February 8, 2013

What was in the news on Feb. 8, 1963?

New developments predicted for the catechism and for the teaching of mathematics in schools

Criterion logo from the 1960sBy Brandon A. Evans

This 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.

Here are some of the items found in the Feb. 8, 1963, issue of The Criterion:

  • Sees changes in catechism to clarify mission of laity
    • “FLORENCE, Italy—Changes in the catechism to clarify the mission of the laity in the Church may be expected when the Second Vatican Council reconvenes in September, according to Archbishop Ermenegildo Florit of Florence. … Archbishop Florit said that he foresaw that there would have to be changes in the catechism in order to set forth the basic theology of the Church regarding the role of the laity in language that would meet the expectations of the people. Thus, he explained, one of the first answers in the catechism would have to be, instead of ‘God made us to know him, love him and serve him…’ something like, ‘God made us to know him and to share in making him known, to love him and to share in making him loved, to serve him and to share in bring others to his service.’ ”
  • ‘Major achievement’: New spirit of charity seen result of council
  • Pilot study under way: Archdiocesan schools will adopt ‘new math’
    • “Mother and Dad probably aren’t kidding when they tell Johnny that they can’t help him with his arithmetic homework because ‘we just don’t understand it.’ If Johnny attends one of a dozen parish schools in the archdiocese where a pilot study of ‘new mathematics’ is under way, chances are that he will reach a mathematical maturity much earlier than his contemporaries studying the traditional approach.”
  • Celebrezze discounts tax credit proposal
  • National Conference on Religion and Race: A sociologist’s analysis
  • Catholic press is lauded for role in developing ecumenical spirit
  • Public attitudes, not law, seen school tax aid bar
  • Root out ‘dishonesty,’ U.S. businessmen told
  • Jesuit scholastics helping bring faith to changing neighborhood
  • Question Box: Must women wear hats in church?
  • Liberalization of law of celibacy urged for council consideration
  • ‘Cultural pattern’ seen danger to marriages
  • Find proves antiquity of Extreme Unction
  • Farm life ‘real vocation’
  • Two state colleges offer credit courses in Catholic religion
  • Purge textbook bias, Catholics, Jews urged
  • Bible study: Nun conducts class for Protestants
  • Stresses three elements in progress toward unity
  • Lay mission group to expand program

(Read all of these stories from our Feb. 8, 1963, issue by logging on to our special archives.) †

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