Seventy-five years ago, when this magazine was first published, the Mass was in Latin, and laypeople did not read from scripture or distribute communion. "Religious education" consisted of classes in Catholic schools taught primarily by sisters wearing habits.
my response
- I started Catholic elementary school in 1949. At that time we were using a format of the Baltimore Catechism, at least in the upper grades, which had scripture with the Q&A.
- I started Catholic high school in 1955. One of the required texts was a New Testament. We had periodic "days of reflection". We were expected to read the NT during that day, especially when we were assembled in study hall. We also had 4 intense yrs of Latin and 4 less intense yrs of Greek. In college I bought a Greek NT so I could keep up with my Greek - not very successfully.
- I started Catholic college in 1959. We were required to take 8 theology and 6 philosophy courses as part of the core. 3 of those courses were scripture.
This was not a raving liberal place. Several decades later I was at a party in Houston talking to my former pastor John McCarthy, then the Aux Bp of Houston and later Bp of Austin, now retired. I told him I was from Covington Ky. At first he couldn't place it. After I pointed out that it was just across the river from Cincinnati, his eyes lite up. Oh yes he said. That is where the Cincinnati airport is. He then brought up a piece of trivia I will always remember. During Vatican II, the Covington bishop, Bp Ackerman was considered one of the most conservative bishops at the council.
I find it hard to beliee that a backwater like CVG would be ahead of the rest of the world.
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