom Mass is
offered does not need help (in
heaven) or cannot use it (in
Hell) the merits go to the poor
souls in general.
NO MONEY WILL PAY
No one can buy release from
Purgatory, the priest concluded.
All the world's millions, he said,
would not pay for one holy Mass
and the question of how effective
prayers for a certain soul would
be depends upon its condition
and Jesus Christ's opinion.
The couple seemed appreciative
for the explanation. On that one
point, at least, they had been
enlightened. They asked th«
padre to drop by to see then?
when he had a chance.
JEFFERSON PARISH DEBT
IS REDUCED TO *41.03
The Jefferson parish debt on
furniture in Immaculate Concep-
tion Rectory is now reduced to
$41.03. Aug. 8, 1951 $445.95 was
spent on furniture for the parish
house. $^00 cash was applied on
that date. The remaining $245.95
has been paid monthly.
Other furnishings, valued at
$2500, were presented as a gift
to the pastor. /
PAULETTE ANN BERRY BECOMES A CHILD OF WO AT DAINGERFIELD
Bishop is Editor
(Continued from page 1)
Btate of Nevada Blghop Gorman
witnessed an Increase in the
Catholic population from 8,000
in 1931 to 25,000 in 1952. His
jurisdiction covered the 110,829
square miles of Nevada. From
Reno, center of American divor-
cism and other paganism, Bishop
Gorman governeidi and built for
Christ. He established Catholic
schools and set up a system of
Catholic charitable enterprises—
this being only a part of the vast
beneficent work which the Cath-
olic Church carries on in every
state of America in an effort to
remove the paganism for which
the very word "Reno" has long
been the symbol and to plant in
its stead the historic Church of
Jesus Christ.
49 PRIE8T8 IN RENO; 165
PADRES IN DALLAS CHURCH
From the 110,829 square mile
diocese of Reno with a total pop-
ulation of 158,370 people served
by 49 priests Blghop Gorman
will come to the 40,075 square
mile diocese of Dallas with a to-
tal population of 2,460,00 people
served by 165 priests. 70,952 peo-
ple in the diocese profess the
ancient faith of the ancestors of
most Americans. In the diocese
of Reno 62 sisters of 4 orders of
nuns carry on works of Christian
education and mercy and 904
children are receiving the bene-
fits of elementary education in
3 parochial schools. Two Catholic
hospitals treat 6,208 patients an-
nually. 2,235 public school chil-
dren are enrolled in Christian
Doctrine .classes. In the diocese
of Dallas 165 priests & 548 nuns
of 15 orders carry on works for
Christ. 9,491 children are enrolled
in 48 Christian elementary schools
11 Catholic hospitals in the dio-
cese carry on the corporal work
of mercy, treating 127,413 ~a-
tients r.nni'ally. 3,560 children
not In Catholic schools are under
instruction, making a total of
15,217 chikVen in the diocese re-
ceiving the "blessing of being in-
doctrinated in the faith of our
fathers.
The formal ceremony of the
cunonlcal installation of Bishop
.Gorman,. slated to be the fourth
bishop of the See of Daltas es
tabllshed by Pope Leo XIII back
in 1890, wiil take place at the
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus in Dallas, Texas May
8th.
*We Are Grateful To His
Holiness'-Bishop Lynch
Dallas — "We are grateful to
His Holinegs and coworkers for
having designated Bishop Gorman
as bishop of this promising dio-
cese. We await his arrival with
pleasure and gratituklle. I truly
assure the good people of this
part of the Lord's vineyard that
the appointment of Bishop Gor-
man is a gift of the Holy Father
to the people of Texas."
This comment on the Holy
Father's appointment of a Co-
adjutor to the See of Dallas was
given Fob. 13th by a veteran of
62 years service to the See of
Dallas, the venerable and much
loved Bishop Joseph Patrick
Lynch, a priest of the See since
June 9, 1900, appointed its third
bishop Juno 8, 1911 and conse-
crated In Sacred Heart Cathe-
dral, Dallas, July 12, 1811.
Said the venerable Bishop
Lynch, now In his eightieth year:
"As bishop of the diocese of Dal-
lag 1 most cordially "welcome the
Most Rev. Thomas K. Gorman
as a highly educated, pious and
reverent ecclesiastic."
In an interview with THE
TIMES HERALD the Michigan-
born lawyer who abandoned that
career to become a priest cited
his eventual successor as an em-
inent historian. He noted that
Bishop Gorman had received his
degree of doctor of the historical
sciences from the fame<| Louvaln
Unlvergity in Belgium and is a
member of the Royal Society of
Archeology of Brussels. As an
historian the eventual successor
to Bishop Lynch la author of
several books, including "AMER-
ICA AND BELGIUM" and "SEV-
ENTY-FIVE YEARS OF CATH-
OLIC LIFE IN NEVADA."
Bishop Lynch, who when ha
began his now 41 year episco-
pacy in 1911 was the youngest
Catholic bishop In the world, told
THE TIMES HERALD that the
new blghop la coming to "ono of
the centers of culture and pro-
gress, both spiritual and tempor
al" and that he Is well qualified
for his new position.
Bishop Lynch and hi new Co-
adjutor have ibeen associated to-
gether for some 25 years at
meetings of the American hier-
archy in Washington.
In an interview with THE
DALLAS NEWIS the venerable
Bishop, second oldest in point of
gervice in the U. S., said:
"I have known Bishop Gorman
for quite a number of years and
traveled 'with him 00 several oc-
casions. I found him to be a most
charming companion, a man of
profound energy and in. my hum-
ble judgment one wh& will fit
Into our ecclesiastical and civic
work."
Bishop Lynch when he suc-
ceeded Bishop Dunne in 1911
governed a territory that stretch-
ed nearly 900- miles from Texar-
kana to EI Paso and/on into New
Mexico. In his 41 years as bishop
he built more than 160 now
churches — 100 of these in
places previously without church-
es — and saw 3 new dioceses
created out of his Dallas dio-
cese — that of El Paso in 1914,
Amarillo in 1926 and Austin in
1948.
The idea of the Bishop of
Rome having a primacy of jur-
isdiction over the whole church
did not originate in recent
years. St. Irenaeus, who became
Bishop of Lyons, France In the
year 177 and who died a martyr
in the year 202, wrote these
words in a: time when men woro
yet living who had known the
Apostles: "With her (Rome),
every church MUST be in agree-
ment because of her PRIMACY:
for THROUGH the SUCCESSION
of Roman Pontiffs the apostolic
tradition of. the Church has
coma down to us."
INSPIRATION
TO DOCILITY
Clark8ville — "We feel that
we BhouM not allow this occas-
ion to pass without telling you
that one who has been an apos-
tle of Catholic Actloff in this
work of NCCW — Miss Julia
Ann Burton of Mt. Pleasant — is
ill. very 111. In your charity you
will all remember to pray for
her. I can speak for the parish
priests of East Texas when I
say that Julia Ann has been an
inspiration in her manifestation
of that docility which every
parish priest likes to see in the
women of his parish in the mat-
ter of their cooperation with the
wonderful work assigned by the
Holy Father and our iBishop
Lynch to the parish unit of the
National Council of Catholic
Women. The program which was
presented today by the young
ladieg who made sacrifices to
drive all the way from their col-
lege in San Antonio — arranged
as it was by Miss Burton —
speaks in its own eloquent way
a tribute to a young lady of 30
who would not let the ravages of
a fatal illness of which she Is
sware keep her from her NCCW
activities."
The above statement was made
at the Feb. 19th meeting here of
the East Texas Council of Catho-
lic Women by one of the parish
r-riegts. His suggestion that a
Holy Mass be offerett{ for Miss
Burton was adopted by the 130
East Texas Catholic women pre-
sent. The Holy Mass Is being said
in Jerusalem.
With grandparents, left, and parents, right, looking on Paulette
Ann Berry, infant daughter of Mr. antil Mrs. James Berry of Dain-
gefleld recently became a child of Qod in the Church of Our Lady of
'"•atima. (Statue of St. Joseph, In background, bad Just arrived from
liome, Italy. The Berry's other 2 daughters are shown In the picture.
T. Chism photo.
NCCW Leader
Passes Away
fftbnt pieasgpt -fJ
Ann*jBurt«rit
in the Oast
gram, passed away at the
of her parents here March 22
11:30 p. m. Only 30 years,
she once hoped to be a an h
111 health kept her from the v«
Requiem Mass was cei«
for her aoul in St. MlrhnsiHe
Church, Mount Pleasant, Marck
24th. The pastor of DalngexfUtt
and representatives of the Date-
terfleld and Jefferson NOCW
units attended.
Miss Burton at the time of tier
death was vice president of Mast
Texas Catholic Women. She- wsa
elected to this position .Aug. IX
at Dalngerfleld'.
(Editor's note: Julia Am
was very dear to Our Lady of
Fatima Parish. She brought
'bout the gift from St. Michael^
to Our Lady of Fatima, Daitiwnr
field, of tho altar now in mm
In our new church. She brood*
this flrgt to Jefferson and
supervised moving it from
ferson to the Shrine. She
Our LaiiJjr of Fatima, attentat
the groundbreaking a year mm
for the Dalngerfleld Church nl
the dedication last Aug. 22. Har
last appearance there was at
the funeral of her dear Marit
Mary Boehmer. She wept aft MB
mention of Mary's fidelity te mm
Shrine. The day of her destt iW
visited he* and she spoke ta<<aa
of her. gratitude for prayeta at:
Mass. She tried to sajr wtflb w
the Hail Afary. but her apearib
failed. Majr she- rest'in ppaaa)L
Mrs. Mary Boehmer Brought Home
LADY WHO DIED IN CHURCH FIXING FLOWERS
IS FIRST TO REST IN WHAT IS PROBABLY
FIRST CEMETERY IN U.S. UNDER NEW TITLE
Rome is the hope of the world.
For more details of her position
as the Historic Church of Chris-
tendom see the article on the
Emperor and the Pope on> page a
of this issue.
Dalngerfleld — What is pro-
bably the first cemetery in the
United States to be named for
Our Lady of Fatima was official-
ly set up here Toes., March 19th,
feast of St. Joseph, when rein-
terment services were conducted
for Mrs. Mary Boehmer.
Mrs. Boehmer aled Jan. 26th
In Our Lady of Fatima Church
of a heart attack whiigt fixing
flowers for the altar. Her wish
was to be burled) near Our Lady
of Fatima Church, hut since the
Dalngerfleld parish had no ceme-
tery at that time .in accordance
with the wishes of the family,
temporary burial was arranged In
Immaculate Conception Cemetery
at Jefferson. For seven weeks
and one day Mrs. Boehmer rested
in the blessed ground of the Jef-
ferson Catholic cemetery In a
lot near the Bergln lot where
the sister-in-law and nephewg of
the great-grandfather of the pre-
sent pastor sleep the Bleep o
p&ice. The cemetery was set u ,
back in 1880.
t-LANd WERE CHANGED
Papers authorizing the rein-
terment had been prepared by
Major William Boehmer, son 01
Mrs. Boehmer, who askedi the
padre to represent him In carry-
ing it out. The County Judge of
Marlon County signed these pa-
pers March 15th and plans were
to carry out the reburlal on
March 17, feast of 8t. Patrick,
first anniversary of the day in
1951 when Mrs. Boehmer, repre-
senting Dalngerfleld Catholics,
broke the first ground for Our
Lady of Fatima Church. This,
however, became Impossible as
Mrs. Josephine Haddon of the
Jefferson parish was buried on
that day. It was then rescheduled!
for Wed., March 19th. feast of
SL Joseph, anniversary of the
day in 1961 when Canteibury
Engineering Co. began the con-
struction of our Lady of Sttlma
Church.
The new cemetery consists of
8.4® acres of land and adjoins
the church's other • acres at its
northeastern border. To the
right la a most beautiful moun-
tain. Below is a lovely valley.
Funeral processions will be able
to walk from the church y> the
cemetery. A street, however, is
to ba put through in front of
the church and thence down to
the cemetery on the north side
of the church. Thlg street will
connect with one through the
cemetery, which lead* into a cir-
cle djrive around the lower end
of the cemetery in the center of
which eventually there will be a
beautiful altar.
Tho reinterment of Mrs. Bo-
ehmer took place at 11:10 a- m.
March 19th. Only, the priest and
local funeral officials were pres-
ent. From the Latin ritual the
following prayer was said aa the
padre bleaaed the grave:
PRAYER AT QRAVB
. "Let us pray. O Ood, through
whoso mercy tho aools of the
faithful find rest, be pleased to*
bless thig grave. Send Thy holy
Angel to keep it; and loose from
the bonds of sin the souls of
those whose bodies here lie bur-
led, that they may ever rejoice
in Thee with 'Thy tfaiqts.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen."
Unfyer a pine tree in full view
of Our Lady of Fatima Church
it; the distance Mary doehmer
will now await the glorious re-
surrection of the last day.
After Sunday Mass March
2Srd people and priegV*gathered
for the ceremonial bleaflhg of
the grave. May her soul and all
the souls of the faithful tpparted
rest in peace. Amen.
STATIONS ERECTER
BY CHICAGO PRIEST
Mass For Mrs.
Boehmer In
South India
Tuticorin, South India — Holy
Mass for the repose of the soul
of the late Mary Boehmer of Dain-
Daingerfield — Th<
erection ot the stations of fl
cross took place in Our Liadr
Fatima Church here Mon„
10, with Rev. Father Jor
Chicago Franciscan officii
He was assisted by Rev.
Matsner of Clarksville, Ts
Canonical erection of the
Hons mugt be Itytae either
bishop r a member of the
of St. Francis. After the
moay Father Jordan signet Bs
decree of erection in tha
office.'
gerfield, Texas will be ofterat at
the little flower Seminar* *
tlils Indian City by a natlva War
<dfan Catholic priest, Rev. IWhar
Xavier MeL The Mass is one of
two reqo sated by the Our Iflflr
of Fatima Altar Society^ The
other was offered in Our LatpstT
Fatima Church Sat.
March 22nd, by the pastor.
er Mel wilLalso offer Masaoa
the late Josephine Haddoa
Jefferson. A gift from
and Mrs. Jessie OeWare in haw
been forwarded to Father Mel a*
be applied to this purpose;
There Is A N* ed
Every diocese, particularly one with 70,000 Catholics ttr-
lng in a scattered territory which includes two of the UsdNf.
cities of Texas, has a need for a diocesan paper. Dtoceaaa.
activities need to be coordinated. People need to know what
18 going on In their diocese In the field* of Catholic Actio*.
Catholic Men and Women's Councils, Catholic Youth, mlsstam-
ary activity, parish and diocesan expansion, ate. This knowtetga
and the spirit of diocesan unity which flows from It catueals
be r ccompllshed through the medium of a diocesan newspaper..
THE DALLAS MORNING NUWft in Its March 9th odfttaw
reported speculation that His Excellency, Moat Rev. TlriBiM
Klely Gorman, newly appointed Coadjutor Blghop of Delia*,
may establish a Dallas diocesan paper, la view of the brilliant
record mage by Bishop Gorman la tha Cfclhelio Press fialt aa
one-time editor of the Loe Angeles Catholic paper and fniunlaa
of tbs Reno, Nevada diocesan organ, ttla speculation by tha
leading secular paper of the Dallaa dioceaa la easily nnitr
gtood. ,
, THE JEFFERSonian believes that there Is a neat tsr
a diocesan paper, it pledges its wholeheaiMJj support to tha.
Bishops of the See of Dallas when ant M saeh a laudable pw-
Ject is undertaken. Its editor ant staff have sever sine* Ma
birth September 15, 1948 desired to develop THE JBFTBHMWtf-
IAN into a diocesan organ. Ita scope, since « ■ "tg'rr'ng, hsm- ■
been missionary with an objective ef —- *
Action by casting about seeds of vfc.
tlon Into the soli of the particular . •*...
which His Excellency, Bishop Lynch, neat aa a.
ly ordained priest In July, 1941.
* The scope of a dlocegan paper la much broader aa*
much different. At the editor's teak ot a dlitnsssn newspapar
must sit a priest possessed not only af Journalistic and editorial
ability but of wide business experieaee aaftl acumen.
THE JEFFERSONIAN will pray that Qod's Holy Will ba
done in any and all of the projects which may be "idirtabms
by the venerable occupant of the Bee of ntih. and his tnroaa
sors In offloe. We will pray In particular far a Dallaa dlaeaaaai
newspaper for which we see a great need. The intention: ,e*
which wo will offer special prayers will ba that If the fp+qw
lation reported in the Dallas secular press materialises, that
His Excellency, Bishop Thomas K. Qormaa will fiad a capable
priest fitted and trained to cope with the treaHVf scope of m
diocesan-wide newspaper. Once the Lert aat the Blabap haw
chosen this Priest we pledge our aasporatloa to aaaiat him la
any way we can.
Meanwhile we hope to oentiane nsHiila
the <0 mllee of our pariah if this be Oaf a witL
hapg some of them will spring up.
a work of Oeumia
Catholic
Wm
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O'Rourke, John G. The Jeffersonian (Jefferson, Tex.), Vol. 4, No. 7, Ed. 1 Saturday, March 1, 1952, newspaper, March 1, 1952; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth293200/m1/3/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.