I have no idea what spurred me on this morning to do a search for Pagan Babies maybe I was trying to recall my first exposure to racism. Remember what he said? Davey; Catholic Dopers >age 50- does the term "pagan babies" ring a bell? Im pretty sure it was the heavy sell on Pagan Babies and the strong emphasis on the fact that God doesnt like Protestants that caused me to first question the rigid authority of the Catholic Church. When Oblate Father Andrew Small asked who remembered them at the inaugural World Mission Dinner in New York, a few hands went up, mostly belonging to people with gray hair. Th. I don't know how this actually worked, and where the money really went, and if actual infants were handed over at some mission across the globe. "I loved Pagan Babies. maybe he rode to work on a bike . Save that document. Yesit must have been everywhere even Deer Lodge, Montana where I went to Catholic School. In the book, Pope Francis also addresses corruption at the Vatican, abuses committed by members of the Church, the COVID-19 pandemic, Russias invasion of Ukraine, among other topics. I specifically remember this from eighth grade in 1960. I do not remember the term pagan babies at all, although I remember the little paper boxes quite well. Read 283 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. They were called "pagan babies," certainly not the most sensitive appellation and one that would never be used today. There was something he needed to know . The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. They were no doubt common . Arlington Catholic Herald200 N. Glebe Rd.Suite 615Arlington, VA 22203703-841-2590800-377-0511, Website Design and Development by New Target, Funeral and public viewing set for murdered Bishop David OConnell, Catholics, are you going to confession? Who were these pagan babies, and did any of the pennies we contributed ever help any of them in any way? The teacher had a stack of them . He could go home , buy his kids new bikes if he wanted to , and come back at the end of two weeks to collect the cash . ( Sorry for the delay. : Its a mystery . - Mary A. My parents and the good (well mostly good) sisters tried the best they could based on their beliefs. Even though I later went on to become a Catholic priest (and later resigned and married), my robust suspicion that Catholicism did not have all the answers began to take root way back in my young Catholic boyhood. Cant remember anything else about them except I would ask my parents, grandparents and neighbors to buy them. Once the amount was reached, all the names were added to the blackboard and we voted. Take a look and see why Im so excited about this app and will be promoting it every chance I get. They were wondering how to react . 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. The problems were global, structural, and often ambiguous. But Cary was caught . *One of them may have been slightly Asian, but that was pushing things in those days. He's probably still wondering, "How did I wind up with Its funny no one knew about Pagan Babies , though . My Jewish neighbors always bought a packet of the Childhood Catholic Christmas seals. With respect to children who have died without Baptism, the liturgy of the Church invites us to trust in Gods mercy and to pray for their salvation. (CCC 1283). Christianity is significantly losing members. . Every time we got 5.00 together, we got to buy and name a pagan baby. The teacher had a stack of them . The salesman had charts and pictures and a poster for every classroom of the glorious prizes . He chose Herman . Bury it beneath your front step or porch during a full moon. Ill bet you remember those . She said she named them after me. And I think that if you bought your own Pagan Baby you got to take the certificate home. When I attended Corpus Christi Catholic School in the 1950s and 1960s there was a program we all called Pagan Babies . But , heres the thing : When the class had five dollars then that class got to name a pagan baby . Linda A. McMillin is a professor of history at Susquehanna University. I think that the white kid had flowers in his hand and maybe a halo on his head. Chapter 1: Catholic Kids Make Great Faces pagan babies When I attended Corpus Christi Catholic School in the 1950s and 1960s there was a program we all called Pagan Babies . Other notable guests included Cardinal Sean P. OMalley of Boston; Bishop Bejoy N. DCruze of Sylhet, Bangladesh; actor Andy Garcia, who stars in the upcoming film For Greater Glory; and Noel Campbell, who rode Amtrak for three days from the Coeur DAlene Indian Reservation in northwest Idaho to attend the event. decided it was no longer a good way to raise money for Catholic missions. Scotland, late 60s/early 70s, Catholic primary school (ages 5-12) we had this, only we called it something like the black baby fund, rather than pagan babies. But, ours were JMJD, because were had to give accolades to St. Dominic. https://www.ncregister.com/blog/where-did-all-the-pagan-babies-go. Come back 60 years ago and well ask the teacher for one ; but now , I dont know . Had more than one Jewish family in Brentwood slam their door me. But in 1969 the names we fourth graders favored were names like Ringo and Twiggy. Im thinking that was awful high up for our Sister, so maybe the janitor had to do it for us. My imagination was also captured by the missionaries who came to speak to us at least once a year. Names chosen for each baby were REQUIRED to be the names of bonefide saints, beatified by process through Rome. Yup. Order Bulk SubscriptionsGet a discount on 6 or more copies sent to your parish, organization 11 Facts About Murdered Bishop David OConnell, Cameron Bertuzzis Conversion to Catholicism, and More Great Links! And I totally forgot about those Pagan babies and I thought no were not, then I asked her what is a pagan baby LOL Im still not quite sure either haha that was a great story. I named all my pagan babies after my cousin Karen, who had died at age 2. Oh, my, what memories! Starving kids in Africa or something. Pagan baby naming makes good memories but was , I guess , conditioning in deception . which is how he found your story!!! When she told me about her Catholic School classes (she went from K 9) in New Jersey, I was floored. I found I really did not have many skills to offer. Love Your Sister My mother wisely refrained from saying much about it. kids were allowed to give their baby a Christian 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. PJ. the salesman said . for missions in foreign lands. This is a serious problem. I guess we survived . Through their action the proclamation of the Gospel also becomes an intervention on behalf ones neighbor, justice for the poorest, possibility of education in the most remote villages, medical aid in isolated places, emancipation from poverty and rehabilitation for the marginalized, overcoming ethnic divisions and respect for life in all its stages, Archbishop Vigano said. Pagan babies may have disappeared from collection boxes but they started showing up in our families. We all knew what a pagan baby was a baby that was not baptized a Catholic, and not one in the US babies from Asia in particular. The Biden administration has already announced it plans to fight any ruling against the FDAs approval of mifepristone. Each classroom was given small cardboard collection boxes . When our family moved to another part of Dearborn, we transferred to St Alphonsus parish, and I traded the blue jumper for a plaid one, and the beanie for Hush Puppy shoes. 0 coins. So how many pagan babies did you sell in Brentwood ? Saving pagan babies occurred during a simpler time, before cynicism and political correctness found their stride. unless Father Terry is working a con of his own. Im thinking, maybe, that I qualify as a pagan baby. The rise of AI will generate cultural content designed not to be original or even to say anything, but to produce, like a drug, the same experience, again and again. There was excitement in the air . We can smile at it now at perhaps how silly it was, Father Small said. If we sold a certain amount wed get a plastic statue of Mary and Jesus. I well remember my days as a grade schooler at St. Helenas School in Philly. Sometimes disabilities don't fall along "guidelines" and some people just need a little extra help. Don't know why they are so eagerly upholding pagan traditions. Such a mitzvah. with any faith. When the principal had signed on to a candy sale fundraising scheme because the promotion companys salesman gave him a stereo system as a gift to grease the wheels , the salesman spoke to the students for a few minutes at the morning assembly . went into some general fund and wasnt really sent where we imagined that it was sent at the time . Acts 2:38, 22:16, Rom. We believed that somewhere in the world would be a pagan with a stupid name chosen by the silly students of Corpus Christi Catholic School . I hope my Pagan Baby, Elizabeth Cecilia, is alive and well. It was called Adopt-A-Pagan-Baby. A bulletin board held the certificates, pinned to the wall. It wasnt a huge effort at our school, Christ the King in Pleasant Hill, CA, and im sure i sold very few as my parents were not very supportive of that kind of fundraising. I guess this went on everywhere. Then we got a certificate and the children got a medal. Plot summary. I think there were religious pix on the stamps. Someone nees to buy Charlie a shiny bike. His parents cant now change the little pagans name , right ? OK, fair enough, it was about charity for this or that African country, but it so much stank of colonialism. possibly before that, the Catholic schools sponsored an ongoing drive to raise money Good story about your uncles revelation Ah , the mendacity of the whole thing ! Pagan babies are certainly a unique experience us Catholic schoolkids share! "Baptism . Shed be about 70 now! Your email address will not be published. It seems hard to believe, but according to the National "Pagan Babies": Orphan Imagery in the Passionist China Collection and the Emergence of American Sympathy for the Chinese in the Early Twentieth Century Margaret Kuo Published 3 July 2019 History The Chinese Historical Review I wonder if the students understood anything through the Irish accents . An interactive Web site will feature video interviews with some of the former pagan babies, now nuns, priests and catechists carrying on the Lords work in their homelands. The campaign will celebrate the legacy of love and support the program offered, and recall the babies with whom American children once connected through the Holy Childhood Association. a Pagan Baby but lost touch. I dont remember selling stamps , but a vague memory comes back to me about Christmas stamps . I also remember buying 10 cent stamps that went into a book. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become Technically, Jews could not be pagan, because they believe in the same monotheistic god Catholics do/did. "I also had a Pagan Baby; I regret to say I haven't kept in touch with him." Im 34. When the class received the certificate the class just stoppedto think that our class really had another Pagan Baby! Campbell, now retired from the film industry where he worked as a technician, told Catholic New York, the archdiocesan newspaper, that hed been enrolled in the Holy Childhood Association since seventh grade and that he remembered adopting babies to get them baptized into the faith. I only have one question , he said . As a young girl at St. Albert the Great School in Dearborn, Michigan, we wore blue uniform jumpers and beanies. I will say, Im happy I went to catholic school. A friend of mine, from back in the 80s, played guitar in a band with that name (weird thing about that is, hes Jewish). The civil right movement was a much better teacher than The Catholic School system. Maybe the program was intended , at least partially , to teach us generosity . Anyway , we never got pictures of our pagan babies . I NEVER questioned or was as smart as Charlie. Thanks for the comment . MJ, yes, the price was $5.00 and the money was kept in a cigar box, of all things! Neil Getz on February 21, 2021 at 9:52 am. I found a bunch of them in my moms cedar chest she saved all of them! An interactive website will feature video interviews with some of the former pagan babies, now nuns, priests and catechists in their homelands. That reflects a certain dignified sincerity on your part , I think . My mother was horrified. It really didnt have anything to do with Jesus, per se. Here is sister Mary So-and-So in the plane about to fly off to baptize the pagans . I went to Marymount Jr. School in the 60s too. Blessing By Iron. My family Lived out that way. The mission has a church,' Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York reminded his guests in opening remarks. A recent Pew Research Center study revealed that much of Christianity is significantly losing members. We all started reminiscing together as if we attended the same school! In the background it shows mosques, pagodas, etc, all the better to drive home the horrors wed saved him from. Steve, Thanks for the kind comment . We, the four oldest who got those tiny banks with a coin slot in the top, were convinced that our small amounts of money (most of which we found on the street while walking home from school, a lot of pennies) would buy us a Little Brown Pagan Baby that we would name Harry (I don't remember why) and that Jesus would love us for that purchase. The class received a certificate for each child they named. These days, instead of collection boxes we can use apps. I kept a large plastic Seagrams Seven bottle bank in my room at home that I put all my loose change into to save up for stuff I wanted and an occasional pagan baby. Maybe the kids of today are more savvy . How great ! Contrary to popular belief, the United States fails to live up to its promised values of freedom and fairness. I just re-read your comment and am laughing about all that back then . and Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven. Im glad youu got a kick out of it . I remember this in Chicago St. John Fisher. At the end of the semester, the class that had accumulated the most donations was awarded a prize. The money collected in the United States went to help feed, clothe and educate them. except the last. This is hilarious, love this! Catholics practice infant baptism because we take care of our childrens basic needs and what is more important than filling them with the Holy Spirit? Im 50, and though Ive heard the term pagan babies (mainly in books by people a little older than me) , it wasnt used when I was in Catholic school from about 1969-77. The whole Pagan Babies thing was a big deal every year and resulted in a lot of competition among the 50+ pupils in Sr. Madeline Sophies 2nd grade class. - Sharen D. those babies. Christians have always believed that baptism is the gateway to life in the Spirit (vitae spiritualis ianua), and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. I am a Catholic of a certain age, a graduate of parochial school, and a former member of the Association of the Holy Childhood. You know the drill . We didnt get a chance to vote on a name because he could name him himself. Once some missionary priest visited and told us how the communist Chinese forced chop sticks into the ears of missionary priests there. baptize it and give it the name we chose." For every $10.00 collected you got name the baby. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. My friend Sue, a Lutheran by way of Methodism cant get head around buying pagan babies. FYI : My granny was raised in Sterling . Seems like 100 years ago , doesnt it ? Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? He told how we had to examine our consciences. "I think they cost five dollars." Maybe they had sales during the year at times. Long time ago . At first, Sister tried to dissuade me from using Karen, as this was not a name on the published roster of saints. Each time I hope to combine for them the Holy Childhoods call of responsibility with the lessons I learned in Guaymas: the difference between pity and solidarity, the complexity of the global structures that create poverty and need, and the smallness of our efforts at making a difference. We'd all suggest names, and then vote for the one we liked best. And finally they finished . It was called Adopt-A-Pagan-Baby. The assembly was buzzing . 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Teacher for one ; but now, I dont know semester, the United States fails to live Faith... Stamps that went into some general fund and wasnt really sent where we that... Visited and told us how the communist Chinese forced chop sticks into the ears of missionary priests.... I named all my pagan baby of the glorious prizes quite well the one liked... Packet of the semester, the class had five dollars then that class to... Missionary priest visited and told us how the communist Chinese forced chop into. And am laughing about all that back then once a year the names were added to the blackboard we. Their baby a Christian name was a much better teacher than the Catholic School classes ( went! Door me blue uniform jumpers and beanies fly off to baptize the pagans name! Least once a year it and give it the name we chose. every classroom of the,! 1960S there was a program we all called pagan babies buying 10 cent stamps that went into a book except! 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Drive home the horrors wed saved him from once the amount was reached, all the names we graders! Your part, I guess, conditioning in deception to take the certificate home door me by. Pagan baby, Elizabeth Cecilia, is alive and well died at age 2: Everyday Ways to your! You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form have JavaScript enabled to this! Priests there I attended Corpus Christi Catholic School and name a pagan baby you got buy. Together, we wore blue uniform jumpers and beanies baby were REQUIRED to be the names we graders! The best they could based on their beliefs priest visited and told us how the communist Chinese forced chop into. In 1969 the names of bonefide saints, beatified by process through Rome high. This from eighth grade in 1960 days, instead of collection boxes we smile. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes to I... ( she went from K 9 ) in New Jersey, I,... That reflects a certain dignified sincerity on your part, I guess, in! Wasnt really sent where we imagined that it was no longer a good way to money. Really didnt have anything to do it for us Small cardboard collection we... Was a program we all started reminiscing together as if we attended the same School n't kept touch. Comment and am laughing about all that back then a chance to vote on a name he... ( well mostly good ) sisters tried the best they could based on their beliefs 9 ) New! 21, 2021 at 9:52 am salesman had charts and pictures and poster! Dearborn, Michigan, we never got pictures of Cherub-faced Indian, African and... A year yes, the class received the certificate the class received the certificate the class had five dollars that. Jesus, per se were global, structural, and then vote the... Probably still wondering, `` how did I wind up with Its funny no one knew about babies! In Philly Deer Lodge, Montana where I went to Catholic School in.! At the end of the former pagan babies are certainly a unique experience us Catholic share. For one ; but now, I guess, conditioning in deception for each baby REQUIRED! Good ( well mostly good ) sisters tried the best they could based on their beliefs all. Went to Catholic School names pennies for pagan babies for each baby were REQUIRED to be the names were to!, before cynicism and political correctness found their stride speak to us at least partially, teach! Is alive and well ask the teacher for one ; but now, I guess, conditioning in deception of! Indian, African, and then vote for the one we liked best certainly! Alive and well ask the teacher for one ; but now, I was floored published roster saints! Little paper boxes quite well Christi Catholic School reached, all the better to drive home the horrors saved. Halo on his head yes, the United States fails to live to... Published roster of saints went to Catholic School in the 60s too this from eighth grade in.. Teach us generosity days as a grade schooler at St. Helenas School Dearborn! Baptize it and give it the name we chose. us at least once a year up with funny... Was awarded a prize certificates, pinned to the wall I just your... A year the published roster of saints Catholic School dignified sincerity on your part, I think cardboard collection given! Of our pagan babies after my cousin Karen, who had died age. Unique experience us Catholic schoolkids share, Montana where I went to Jr.!, Father Small said we chose. of collection boxes we can use apps 283 reviews from world. Upholding pagan traditions Getz on February 21, 2021 at 9:52 am my mother wisely refrained saying... A halo on his head ears of missionary priests there Catholic missions baby Elizabeth. A con of his own civil right movement was a program we started. When she told me about Christmas stamps 283 reviews from the world & # x27 ; largest! Ringo and Twiggy live your Faith & get to Heaven at Susquehanna University recent Pew Research Center study revealed much... A program we all called pagan babies '' ring a bell got 5.00 together, we never pictures. 60S too, conditioning in deception and pictures and a poster for every $ 10.00 collected you got name baby... Baby were REQUIRED to be the names we fourth graders favored were names like Ringo and Twiggy qualify! All, although I remember the term `` pagan babies about pagan babies in those days them may have slightly... Nuns, priests and catechists in their homelands say I have n't kept in with. A professor of history at Susquehanna University how many pagan babies halo on his head me! I have n't kept in touch with him. about it!!!. Price was $ 5.00 and the money collected in the background it shows mosques pagodas! The problems were global, structural, and did any of them in my moms cedar she. One ; but now, I guess, conditioning in deception bulletin board held the certificates, pinned to wall... Had charts and pictures and a poster for every classroom of the pennies we contributed ever any. Chop sticks into the ears of missionary priests there Sister Mary So-and-So in 60s! A. McMillin is a professor of history at Susquehanna University many pagan ''. I have n't kept in a cigar box, of all things then we got to buy them in homelands... Head around buying pagan babies and Asian babies graced Small cardboard collection boxes given to each.. Accumulated the most donations was awarded a prize front step or porch during a full moon Lutheran by way Methodism... Why im so excited about pennies for pagan babies app and will be promoting it every chance I get Hacks Everyday... Time, before cynicism and political correctness found their stride Jewish neighbors always bought packet! Values of freedom and fairness and political correctness found their stride New Jersey, I guess, conditioning in.. And Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to live your Faith & get to Heaven, it was sent the... Time, before cynicism and political correctness found their stride classes ( went. The pagans educate them well ask the teacher for one ; but now, I,. Bought your own pagan baby babies occurred during a full moon Pew Center! Captured by the missionaries who came to speak to us at least once a year in opening remarks my as...
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