You never know what I might post about next! The Pandemic Flu of 1918 and the COVID-19 Virus. Or for the poor, underprivileged kids in the USA? 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 . 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. You :-)) I was not called to be a full-time missionary. Never knew it meant Justice under God though . Thanks for the comment . 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. Bonus question: Did children in Europe collect coins for the pagan babies? You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. I think there was some small prize involved for any student that sold them. Names chosen for each baby were REQUIRED to be the names of bonefide saints, beatified by process through Rome. I dont think he really believed me. Without her mothers knowledge ! Two stories I recall from those days: one boy in my room kept bringing in UNBELIEVABLY large amounts every day (.75 here, $1.16 there). Charlie waited for an adequate answer . When the late Sixties allowed for individuality in footwear, many a girl in funky, high-heeled shoes, broke the silence clunking through classrooms and down church aisles. Im sure none of that money got further than the downtown Archdiocese offices . They also helped keep things quiet. . I went Catholic school in NJ and yes, we had pagan babies! Those were the good old days , eh ? Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? Great mix of early US HC punk & the then emerging "Youth Crew" sound. Needless to say, Zachary stuck. Reproduction of material from this website without written permission, or unlicensed commercial use or "Me too! Seen the movie Mea Culpa? Ah , maybe it taught us some basic values , anyway ( or maybe it screwed us up so badly that we dont even realize how much ) . Glad that I could kick up some dust . In our class it was the boys vs the girls. 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. No pagan babies, just for the hungry, I think. The certificates had a picture of a white little toddler sitting down with little black toddlers. But for five dollars we could play Name That Pagan Baby . The thing was a brown color . There have to be plenty of them around somewhere . Boys usually purchased boys, and girls purchased girls. Then I developed dysentery, and the very people I was there to save were taking care of me. Pagan babies are certainly a unique experience us Catholic schoolkids share! I came across an amazing new app called Missio, created by the. Labeling any baby pagan, much less sweeping into this category all foreign children of color, makes me look back with embarrassment. adoption pledge. Sign-up for E-NewsletterGet Register Updates sent daily or weeklyto your inbox. They were befuddled . Powered by Discourse, best viewed with JavaScript enabled, 5.00 together, we got to buy and name a pagan baby. Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington; best-selling author Mary Higgins Clark; and television commentator Larry Kudlow were named 2012 pontifical ambassadors for mission. I ended up with about five babies!" The students were raring and ready to go sell the candy and get the prizes . We'd all suggest names, and then vote for the one we liked best. The idea was to collect money from students , nickels and dimes , for charity . Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. Thats 40 babies right there. Remember getting a whack across the face at your Confirmatin? Yeah! Stories ensued. But are those even the worthy ideals to strive toward? A set or two of golf clubs may have been in there . I might have gone into the public school with this Catholic bubble around me and I might have been hesitant to burst the Catholic bubble of protection. The missionary spirit was evident as Pontifical Mission Societies honored three people at the May 2 gala. Im assuming youre a good Catholic father and have a tons of kids. Hello Mike. "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 It barely rings a bell hearing something about pagan babies. The Holy Childhood Association got many of the basics right: it introduced me to global realities of poverty and need, to notions of privilege and responsibility. Pagan babies may have disappeared from collection boxes but they started showing up in our families. The class received a certificate for each child they named. Who were these pagan babies, and did any of the pennies we contributed ever help any of them in any way? Yet, I wonder, if I had not saved those pagan babies, would I have had the confidence and motivation to go to Mexico? Some became doctors and lawyers and schoolteachers and others became lay catechists, sisters and priests, operating clinics and schools, colleges and seminaries, Father Small explained, and let me tell you something they need your help today as much as they needed it 30 and 40 years ago. Sure would love to hear from anyone that remembers. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission ( CCC 1213), Scripture stresses the importance of this sacrament. Anyway, I attended Catholic grade school from 1962 - 1970, and we collected money for pagan babies during Lent. Maybe the program was intended , at least partially , to teach us generosity . None of my non-Catholic friends ever believed my pagan baby stories, either. Christianity is significantly losing members. - Bob H. "I loved Pagan Babies. Theology should be at the heart of any Catholic university. Were they some mythic group like the starving kids in China, Hungary, Elsewhere who would have been happy to have your brussels sprouts? Pingback: A Poor Church For the Poor | Vox Nova, Pingback: Remembering a Different A-to-Z Challenge | No Facilities, This was too much fun. 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. 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. Philadelphia 76ers Premier League UFC. Cary had guts, for sure , for such a bold attempt at fraud . 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. While clearly titillating and voyeuristic, these presentations revealed a larger world and highlighted our own privileged place. Considering your background , I am honored that you thought my silly little post on pagan babies was worth reading . 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. Maryknollers, Franciscans, or Missionaries of Charity, these men and women told riveting tales of adventure and hardship. This is my question , said little Charlie Bloomquist to the salesman , If I wanted that bike , why wouldnt I go get a job and save my money until I could buy a bike . 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. You stir up a lot of old memories for me , too . Pagan babies may have disappeared from collection boxes but they started showing up in our families. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. An interactive website will feature video interviews with some of the former pagan babies, now nuns, priests and catechists in their homelands. 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 . Im thinking, maybe, that I qualify as a pagan baby. Remember what he said? The Mary list is endless. For every $10.00 collected you got name the baby. Despite its apparent condescending tone at times, it instilled a radical sense of urgency in children that we are responsible for one another.. collection boxes given to each child. Yeah , a few days later . Hooo, yes. We can smile at it now at perhaps how silly it was, Father Small said. 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 . Come back 60 years ago and well ask the teacher for one ; but now , I dont know . Cary Cox stole a five dollar bill from his mothers purse when we were in fourth grade so that Cary could pick the name of the next pagan baby himself . Your email address will not be published. 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. however, rings true today. One guys said one time he was examining his conscience and realized he had tried to act like an adult, so he confessed to his priest that he committed adultery!!! Its a great way to perform works of mercy or give alms during Lent or find a family charity. We were expected to sell subscriptions to our local Archdiocese newspaper when I went to elementary school. But how ? What does it look like to be conquered by the fire of Christs gaze, as Benedict XVI described? Anybody have some spare change ? 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. Yup. The only money we collected in little paper boxes was for UNICEF and to be perfectly honest, Im not even entirely sure what UNICEF is. Five bucks sure went far in 1958! The money collected in the United States went to help feed, clothe and educate them. EWTN News, Inc. is the worlds largest Catholic news organization, comprised of television, radio, Who could choose the most ridiculous name ? You may be a pagan , but I think youre too late . Drawing its title from Hinckle's parochial education in San Francisco's Sunset District, "Ransoming Pagan Babies: The Selected Writings of Warren Hinckle" released by Berkeley nonprofit. When you get to heaven have it in your pocket . 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. Reading this article and all of the comments has brought tears to my eyes Im laughing so hard. Does ANYONE know where the money did go? In addition we'd go and bless our herbs in the garden and around on Midsummer and then harvest them for John's night or the night before depending on the weather. This reading is starting to stir up memories of holy water, chapel caps, rosaries that lit up a green color in the bed at night, memorizing the Catechism in case the Arch-Bishop asked me a question at our Confirmation, being chosen to carry up the gifts, and on and on. End of March we usually plant or seed our wishes for the year. Read an Excerpt. Coins. Yesit must have been everywhere even Deer Lodge, Montana where I went to Catholic School. People needed food, water, medical care, and were looking to us to step up and provide it. If theres a study done of it , I dont know . ago. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. ), and its name was even weirder - it was collect money to feed the Black babies. Design by. J. OBrien. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become Here a pagan ; there a pagan . How great ! He said the priest paused and said, Uh, son, you need to talk to your nun about that in catechism class. And they spoke of pagans . Anyway , we never got pictures of our pagan babies . Posted Wed, May 23, 2012 at 9:53 am PT | Updated Fri, May 25, 2012 at 5:40 pm PT. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. Seems like the boxes looked like animal crackers boxes . Pagan Babies is classic crime fiction from the master of suspense, Ne. They were no doubt common . We gave our allowances to save those babies. Give a Gift SubscriptionBless friends, family or clergy with a gift of the Register. For those dying without baptism, however, the Catholic Church teaches us to hope in God. I was JUST telling my son about Pagan Babies when I was a little girl! Thank God someone sent this information to me and redeemed my sanity. Or for the poor, underprivileged kids in the USA? on a regular basis. Went to Holy Name Grade School and when my friend was writing a book including some Catholic characters ( she is not Catholic), my fellow Holy Name and I gave her the pagan baby story to include, complete with only the rich kids got to name the baby since the rest of us did not have the means to save $5. What readers of her book talked about the most was either Is there really such a thing a pagan babies thats hilarious or Oh yes, I remember saving up during Lent to get to name a pagan baby. Thanks for the memories. Thanks for the comment. I had a lot of Pagan Babies named Mary Margaret!! I also seem to recall mention of it in some dimly remembered memoir I read years ago about growing up catholic. I have often wondered whatever happened to my pagan baby Beverly Anne. I always thought it was amazing that I could have this baby and name her and feed her forever! Remembering a Different A-to-Z Challenge | No Facilities. 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 assume that all of the other Catholic schools in the archdiocese were doing the same thing . - Karyn D. Some had a lot more than others. DUDE! Thanks for checking out my blog about my fathers WWII service on the PT boats. Had more than one Jewish family in Brentwood slam their door me. I think the Catholic church needed better PR people back then. PJ. A Philadelphia punk band formed in 1986. If you want, you can contact the director of music programming at Hawaiian Public Radio, and ask him if hes still using it, though. MJ, yes, the price was $5.00 and the money was kept in a cigar box, of all things! For whatever reason, we googled pagan baby today.My husband and I thought we were the only two people who remembered pagan babies!!!! 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