April 15, 2011

What was in the news on April 14, 1961? A request for the whole Mass in English

By Brandon A. Evans

50 Year LogoThis 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, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Here are some of the items found in the April 14, 1961, issue of The Criterion:

  • Denial of private school aid called a threat to democracy
  • Catholic press is seen as Latin American key
  • Terre Haute will host annual Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women parley
  • Hoosier Archabbot asks ‘entire Mass in English’
    • “Permission of the Holy See for the celebration of the entire Mass, including the Canon, in English was advocated by the Right Rev. Ignatius Esser, O.S.B., in an article appearing in the March issue of Amen, official publication of the Vernacular Society of America. He is a native of Rockport, Ind. The writer, who for many years served as Abbot and Archabbot of St. Meinrad Archabbey … contends that ‘the Mass in English would win so many converts it would keep teachers busy for years giving convert instructions.’ … ‘Time was when I would not have favored the change of the Mass from Latin to English. Then, later, I agreed with those who would have changed all but the Canon. No I am one hundred percent for the whole Mass in English.’ ”
  • Kennedy praises ‘important’ role of Church schools
  • Cardinal suggests four possibilities for aid to schools
  • Pope will use Byzantine Rite
  • Bishop Wright: Warns of interfaith tiff over school aid
  • In Protestant Journal: Part-time use of public school facilities by parochial school pupils is suggested
  • Editorial: The real issue
    • “One luxury we had better deny ourselves these days is an old fashioned knock-down-and-drag-out fight between Protestants and Catholics. Bishop John Wright of Pittsburgh warns that there is danger of this in the present controversy over federal aid to Church-schools. … All the heat over the school question may yet generate some light. There is nothing like a little controversy for stimulating the jaded brain cells and sharpening the language of editorial writers. … When the smoke of controversy has cleared away from the question of federal aid to nonpublic schools, one thing at least will be clear. The issue is not really the ‘establishment of religion.’ Rather it is the establishment of the public school. The central question in the whole confused debate is the proper role of the state in education.”
  • Catholic lawyers hit discrimination to aid proposals
  • Family Clinic: Should tots go to Mass?
  • Priest’s life a challenge, Pope tells seminarians
  • Sports can help form character, Vatican states
  • Boston Catholic weekly hits John Birch Society
  • Bishops defend right to criticize

(Read all of these stories from our April 14, 1961, issue by logging on to our special archives.) †

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