The Pope To Lead Church Unity Octave

DAILY INTENTIONS SUM UPI THE MiNDSZENTY FILM
HOLY YEAR PLEA
From a Special Correspondent On Wednesday next, January 18, the Feast of St. Peter's Chair at Rome, the Pope will say Mass for the intentions of the Church Unity Octave which opens on that day and continues until the following Wednesday, January 25, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.
The Pope himself always observes the Octave and for a number of years has offered his Mass for the Octave Intention for each day.
That in this Holy Year of Jubilee, 1950, the general intention of the Octave is specially dear to the Pope is apparent from his forthright and moving appeal that it should see "the Great Return to the one true Church, awaited over the centuries, of so many, who, though believing in Jesus Christ, are for various reasons sepal.. ated from her."
From that opening passage the whole of the first part of the Pope's Christmas Allocution read like a commentary on the day to day intentions of the Octave.
These are : the return of all Christians to unity (Jan. 18); the return of separated Eastern Christians (Jan. 19); the return of separated Christians in England (Jan. 20), in Europe (Jan. 21) and in America (Jan. 22); the return of the sinner (Jan. 23); conversion of Mohammedans and Jews (Jan. 24); and, on the Feast of Conversion of St. Paul, the con
version of the heathen.
The Octave was approved by Prayer For
Pope Benedict XV, who granted a plenary indulgence for the daily recitation of the Octave prayer, and one Confession and Holy Communion. The present Pope in 1946 extended the indulgences to 300 days for recitation during the octave and a plenary indulgence once a month if said daily during the year.
In Rome
In Rome this year the octave is being celebrated with special solemnity in the four major Basilicas with Masses in various Eastern
liturgies. Under the direction of Cardinal Tisserant, the head of the Sacred Congregation for Eastern Rites, who has always strongly supported the Octave. Mass each day will be said in one or other of the different rites, thus -ffinstratirig the present universality of the Church.
The Octave is observed also by Vatican Radio which gives a special series of talks on the intentions of the Octave and cognate subjects in all the 27 languages the station uses.
The Octave should have a further special significance and solemnity for English Catholics this year. We celebrate in September the centenary of the restoration of the English Hierarchy in 1850 and recall the great movement of conversions, the Second Spring.
That important event was in no small measure due to the tireless work and prayer of Cardinal Wiseman and it is plain from the following lines, written by him in 1836 long before the idea of the octave had been conceived. that he envisaged gratitude as a motive force, at least equal to charity, in prayer for what he termed " Catholic Unity."
" Were the superiors of our Church to command the observance of a certain day, as the 18th of January, in grateful commemoration of the blessing of Unity bestowed on the Church through the authority vested in its pastors, and chiefly in the occupier of St. Peter's Chair. we are sure the same doctrine, the same motives of thankfulness, the same instructions would be presented in every church and chapel."
In England
In Oxford the Dominicans have arranged a daily lecture during the Octave at 3 p.m. at Blackfriars, preceded by a short service of prayer for unity in the chapel. The Abbot of Downside opens the series on Jan. 18 and an Anglican, the Rev. D. R. Davies, begins the discussions.
Speakers on other days are Professor Sherwood Taylor, Fr. Henry St. John. O.P. (when the Master of Campion Hall, Fr. Thomas Corbishley, S.J., will be in the chair). Fr, Gervase Mathew, 0.P. and Fr. Conrad Pepler, O.P.
The subjects range from " Nonconformist Spirituality " to " Jewish mysticism." Distinguished nonCatholics opening the discussions will be Dr. Mascall, Dr, Zernov, Professor Grensted and Dr. Zander.
The Anglican Church Unity Octave Committee not only widely distributes leaflets detailing the intentions and explaining the purpose but arranges a meeting in London. This year the chief meeting is at the Central Hall. Westminster. on Jan.
at 6 p.m. In the past there has usually been a Catholic speaker at this meeting.
Need Of Today
That the Octave of prayer answers a special need of today is evidenced most surely in the recent words of His Holiness the Pope but outside the Church the movement is strong and certain which sees in the dogmatic firmness of the Church and the spiritual leadership of the Pope the only sure shield against the advance of blatant anti-God materialism. and the fatal inroads more sinister and more subtle of antisupernatural but moral rationalistic The recent Times article. Catholicism Today. and the subsequent correspondence, recognised that only the dogmatic sureness and the unqualified authority of Catholicism
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