IN PICTURES 3orewcirJ The publication of this picture brochure showing a variety of activities that constitute the family life movement of the day, was prompted by the follow- ing words recorded in the 1948 Statement of the Bishops of the United States, “The Christian in Action.” Our Catholic Family Life Bureau plans and of- fers programs which make for a veritable apos- tolate of the Catholic home. It is gratifying to see the use that is being made of these programs by our Catholic lay organizations and the spread of this work in our dioceses. These activities serve as a powerful antidote to the venom of secularism and withstand its withering effect on piety and virtue in the American home. We trust that The Family Apostolate in Pictures will give a renewed impetus to the family life move- ment that has been constantly gathering momentum in the Church over the past two decades, a move- ment that, it is earnestly hoped, will eventually carry our family life to the highest heights it has ever reached in history. For years past thousands of groups throughout the country have been devot- ing their attention to the study of mar- riage and the family and child care and training. Among these are many groups of mothers, and also of fathers and mothers. The picture above shows the Ave Maria Mothers' Circle of Meriden, Connecticut, one of the many mothers' circles of the Hartford diocese, in session at the home of one of the members. Rev. Charles Mc- Nerney, shown in the picture, is spiritual director of the group. Shown standing beyond him in the picture, is Mrs. William Hempp, who is acting as leader at the session. Rev. Frederick A. McLean di- rects the combined work of the mothers' circles in the diocese. Rev. John Knott directs the Cana conference work. The upper picture on the right is that of the St. Anne’s Holy Family Guild of San Antonio in session at the home of one of the members. Both husbands and wives belong to the Holy Family Guilds of the Archdiocese of San Antonio and attend the meetings. All the guild units are federated, forming the Association of Holy Family Guilds. Rev. A. Leopold, shown in the picture, is moderator of the Association and director of Family Life in the Arch- diocese. Most attention is devoted to fam- ily study by the various Guild units, but social affairs are not neglected. More than 1400 parish units of the Con- fraternity of Christian Mothers in the United States devote their attention to- ward keeping the ideals of motherhood and Christian family life at the highest level. The Capuchin Fathers have long taken a special interest in the Confratern- ity. The church scene pictured opposite shows the Very Rev. Claude Vogel, Pro- vincial of the Capuchin Order in the United States, addressing a group of Confratern- ity members in St. Boniface church, Mil- waukee. The occasion was a regional meeting. Rev. Bertin Roll, O.F.M., Cap., seated in the sanctuary, is Director General of the Confraternity. i oCecturei, 5orumA , Variety is characteristic both of the activities that constitute the family life movement and of the channels of action that are utilized in promoting it. Some of the channels are: the printed word, the radio, the lecture, the forum, the discussion club, the convention, the family retreat, the sermon, the conference, the school sys- tem, the parish, and a variety of agencies and organizations. All are helpful in teaching a correct ideology of Christian marriage, in disseminating information helpful to successful family living, and in inspiring to high ideals in Christian family life. The picture opposite shows an annual meeting of the League of Catholic Women of the Archdiocese of Boston in session. This organization annually conducts a mar- riage preparation lecture series for young women, and promotes other activities in the field of marriage and the family. The woman farthest to the left on the speakers’ platform is Mrs. John S. Reilly, who, be- l/^etreats, (Conferences, etc. cause of her consistent lecturing and writ- ing in behalf of a better family life, was several years ago presented the Family Ac- tion Award given annually by the Family Life Bureau. Picture to the left, below, shows an in- formal session at a family retreat afford- ing the retreatants an opportunity for questions. Rev. Richard T. Doherty, shown in the picture, is Director of Family Life in the Archdiocese of St. Paul. The par- ticular retreat was held at St. Peter’s parish, Mendota, Minn. The Director of the Family Life Bureau addresses thousands of people each year, usually among them some hundreds of seminarians. While the family apostolate is a subject that appeals to all audiences, students for the priesthood show a par- ticularly keen interest in it. The picture below shows the director speaking with several seminarians after an address on the family retreat given at St. Mary’s Seminary, Baltimore in the spring of 1949. <2\votionaf Practiced There is much evidence of a return to a vaierty of religious practices in the home— prayers in common, the use of sacramentals, etc. Historically, the rosary has been a popular family devotion among all Catholic peoples. The enthronement of the Sacred Heart in the home is enjoying a particularly rapid growth of recent years, due especially to the efforts of the Fathers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The picture below shows the Rev. Fran- cis Larkin, SS.CC., Director of the En- thronement Center at Washington, officiat- ing at an enthronement service in a home. * * * Picture opposite, another enthronement inauguration. The parents in the picture need have little fear their youngsters will become delinquent. * * * Seven P.M. is rosary time for the family shown in the picture to the right below. The practice of the Family Holy Hour has rapidly become popu- lar. Such a Holy Hour is always held as the closing session of the national family conference, sponsored annually by the Family Life Bureau. The past two years the parishes of over titty dioceses joined in holding a Family Holy Hour the same evening.- The church scene, bottom, opposite page, shows Rev. Joseph Hennes, pastor of St. Rose de Lima parish, Monroeville, Indiana, leading his parish- ioners in the renewal of their marriage promises at a Family Holy Hour service. Father Hennes is the director of family life activities in the Fort Wayne diocese. The scene, opposite page, above, shows Rev. John G. Hart, Director of Family Life of the diocese of Albany, preaching to his congregation in St. Anne’s Church, Albany, during a Family Holy Hour, held March 10, 1949. Immediately below another view of the same service. The picture directly opposite shows parishoners coming out of St. Augustine’s Church, Honolulu, after a Family Holy Hour, held March 9, 1949, the closing day of the annual meeting of the Na- tional Catholic Conference on Family Life at San Francisco. The diocese of Honolulu recently es- tablished a permanent family life conference. Rev. Hubert Winthagen is Director of Family Life in the diocese. Special ^'eatureS Among special features promoted by the Family Life Bureau are: honoring out- standing Catholic mothers; honoring in- dividuals who have done particularly effec- tive work in behalf of a better family life, encouraging the revival of the religious family customs that have been common among different ethnic or racial groups, and fostering the practice of recitation of the pledge to Christian marriage and the renewal of the marriage promises. A number of dioceses and archdioceses also select a mother-of-the-year. In the archdiocese of New Orleans the mother that is chosen receives what is known as the Regina Matrum Award. The picture, lower right, shows the 1949 award be- ing presented to Mrs. Charles Miller. Left to right on the picture are: Mrs. John Bandi, President of the Council of Catholic School Cooperative Clubs, the Most Rev. L. Abel Caillouet, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Rt. Rev. Columban Thuis, O.S.B, Abbot of St. Joseph’s Abbey, St. Benedict, La.; Mrs. Miller; Rev. Henry C. Bezou, Spiritual Director of CCSCC. The picture above shows the participants in a panel on Family Religious Customs at the National Catholic Conference on Family Life, held at San Francisco, in mid-lent 1949. Standing, left to right are: Mrs. F. M. Erickson, Chairman, Inter- American Affairs, NCCW San Francisco who spoke on Spanish speaking customs; Edward C. Massa of Hayward; John Yeehall Chin, adminis- trator evening school, Catholic Chinese Center, San Francisco; Fred Campagnoli, Salesian Boys Academy, San Francisco; Mrs. Matalize C. Hutchi- son, St. Benedict the Moor Mission, San Francisco; Arthur E. Hutson, professor of Irish folklore study, University of California; Mrs. Mary Rose Brullard, San Francisco. Seated, left to right, Mrs. John J. Ryan, president of Council of Catholic Women, archdiocese of San Francisco, who pre- sided at the session; and Helena Schmiedeler, in- structor at the San Francisco College for Women. WotLroftL tjear Since 1942, a Catholic Mother-of-the-Year has been chosen through the Bureau’s agency, the National Catholic Conference on Family Life. The picture to the right shows Mrs. Joy Seth Hurd, Catholic Mother of 1946, immediately after being presented with a medal from the Shrine of Chris- tian Mothers, St. Augustine, Florida. This medal is given to every Catholic Mother-of-the-Year. The prelate in the picture is the Most Reverend Edward T. Hoban, Bishop of Cleveland who pre- sented the award. ^s4ction ^Qwcircld Every year the Family Life Bureau presents a Family Action Award to one or more individuals who aredoing out- standing work in behalf of the family. Pictures of several of the recipients are shown here. Relow right: J- J* Hengesbaugh, Elyria, Ohio, who has given substantial aid to further what he calls “our needed family crusade”. (Ed Navo Photo.) Above right: Francis A. Fink, Hunting- don, Indiana! editor of the popular publica- tion, The Family Digest. Below, left: Mrs. Catherine Bulger, Pittsburgh, Pa., Assistant to the Director General of the Confraternity of Christian Mothers, St. Augustine’s, Pittsburgh, Pa. The picture on the opposite page shows Mrs. Richard Healy with her family. She received the award in 1948. In spite of the work entailed in caring for her large family, Mrs. Healy is one ofthemost prolific popular writers in the Unlt®d States. Her articles have repeatedly ap- peared in The Family Digest, and in no less than thirty other publications. r 1 ' \0 College courses in marriage and the family, and in child training have for some time been the accepted thing in Catholic higher educational institutions. Over one hundred Cath- olic colleges are offering one or more such courses today. Other activities helpful to successful marriage and family life are also encouraged. The picture at top of page opposite shows a class on the family in session at St. Benedicts College, Atchison, where the first such course to be offered in a Catholic higher educational institution was taught in 1921 by the present Director of the Family Life Bureau. Always popular with the students the course took on added interest with the matriculation of married G.I.’s. Apparently the particular session shown here was turned into a practical class in child psychology. Below: A group in elementary child care at Marygrove College, Detroit, for children from the Jesu and St. Gregory parishes, Detroit. The course used is prepared by members of the Na- tional Federation of Catholic Nurses. Standing farthest to the left is Mrs. Joseph Althoff, Na- tional Chairman of the Committee on the Family and Parent Education of the National Council of Catholic Women. (Photo: Detroit News) In some schools, alumnae and alumni are in- vited to bring their families to the annual reunions. Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, has done this for some years past. The picture at bottom, opposite page, shows a 1933 graduate of the school attending the annual alumnae family picnic on the school campus with her husband and children. She is Mrs. John Brust. A number of Catholic colleges have established Family Life Institutes for the promotion of family life programs in the community. One of the first to be established is that of the College of New Rochelle. The picture center, opposite page, shows its officers at the opening session of the 1949 fall program. Left to right: Edward B. Lyman, program chairman; Rev. Thomas Maher, associate moderator; Hugh B. Kelly, of executive committee; Mrs. James K. Bishop, pub- licity; Rev. Francis Reh, St. Joseph’s Seminary, Yonkers, N. Y., speaker at opening meeting; Mrs. Harry Kroyer, Jr., secretary; Charles S. Horgan, chairman; Rt. Rev. Msgr. Francis X. Shea, moderator. ^ 'Jlie ScLooid For some years the high schools did not follow the college in introducing courses on marriage and the family. But with the appearance of a special high school text in 1946 they began a rapid growth. While courses are found in all parts of the country they are apparently most numerous to date in the high schools of the archdiocese of Chicago. The picture, opposite page, above, shows a class on mar- riage and the family in session at Notre Dame High School, Chicago. Opposite page, below : A class on marriage and the family at St. Rita High School, Chicago. Below: A group who take the courses in family living at the Academy of the Presentation, San Francisco. 1 i J! 1 Social ^Ictivitiei Essential Young folks have a right to social activities. Such activities are needed for the normal development of their nature. But they must be the right kind. The picture to the left shows refreshments being served by the mothers of teen-agers for whom the St. Monica and St. Margaret Mary Mothers Circle at Manchester, Connecticut, was sponsoring a dance. The picture above was taken on the occasion of a prom at Mt. St. Scholastica College. Social affairs for the students of this institution and the neighboring St. Benedict’s College have long been customary. There are few worries over mixed marriages here. Opposite, members of the Brooklyn CYO ready to swing their partners. The well-organized marriage preparation courses of the Diocese of Brook- lyn have been functioning successfully for some years past. The social life of the young folks is also given careful attention. Because of the disturbed conditions of the times the Church is putting forth even greater effort than formerly to prepare her young people for marriage, and particularly to give them a deep appreciation of the dignity of Christian marriage and a clear and firm grasp of its many spiritual aspects. Large numbers of parishes now have regular marriage prepara- tion courses for those looking toward marriage and family life. Further- more, greater attention than heretofore is being given the instructions immediately preceding the marriage. Picture below: A pastor gives a last instruction before a marriage. “There are rights . . . There are duties . . . There are great graces . . . And there is superb dignity ... As St. Paul puts it : marriage is a great sacra- ment . . . The husband is an image of Christ, the wife, an image of the Church.” To the right: Conferring of the blest ring during the ceremony before the altar — “With this ring I thee wed, and plight unto thee my troth.” Opposite page, upper picture : Pronouncing their vows before the Mass — “I take thee . . . till death do us part.” Opposite page, below : At the offertory of the Nuptial Mass. the (J3ie mm ebiinc^s of ff]areLagey the Cyiiiicl JfotJbi ffhirst Iace ” —Marriage Encyclical The child is the primary purpose of mar- riage. Among the enemies of Christian marriage and family life that the Family Life Bureau has had to fight consistently have been the enemies of the child. For years, one of the most unnatural and hid- eous expressions ever coined in a civiliza- tion — “the unwanted child” — was con- stantly heard throughout the country. It is still heard to some extent. Picture to the left : Eager to face life. To the right : Being “reborn” in baptism. Below, left : The Church has always been actively interested in securing the best care for mother and child at child- birth. Below, right : Four pairs of twins, born in one hospital— and on Christmas Day! The Church has a special blessing for mother and child in her ritual. In giving it, she prays “that by the obstetric hand of Thy mercy, her infant may happily see the light of day and being reborn in holy baptism forever seek Thy ways and come to life everlasting.” Were it not for the many ex- cellent Catholic families of the United States, the Church could not have her splendid corps of priests and religious who are so many zealous workers sustaining her mani- fold efforts in behalf of man- kind. A fairly high percentage of American boys and girls turn to the priesthood or to a life in some religious order, generously sacrificing all op- portunities for marriage and a family of their own that come their way. These are a great help to parents in the capacity of teachers, nurses, social workers, and the like. Picture at top left: Five sisters from one family in one religious order. The sister farthest to the left has just entered the novitiate. The five are from the Stanley Nowak family of Crivitz, Wis. The picture at left, below: Seven postulants about to re- ceive the habit of the Do- minican order. The Most Rev. William A. O’Connor, Bishop of the diocese of Springfield in Illinois is officiating. (Mer- cury Photograhps.) Right : A postulant’s secular garb to be replaced by a re- ligious garb which has just been blessed. (International News Photos.) 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