SPEECHES AT LEEDS CONFERENCE What The C.Y.M.S. Could Become
"I think that our society should be the front line regiment in this crusade of Catholic Action, but in order to be that it must have all Catholic men within its ranks," stated Bro. J. Power in the course of a paper entitled "On His Majesty's Service," given in the Albert Hall, Leeds, to the C.Y.M.S. delegates attending the conference. ( The conference is fully reported on page 8.) He was not concerned with the C.Y.M.S. as contrasted with any other society for men, said Bro. Power, there was room for all, but the fact of there being other societies for specialised work was no reason for there not being one society to which all Catholic men could belong, no matter to what other societies they might feel called to join.
As he saw it, the C.Y.M.S. should be part of every Catholic man's life, and the society itself should present to the world the union of the Catholic manhood of Great Britain in one definite organisation.
The C.Y.M.S. provided a definite organisation in loyal obedience to the hierarchy. Its rules provided for that spiritual and intellectual background for the lay apostolate, and it could provide a really Catholic way of thinking, which was of such great importance.
If they could but make their society embrace all Catholic man-power, if they could make of it a real training ground for Catholic Action, and if they could give their members that Catholic mentality then the C.Y.M.S. would be a tower of strength to the Church.
Bro. J. S. McAnulty, in a paper on "The Ideal C.Y.M.S. Branch," stated that the basis of the ideal branch was the strict observance by every member of the Three Fundamental Rules. It should be a vigorous and live branch, the officers of which should be men of personality, heart and soul in the welfare of their members and the society, and whose members were human but fervent Catholics, entirely loyal to the principles of the C.Y.M.S.
The election of officers resulted in Bros. J. Howley, J. Cummins and W. Waldron being re-elected president, vice-president and honorary secretary respectively. Bro. J. McKeown of Liverpool was elected treasurer in succession to Bro. P. McEvoy.