Good hunting , though . There was excitement in the air . "Thats what I remember. J. OBrien. A lot of people never knew what I was 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 Marymount Jr. School in the 60s too. I remember this in Chicago St. John Fisher. Many students adopted several 0 coins. My friends went to public school and public school had boys! In Common Good Constitutionalism, Adrian Vermeule argues with straw men and cites blog posts. They folded out . Here a pagan ; there a pagan . Here is sister Mary So-and-So in the plane about to fly off to baptize the pagans . No , Sid , Im pretty sure that Jewish people were not considered pagans - but , who knows with some of those nuns . THANK YOU for truly capturing a historical phenomenon! Fierce competition existed between some of the nuns as to whose class had the most pagan babies. In closing, Bless the Maryknolls for the work they do in spreading the message of the Gospel! "I think they cost five dollars." The teacher lobbied for her but I still refused . You are no doubt a stronger person for it . I dont remember selling stamps , but a vague memory comes back to me about Christmas stamps . We all nodded and agreed. Your email address will not be published. The Irish nuns in their full habits immediately looked around at the teachers as if to say , Arent you teaching these children anything ? This is a serious problem. I went to catholic school the same time you did. The students were raring and ready to go sell the candy and get the prizes . adoption pledge. Remember getting a whack across the face at your Confirmatin? Yeah! Stories ensued. Thanks for checking out my blog about my fathers WWII service on the PT boats. http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1202140.htm, http://asksistermarymartha.blogspot.com/2006/08/announcing-pagan-baby-reunion.html. But the "pagan babies" were actual children being looked after by missionary sisters, brothers and priests in their countries. for missions in foreign lands. I will say, Im happy I went to catholic school. "Baptism . "What I loved about the Pagan Babies is that we were allowed to name them with our names. . Well I am hurt that you would think I would steal your money to Buy and Name more pagan babies. He said the priest paused and said, Uh, son, you need to talk to your nun about that in catechism class. Yet, I wonder, if I had not saved those pagan babies, would I have had the confidence and motivation to go to Mexico? By letting civility happen, we take better care not only of others and of the world itself, but of ourselves. Some of those Jesuits spoke directly to God . . Its a wonderful window on the old days , isnt it ? own pagan baby! A lot of your story is fiction. I do not remember the term pagan babies at all, although I remember the little paper boxes quite well. grade 6A, 6B, 6C,). Cant remember anything else about them except I would ask my parents, grandparents and neighbors to buy them. There were competitions between classes . Oh, yes, I remember raising money to save pagan babies. Glad that I could kick up some dust . "Wow, that certainly brings back memories. I remember hearing the term too when I attended parochial school (mid 1960s), but by then it had been replaced by the UNICEF boxes. Pagan Babies was a missionary effort by definition it took place in other countries where the Catholic Church was trying to make inroads. When I attended Corpus Christi Catholic School in the 1950s and 1960s there was a program we all called Pagan Babies . In the 50s It used to be border line sacrilegious to question the church maybe it still is , but after seeing the movie spot light Im thinking maybe Archbishop whats his name might have bought another set of golf clubs ( or something far more sinister ) ? Written right on the top of the looseleaf paper, smack dab in the middle. 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 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. I also seem to recall mention of it in some dimly remembered memoir I read years ago about growing up catholic. , Those madcap Catholics. I found I really did not have many skills to offer. My Catholic neighborhood friends and I would have a carnival like MD carnivals sponsored by Jerry Lewis. All of this went out the window in my belief system a few years later, when i began to understand political realities, had a more sophisticated notion of the universe and got very tired of having philosophical questions answered by Its a mystery. My favorite question was: If God can do anything, can he create a rock so heavy he himself cannot lift it? It really didnt have anything to do with Jesus, per se. I remember the rice bowls but no actual rice. Not a word of a lie, early 70s, my sister had just gotten her photo of her wee black baby and was in my grannys house showing her it, one of my uncles looks at it, laughs, disappears upstairs and about half an hour later comes down with his scraps box, complete with several pictures of his black babies as collected when he was at school in the 50s, and there, in his pile, was the same baby (albeit in higher quality and printed on better paper). However, this 2012 article from Catholic News Service might be of interest: http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1202140.htm. Pagan Babies is classic crime fiction from the master of suspense, Ne. NOT catholic, hallelujah. Margaret Ann is a good respectable name . The money collected in the United States went to help feed, clothe and educate them. : Its a mystery . Reminiscing about St. Amelias brings back many other memories. Pagan Babies is classic crime fiction from the master of suspense, New York Times bestselling author Elmore Leonard. Because we purchased Pagan Babies for five dollars a head, on a regular basis. As a first grade student at St.Aloysius in Wilkes-Barre, PA circa 1969, pagan babies were part of our extreme Catholic instruction. She prayed, and she prayed, and she prayed with her rosary novena for my vocation. Elementary If you know tell me . I remember the little cardboard boxes and wanting to saving the poor pagan babies. I knew immediately what you were referring to even though we never went to church & I went to public school. I love the four Beatles pagan babies idea and the adultery thing ! we got prizes if we gave X amount, but I never got a prize. Steve, Thanks for the kind comment . Five bucks sure went far in 1958! except the last. Yup. Copyright 2023 EWTN News, Inc. All rights reserved. Might make a nice story . You stir up a lot of old memories for me , too . Imagine what they would cost now." In college, I was given the opportunity to work for a month at a Franciscan mission in Mexico. I know its not a politically correct term, but babies are not getting baptized or raised in the faith. Pictures of Cherub-faced Indian, African, and Asian babies graced small cardboard When five dollars was collected the box would go.somewhere ..and a new box would be folded out by the teacher . I won one month & remember excitement at winning but total confusion & a sense of dread. He was a bartender later in life , at least for awhile . Im assuming youre a good Catholic father and have a tons of kids. Yeah , Charlie had a question . . Diane, Show. I well remember my days as a grade schooler at St. Helenas School in Philly. He chose Herman . But Im a bit cynical . They took me down to Carmel Hall when I was around 10 or 11 and had me volunteer with the nuns. Then I developed dysentery, and the very people I was there to save were taking care of me. His name is Seth (pretty sure he still has that job, but it cant hurt to check). It used to be a full acronym - United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund. 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. One time, in the 70s, at an intimate dinner party, we realized the room was filled with about half Catholics who attended Catholic school. 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. With touching little pictures of hungry children. Yeah , small world . 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 . A friend of mine, from back in the 80s, played guitar in a band with that name (weird thing about that is, hes Jewish). Jump forward to 1980 . baptize it and give it the name we chose." A Timeline. Her latest books are What Would Monica Do? We maybe learned a little about giving though ? You missed the naming and the fold-out box ! Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. I keep asking her where MY money was! Oh , well . Each classroom was given small cardboard collection boxes . Thats 40 babies right there. Im 34. Their Pagan Babies: "Lord have mercy! With names like Annan, Bryce, and Kegan for boys and Ashling, Darra, and Kelsey for girls, beautiful names that are based on a pagan or Wiccan origin may be perfect for your child. Catholic Register, more than one-third of millennials now say they are unaffiliated monetization of National Catholic Register RSS feeds is strictly prohibited. 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. I assume that all of the other Catholic schools in the archdiocese were doing the same thing . Happy Fathers Day! Ah , yeah . 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. And one final thought: we cant always get our loved ones to practice the faith, but we can offer our alms up for their conversions while benefiting others. Of course, the prizes helped. In return they were given a decorative certificate commemorating their At the end of the semester, the class that had accumulated the most donations was awarded a prize. But the pagan babies were actual children being looked after by missionary sisters, brothers and priests in their countries. In A.D. 381, the early Church Fathers wrote in the Nicene Creed, "We believe in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.". I was beginning to think I had created this whole idea of Pagan Babies myself. DUDE! I think most of them were in Africa and India. I would hope that the Catholic schools are more sophisticated too . Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. We can smile at it now at perhaps how silly it was, Father Small said. It was pretty obvious he was showing off his flawless French accent. 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). Once the amount was reached, all the names were added to the blackboard and we voted. Needless to say, Zachary stuck. They wore full habits in the old style . Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, retired Archbishop of Washington; best-selling author Mary Higgins Clark; and television commentator Larry Kudlow were each named 2012 Pontifical Ambassadors for Mission. He stood right in the middle of the group . I had several, actually all girls named Mary, of course." If memory serves, it shows a black child being led by a (white) boy and girl towards a (white) Jesus, while two (white*) nuns look on approvingly. Good luck. Something good came from Corpus Cristi. 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. Im late to this party, but want to add my two cents. Your class picked out a name for the child, and the Catholic church baptized the baby with that name into the Catholic faith. An interactive website will feature video interviews with some of the former pagan babies, now nuns, priests and catechists in their homelands. pagan babies When I attended Corpus Christi Catholic School in the 1950s and 1960s there was a program we all called Pagan Babies . Charlie waited for an adequate answer . Thanks for a trip down memory lane and validating my recollection. Davey; Good question , though , about where all the money went . Such a mitzvah. To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. - Nancy K. 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. Hooo, yes. 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). collection boxes given to each child. We were expected to sell subscriptions to our local Archdiocese newspaper when I went to elementary school. 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. I used to take my dads loose change And when I got it, I was going to take care of it all by myself. Pingback: A Poor Church For the Poor | Vox Nova, Pingback: Remembering a Different A-to-Z Challenge | No Facilities, This was too much fun. Now I am teaching fourth grade in a little Catholic school in Venice . And they spoke of pagans . Maryknollers, Franciscans, or Missionaries of Charity, these men and women told riveting tales of adventure and hardship. Well , I havent met any pagan (baby) Davids running around , but no pagan (baby) Patricias , either . Charlie was in my class . But they do a lot of things for children like provide food and clean water and mosquito nets. There were no poor pagan babies to be pitied in Guaymas. We would use the proceeds to buy pagan babies. Watch for these changes, Eight more pro-life activists for FACE Act violations. I was not called to be a full-time missionary. Its a mystery! The missionary spirit was evident as Pontifical Mission Societies honored three people at the gala. We too raised $$ for pagan babies. Required fields are marked *. It seemed like an honorable thing, he explained. 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