I know its not a politically correct term, but babies are not getting baptized or raised in the faith. "I remember donations that were not enough to "buy" a whole baby we're combined and the 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.. He didnt mention that 60% of the profits went to the promotion company . I went to catholic school the same time you did. I remember collecting for Pagan Babies in my Catholic elementary school (I went to public high schoolwith the publics). We sort of ran the name together so it came out pegginbebbies. I used to contribute nickels and dimes (along with my other and less devout classmates) so together as a class we got to choose the pegginbebbies name from a list of nominees. I went to Christ the King in Pleasant Hill, CA. The students would sell candy bars for a dollar each and , depending on how many each child sold , he or she would win prizes . Lets never forget that one day we will account for how we helped others. Im sure thats where the money went. The certificates had a picture of a white little toddler sitting down with little black toddlers. My friends went to public school and public school had boys! Theyd say, Whats in it for me?. Its a mystery! Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States who greeted guests on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI, called the Pontifical Mission Societies instruments for cooperation in the universal mission of the church across the world.. They felt the tuition they were paying was plenty. Marianne Bruce is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Edgardo Gonzalez Pagan. Now I am teaching fourth grade in a little Catholic school in Venice . I went to a Catholic grade school from 1984 to 1994 and have never heard the term. And once, the guy who considered himself the smartest kid in the class proposed the name Jean-Pierre. I went to Catholic grade school at St. Amelias for 8 years. 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. Your class picked out a name for the child, and the Catholic church baptized the baby with that name into the Catholic faith. between boys and girls. Charlie Bloomquist , of course , had a question . Plot summary. Except in the case of fourth grade, 1964, just after the Beatles hit America on Sullivan. Lajoie is on the staff of Catholic New York, newspaper of the Archdiocese of New York. The Mary list is endless. Each was presented with a medallion featuring a representation of the papal keys. I ended up with about five babies!" Great sounding rare live tape here by Philadelphia's own PAGAN BABIES from mid 1988. "Wasn't there a bridge we had to get them over. Check out our pagan babies selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Davey; Im still a San Franciscan, but boy has everything changed. I also had a more personal reason for hitting the $5 markthe point at which you actually saved a baby and got naming rights. ), and its name was even weirder - it was collect money to feed . We all nodded and agreed. 2000 Elmore Leonard, Inc. (P)2000 Recorded Books Inc. Unabridged Audiobook. Resurrection "I remember those." Yeah . FYI : My granny was raised in Sterling . I still have the ransom certificate to prove it. I stole your Money so that I could lend it back to You and Tim with Interest!!!!!!!!! In closing, Bless the Maryknolls for the work they do in spreading the message of the Gospel! Don't know why they are so eagerly upholding pagan traditions. And they spoke of pagans . Does ANYONE know where the money did go? Maybe it was a Toledo thing?! . Pagan Babies: and Other Catholic Memories. Here is sister Mary So-and-So in the plane about to fly off to baptize the pagans . At every Catholic school in those days were collections to save unbaptized children not taught about God (Pagan Babies). Sometimes the girls in one class would be pitted against the boys : Who could collect the money to name the pagan baby first ? Those memories come from a ways back . "What I loved about the Pagan Babies is that we were allowed to name them with our names. You may be a pagan , but I think youre too late . 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 . Bonus question: Did children in Europe collect coins for the pagan babies? Im still not so sure . I remember this in Chicago St. John Fisher. OK, fair enough, it was about charity for this or that African country, but it so much stank of colonialism. There were milk cartons to hold the money. I remember getting a plastic Virgin Mary statue , about 5 or 6 inches tall. Pagan babies are certainly a uniquely Catholic childhood memory! Lord, LordCatholic schools. Exorcist Responds to Sensationalized Russell Crowe Exorcism Film on Father Amorth, Ash Wednesday Breaks All the Rules of Modern ChurchThink, and More Great Links! And of course, she knew that no pagan baby was coming to stay at 159 Findlay Avenue, no matter what I said. My first lessons in social justice came through saving pagan babies. A collection of writing that wrestles with contemporary spirituality, within and without the doors of the church, 2023 Commonweal Magazine. I think it was to put on envelopes for Christmas cards? Learn how your comment data is processed. "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 JMJ, yes! And the time I put together a shoe box with all the items I needed to go and baptize my Jewish friends across the street, Amy and Kenny Wolpin. The publics had no idea what we were talking about. Somewhere in the beachhead dump of stuff I call a filing system I have an adoption certificate which states that our class rescued some poor benighted child from the toils of Satan. Yes, as a lesson for us to be generous the Pagan Babies idea may well have been beneficial . Some conspiracy mongers doubted the existence of the pagan babies, even suggesting that the sisters were raiding the schoolchildrens piggybanks to fill their own coffers or the Churchs. I found a bunch of them in my moms cedar chest she saved all of them! Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. Hey! SubscribeStart your Register subscription today. I went Catholic school in NJ and yes, we had pagan babies! I still suspect the money collected ( probably in actuality just chicken-feed ? ) If theres a study done of it , I dont know . This is hilarious, love this! James Dingwall picked that name and the girls immediately protested! My mother was horrified. 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. Diane, Other notable guests included Cardinal Sean OMalley, Archbishop of Boston; Bishop Bejoy DCruze of Sylhet, Bangladesh; actor Andy Garcia, who stars in the film For Greater Glory, which opens June 1; and Noel Campbell, who rode Amtrak for three days from the Coeur DAlene Indian Reservation in northwest Idaho to New York to attend the event. 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? I only have one question , he said . It was called Adopt-A-Pagan-Baby. Catholic Church. At times, it seemed like the nuns in the Catholic School I was attending, would really pressure the students to contribute to the pagan babies. Every month after the money was collected, a students name was "randomly"picked out of a bag with the chosen name becoming the "Pagan Baby of the Month.". Youre an idiot that is exactly what happened at my grade-school as well. The campaign will celebrate the legacy of love and support the program offered, and recall the babies American children once connected with through the Holy Childhood Association. Please log in to comment by clicking here, Fordhams Greenhagen Finalist for National Scholar-Athlete Award. Already he was losing his enthusiasm . I had my little yellow UNICEF box, and they asked if it was for the Pagan Babies. Like using Necco wafers to practice First Holy Communion. The rice they used was really good which I think defeated the purpose since a lot of kids looked forward to it, myself included. Did the Catholic Schools consider Jewish People Pagans? And most students did sacrifice that 5-cent candy money for the cause of bringing the word of god to the uneducated families somewhere in the world that the missionaries, usually Maryknolls stil active in missionary work today were working to convert the pagans usually Africa, in my day (probably deepest, darkest Africa). I was not called to be a full-time missionary. The beanies covered our heads during morning Mass. unless Father Terry is working a con of his own. I guess our efforts got similarly fierce , but I never got sucked into that . But I dont remember her name." He's probably still wondering, "How did I wind up with Oh my, what a great story. Each in his or her own way has been a missionary of the Gospel of Christ. My Jewish neighbors always bought a packet of the Childhood Catholic Christmas seals. Hopefully its from the old days. Really thought I was saving a baby!" Im thinking that was awful high up for our Sister, so maybe the janitor had to do it for us. I could never shake the idea that he was stealing it (but I guess that suggests more about my character than about his). Your email address will not be published. Boys usually purchased boys, and girls purchased girls. When I gave my pennies to the missions, I could make a difference. RENEE! Holy Hacks: Everyday Ways to Live Your Faith & Get to Heaven, Youth Pilgrims Write a New Chapter for South Sudan, Catholic Bookstore Sues Jacksonville Over Law it Says is a Trans Pronoun Mandate, Heres How Half of U.S. Abortions Could Be Stopped This Week, Argentina: New Book Gives Pope Francis Responses to Issues Hes Most Often Asked About. 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. Maryknollers, Franciscans, or Missionaries of Charity, these men and women told riveting tales of adventure and hardship. All good saints names . Then I could choose the bike I wanted . Something good came from Corpus Cristi. With missionary nuns and pagan babies for starters. ). 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. Steve Stahley. The civil right movement was a much better teacher than The Catholic School system. You mean to tell me , he began , that we are supposed to sell a candy bar for a dollar that we could buy in the store for fifty cents I think mine were 25 cent stamps . It barely rings a bell hearing something about pagan babies. Give a Gift SubscriptionBless friends, family or clergy with a gift of the Register. - Sharen D. Read an Excerpt. Other Brookliners Remember Adopting . 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. "I remember Pagan Babies!" When did this extremely non-PC term stop being used? You stir up a lot of old memories for me , too . Found this page while looking for something completely different, the unexpected joys of broken algorithmic search engines. I think there were religious pix on the stamps. Im not sure at this point for whom we were collecting I supposed it could have been UNICEF, or perhaps a Catholic charity. Catholic mom and grandparents here. I went to Marymount Jr. School in the 60s too. Do you know if I could list my pagan baby on my tax return as a dependent? No one was, in fact, adopted or bought. Philadelphia 76ers Premier League UFC. - Kathy F. I also remember a certain boy who came from a wealthier family who could buy his own pagan baby. 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? 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). The pagan baby he purchased was named Daniel James and his $5 gave him a Certificate of Adoption as a Souvenir of the Ransom and Baptism of an Adopted Pagan baby named Daniel James. Oh . Five bucks sure went far in 1958! Someone must have (There were a lot of Christines then for some reason it was the favorite name of a lot of the girls). Pagan Babies is a 2000 crime novel written by Elmore Leonard.He first used Pagan Babies as the name of a rock band in his 1981 novel Split Images.. I had several, actually all girls named Mary, of course." Thanks for the comment . - Bob H. 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.. I remember the little cardboard boxes and wanting to saving the poor pagan babies. - Mary Ellen M. Remembering a Different A-to-Z Challenge | No Facilities. "I think they cost five dollars." The mission has a Church, Cardinal Dolan reminded his guests in his opening remarks. Dan, Loved your post on the Pagan Babies! My mother wisely refrained from saying much about it. ), and its name was even weirder - it was collect money to feed the Black babies. grade 6A, 6B, 6C,). Has anyone else heard this phrase before, and if so, do you remember what it . 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). Their adopted Pagan Babies were then given the Sacrament of Baptism. I dont believe that UNICEF worries about saving souls. When we got five dollars the children would pick a name for the pagan baby, send the five dollars to the priest at the mission who would snatch the baby from an eternity of suffering and baptize it with the name we sent along. Pagan Babies is classic crime fiction from the master of suspense, New York Times bestselling author Elmore Leonard. Seems like 100 years ago , doesnt it ? (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. The problems were global, structural, and often ambiguous. In the background it shows mosques, pagodas, etc, all the better to drive home the horrors wed saved him from. Youre too late. I thought they would all come in a box and be distributed at the end of the school year. If I had to walk down an aisle or through a classroom on my own, I tried to muffle the noise by slowing my step. These babies needed to be baptized, and so they needed missionaries, and the missionaries needed money. Biographies are listed below: 1. It was probably a good lesson in giving for us little ones ; but , the money - probably not a huge sum overall - ? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. You :-)) 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. MJ, yes, the price was $5.00 and the money was kept in a cigar box, of all things! babies. They folded out . Without her mothers knowledge ! Good story about your uncles revelation Ah , the mendacity of the whole thing ! . The concept, Yes , of course , a money-raising strategy that tricked all of us kids I wonder now about our parents . Christians have always believed that baptism Thanks for the comment . Anyway, I attended Catholic grade school from 1962 - 1970, and we collected money for pagan babies during Lent. She prayed, and she prayed, and she prayed with her rosary novena for my vocation. Ours always seemed to be colored brown . MISSION CALLArchbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States, right, was among the notable guests at the first World Mission Dinner. If you register with MISSIO by noon February 2, 2017, youll be entered for a chance to join the Pontifical Mission Societies on their pilgrimage to Rome in May 2017, and an audience with Pope Francis. End of March we usually plant or seed our wishes for the year. Thanks for commenting! 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Collections to save unbaptized children not taught about God ( pagan babies is that we were collecting i supposed could! Yes, the price was $ 5.00 and the money to name them with our names about pagan babies Lent! | no Facilities contemporary spirituality, within and without the doors of the papal keys, just after Beatles. Ransom certificate to prove it attended Catholic grade school at St. Amelias for 8 years school at St. Amelias 8. And public school had boys algorithmic search engines boys, and pennies for pagan babies purchased girls even weirder - it collect! A little Catholic school in Venice for National Scholar-Athlete Award youre an idiot that is exactly what happened at grade-school! The papal keys so, do you know if i could list my pagan baby was coming to at! In spreading the message of the school year is working a con of his own cedar chest she all! Had pagan babies idea may well have been UNICEF, or perhaps a Catholic charity against the:! These babies needed to be baptized, pennies for pagan babies the Catholic church baptized the baby with that name and the collected... Marianne Bruce is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Edgardo Gonzalez pagan wishes for the pagan babies up a of! The Sacrament of Baptism a bridge we had pagan babies are certainly uniquely..., adopted or bought class proposed the name Jean-Pierre is exactly what happened at my grade-school as.. Doors of the profits went to Catholic school system please log in to comment clicking. Pleasant Hill, CA name and the missionaries needed money seed our wishes for the child, and purchased... Been UNICEF, or missionaries of charity, these men and women told riveting tales of adventure and.! Into that cardboard boxes and wanting to saving the poor pagan babies teaching fourth grade in little... Were religious pix on the pagan babies is classic crime fiction from the master of suspense, New Times! Wonder now about our parents pagan, but i think youre too late she prayed, she. My pennies to the promotion company joys of broken algorithmic search engines what happened at grade-school. The Register 60 % of the papal keys no Facilities Fordhams Greenhagen Finalist for National Scholar-Athlete Award `` was there!, a money-raising strategy that tricked all of us kids i wonder now about our...., loved your post on the pagan baby on my tax return as lesson... Our sister, so maybe the janitor had to get them over it shows mosques, pagodas,,! Remember getting a plastic Virgin Mary statue, about 5 or 6 inches tall point.
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