But they do a lot of things for children like provide food and clean water and mosquito nets. I knew immediately what you were referring to even though we never went to church & I went to public school. More than one-third of millennials now say they are unaffiliated with any faith. Great memories!!! Oh . I taught in Catholic schools in the 1970s and pagan babies were a thing of the past ( as far as I know ; but never underestimate the nuns ). Each was presented with a medallion featuring a representation of the papal keys. I refused. Required fields are marked *. Here a pagan ; there a pagan . As a first grade student at St.Aloysius in Wilkes-Barre, PA circa 1969, pagan babies were part of our extreme Catholic instruction. I still think of those days and have many wonderful memories. . Yes, as a lesson for us to be generous the Pagan Babies idea may well have been beneficial . I jumped at it. Through the years, I have often wished I HAD one of those certificates as I have told the story about them to others and NO one seems to BELIEVE IT! Along with the Pagan babies does anyone remember selling books of small stamps people could use on envelopes? Im a veteran of catholic school and I remember so well about the pagan stories and purgatory, limbo and so on. You are no doubt a stronger person for it . Charlie was in my class . And the fact that you great people, so distinguished, so esteemed, would be here this evening to rally around this sacred responsibility of missions, what a source of inspiration and joy.. Marianne Bruce is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Edgardo Gonzalez Pagan. Order Bulk SubscriptionsGet a discount on 6 or more copies sent to your parish, organization Maybe the kids of today are more savvy . If my parents would only let me go to public school, the church might have had another nun. Along the way, in all the villages we passed through, there were people who were full of joy to see young people. I found a bunch of them in my moms cedar chest she saved all of them! We would use the proceeds to buy pagan babies. I used to take my dads loose change class voted on names. Instead, she found Jesus Christ. Because we purchased Pagan Babies for five dollars a head, on a regular basis. It is a few years after the genocide of the Tutsis by the Hutus.. Father Terry lives in Rwanda with his girlfriend Chantelle. in the classroom to see who had the most babies. In closing, Bless the Maryknolls for the work they do in spreading the message of the Gospel! Back in the 1950s and early-1960s, and Premium Powerups . Five bucks sure went far in 1958! Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. All for $5. The early pagan catches the change . Glad you enjoyed it . I had one certificate for time, before cynicism and political correctness found their stride. The teacher had a stack of them . Use a knife, horseshoe, or other piece of iron. Their Pagan Babies: "Lord have mercy! Thanks for commenting! While the circumstances, the cost, and the rewards varied from parish to parish, most Catholic children of the 1960s saved at least one pagan baby. What exactly we learned from this could be disputed. The one boys name that sticks in my head is Zachary. The concept, Good question , though , about where all the money went . Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, 5.00 together, we got to buy and name a pagan baby. Please email comments to [emailprotected] and join the conversation on our Facebook page. Catholic Connection (right after the news). except the last. I can still see the certificates posted above the blackboards. Sports. print and digital media outlets, dedicated to reporting the truth in light of the Gospel and the The students would sell candy bars for a dollar each and , depending on how many each child sold , he or she would win prizes . (And I pitched them when I went to college) I had one round flat plastic silhouette of Mary that glowed after you held it under a lamp for a bit. Steve Stahley. As for the naming part, while it seemed charming at the time, if it really were true, how outrageous for us to name an African baby Mary Margaret or other Western name. When Father Andrew Small, O.M.I., asked who remembered them at the inaugural World Mission Dinner May 2 at the Pierre Hotel in Manhattan, a few hands went up, mostly belonging to people with gray hair. I remember collecting for Pagan Babies in my Catholic elementary school (I went to public high schoolwith the publics). Contrary to popular belief, the United States fails to live up to its promised values of freedom and fairness. Pagan babies, we all understood in the 50s, were babies born to parents who did not believe in a monotheistic (1 god) religion, because they had not yet received any instruction. We all started reminiscing together as if we attended the same school! Now they're in together for a bigger payoff than either could finagle alone. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. In Catholic school in San Francisco in the Sixties, we also collected for the pagan babies daily, and got to name the baby once we had five dollars. They spoke in thick Irish brogues . Or a beer. maybe he rode to work on a bike . It was called Adopt-A-Pagan-Baby. Catholic Church. Anybody have some spare change ? In college, I was given the opportunity to work for a month at a Franciscan mission in Mexico. Possibly the nuns coerced the kids in those classes into giving more? Happy to know I am still sane. I dont believe that UNICEF worries about saving souls. Its a mystery! It may speed things up . Also , as you point out , the certificates ( I dont remember any certificates , though ) and the little cardboard box and all the hoop-la was good motivation and made the week more interesting for us kids . One time, in the 70s, at an intimate dinner party, we realized the room was filled with about half Catholics who attended Catholic school. I also had a more personal reason for hitting the $5 markthe point at which you actually saved a baby and got naming rights. This is such a funny story to me, I also went to Catholic School in the sixties and I remember raising money for the Pagan babies I dont remember what prizes do we got or anything but now my daughter who is 35 was talking about how Catholics or Pagan worshippers. Lets never forget that one day we will account for how we helped others. Don't know why they are so eagerly upholding pagan traditions. Yeah . There was something he needed to know . The money collected in the United States went to help feed, clothe and educate them. Shop high-quality t-shirts, masks, onesies, and hoodies for the perfect gift. Ask for their blessings so that your home will remain safe and happy, or if you do not follow a particular deity, you can alternately ask the . But Father Small, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, wasnt apologizing for the old adoption program in which children in Catholic schools would save their pennies. The book may rally his followers, but it wont add to their number. A lot of people never knew what I was Theres the priority. Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? My vocation has been in education, and in the thirty-plus years since my summer in Mexico I have accompanied students on many short sojourns to the front lines in Tijuana, Nicaragua, El Salvador, East Los Angeles, New Orleans. (There were a lot of Christines then for some reason it was the favorite name of a lot of the girls). A recent Pew Research Center study revealed that much of Christianity is significantly. To learn more, Father Andrew Small, a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate and National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies talks about Missio on the Catholic Connection (right after the news). Remembering a Different A-to-Z Challenge | No Facilities. It seems hard to believe, but according to the National - Ann C. Check out our pagan babies selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. The Irish nuns in their full habits immediately looked around at the teachers as if to say , Arent you teaching these children anything ? I remember those statues . Im glad youu got a kick out of it . They felt the tuition they were paying was plenty. I actually went to St Charles, but attended Corpus Cristi mass once in awhile. To some of us Catholic school old-timers , pagan babies is a secret code , I guess, that gets us entry into some somewhat sardonic memories . My dad was in the Navy out in the Pacific in WWII . Youre welcome . That bring back memories!" I think it went to the missionaries (the seminary for The Society of the Divine Word was just two miles or so away, and we were taught by the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Ghost). We went to Blessed Sacrament Grade School in LaCrosse and pagan baby buying was fierce and rampant; Within grades, boy / girl and between grades. Sure would love to hear from anyone that remembers. I think you had to be in Catholic school around 1960 or earlier to have been exposed to the term pagan babies. Id forgotten that the rest of it was to ransom them. - Vera Marie C. SubscribeStart your Register subscription today. members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission an Irish name?" Father Terry Dunn thought he'd seen everything on the mean streets of Detroit, but that was before he went on a little retreat to Rwanda to evade a tax-fraud indictment. Gina and her husband raised their two children in New Jersey and now live in Manhattan. Hearts of Gold, A Gilded Age Historical Romance Series. My allowance was 25 cents a week . ETA: and then theres this blog from someone who is completely unapologetic about their participation in the program: http://asksistermarymartha.blogspot.com/2006/08/announcing-pagan-baby-reunion.html. Band Name!! Th. My nephew's school is doing "Pennies for Puerto Rico". I feel the same way as you do. MJ, yes, the price was $5.00 and the money was kept in a cigar box, of all things! Good story about your uncles revelation Ah , the mendacity of the whole thing ! possibly before that, the Catholic schools sponsored an ongoing drive to raise money And of course, she knew that no pagan baby was coming to stay at 159 Findlay Avenue, no matter what I said. maybe NCIS or 60 minutes should get on the case? Well , I havent met any pagan (baby) Davids running around , but no pagan (baby) Patricias , either . Patti and her husband, Mark, live in North Dakota where they raised their 10 children. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, who once said, My greatest love has always been the missions of the church, was very much a spiritual presence at the dinner, where his name was invoked several times. They were no doubt common . We all worked hard to buy four boy pagan babies so we could name them John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Dell Publishing, $24.95 (272pp) ISBN 978--385-33392-4 The opening paragraph depicts a corner of hell on earth: a church in Rwanda after the recent. In our class it was the boys vs the girls. I still suspect the money collected ( probably in actuality just chicken-feed ? ) (After Vatican II beanies were no longer necessary.) When they reached $5, they then ransomed a child overseas, got a certificate and the right to name the child. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. He told how we had to examine our consciences. J. OBrien. It sure wouldnt work on the savvy kids of today. collection boxes given to each child. Who could choose the most ridiculous name ? And then I asked some of my school friends on Facebook if they remembered and none did. You know the drill . Catholic Dopers >age 50- does the term "pagan babies" ring a bell? We had Dominican Nuns. And my mother prayed. It seemed like an almost daily ordeal for the class nun to individually quiz each student, asking if they had made a contribution on that particular day. . 3:21; cf. 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