End of March we usually plant or seed our wishes for the year. For a boy we were expected to choose a name like Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. Their Pagan Babies: "Lord have mercy! 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. Copyright 2023 EWTN News, Inc. All rights reserved. When I was in the fifth or sixth grade, a neighbor who was my age, took 12 books of S & H Green Stamps ( remember those ) and contributed them to the pagan babies program. The publics had no idea what we were talking about. More than one-third of millennials now say they are unaffiliated with any faith. James Dingwall picked that name and the girls immediately protested! They felt the tuition they were paying was plenty. 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 . JMJ, yes! Happy Fathers Day! 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. Use a knife, horseshoe, or other piece of iron. When they reached $5, they then ransomed a child overseas, got a certificate and the right to name the child. "Wow, what a blast from the past!" Well, when mama found out, she threw a fit. The early pagan catches the change . - Nancy K. It is Catholic mission crowd-funding,making it easy to support those givingspiritual and material comfort to the sufferingand marginalized . the salesman said . We boys , I think , had a sense of accomplishment somehow because even though he had been caught Cary still had the satisfaction of knowing that a pagan would go through life named Herman because of him . There must be a lot of pagan Davids running around out there, bought with purloined funds. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. . I used to take my dads loose change I went to Catholic grade school at St. Amelias for 8 years. maybe NCIS or 60 minutes should get on the case? Timothy Bulone, Neighbor. 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. They spoke for an hour and I think that every sentence they uttered had the word pagan in it . When I gave my pennies to the missions, I could make a difference. For every $10.00 collected you got name the baby. She prayed, and she prayed, and she prayed with her rosary novena for my vocation. Good story about your uncles revelation Ah , the mendacity of the whole thing ! These babies needed to be baptized, and so they needed missionaries, and the missionaries needed money. Someone must have . These days, instead of collection boxes we can use apps. "Baptism . *One of them may have been slightly Asian, but that was pushing things in those days. and if we sell ten of them , Charlie continued unperturbed , we get a pencil case ., And if we sell twenty , we get something else that none of us really wants . I still say none of that money ever got beyond the archdiocese downtown , certificate or no certificate . It used to be a full acronym - United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund. Back in the 1950s and early-1960s, and I went to Christ the King in Pleasant Hill, CA. 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. On the other hand, the central charitable action of my generationsaving and naming pagan babieswas clearly a fiction (I mourn those African Karens), one that reinforced my American sense of exceptionalism and arrogance. I jumped at it. The mission has a Church, Cardinal Dolan reminded his guests in his opening remarks. Hooo, yes. There were no poor pagan babies to be pitied in Guaymas. My romantic notions of missionary work got a dose of reality that summer. Pagan ,pagan, pagan . - Ann C. As a young girl at St. Albert the Great School in Dearborn, Michigan, we wore blue uniform jumpers and beanies. There was excitement in the air . - Bob H. His name is Seth (pretty sure he still has that job, but it cant hurt to check). If they're actually disabled, they can file the application with the city to get a handicap spot installed. 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? I still have the ransom certificate to prove it. I found I really did not have many skills to offer. People needed food, water, medical care, and were looking to us to step up and provide it. But Im a bit cynical . I vividly remember the certificate you have posted, with the various nationalities represented. Thank God someone sent this information to me and redeemed my sanity. MISSION CALLArchbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States, right, was among the notable guests at the first World Mission Dinner. Sure would love to hear from anyone that remembers. In accepting his medallion, Cardinal McCarrick summed up the missionary spirit. Check out our pagan babies selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. 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 ) ? adoption pledge. BUY THIS BOOK Pagan Babies Elmore Leonard. A Timeline. 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). NEW YORK They were called pagan babies, an appellation that would never be used today. Same thing, just a more PC name. . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I had the vocation, the novenas were working! I also remember buying 10 cent stamps that went into a book. If you want, you can contact the director of music programming at Hawaiian Public Radio, and ask him if hes still using it, though. The poor pagan was already named Herman , right ? The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. That reflects a certain dignified sincerity on your part , I think . Imagine what they would cost now." Names chosen for each baby were REQUIRED to be the names of bonefide saints, beatified by process through Rome. We didnt know any better (though Church elders should have, but thats another story, isnt it?). In A.D. 381, the early Church Fathers wrote in the Nicene Creed, "We believe in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.". And of course, she knew that no pagan baby was coming to stay at 159 Findlay Avenue, no matter what I said. Thanks for the memories of the JMJ on top of the paper yes right in the middle. Acts 2:38, 22:16, Rom. Im a veteran of catholic school and I remember so well about the pagan stories and purgatory, limbo and so on. We can smile at it now at perhaps how silly it was, Father Small said. http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1202140.htm, http://asksistermarymartha.blogspot.com/2006/08/announcing-pagan-baby-reunion.html. Here is sister Mary So-and-So in the plane about to fly off to baptize the pagans . Your email address will not be published. Starving kids in Africa or something. 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. Renee- -tell the proofreader to correct the spelling of the coin nickel in the second sentence of your article on Pagen babies. I suspect nowhere . I think the whole pagan babies thing was to give us something concrete to hold onto, plus those certificates that we got and plus, of course, naming rights all in the name of raising money for the Churchs missionary work. I think it was to put on envelopes for Christmas cards? 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. Read an Excerpt. . Fierce competition existed between some of the nuns as to whose class had the most pagan babies. - Bob U. Please log in to comment by clicking here, Fordhams Greenhagen Finalist for National Scholar-Athlete Award. Something good came from Corpus Cristi. Those who would like to know what became of their pagan babies will get a chance to find out when Pontifical Mission Societies formally launches its Great Works Campaign in the coming months. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. 2000 Elmore Leonard, Inc. (P)2000 Recorded Books Inc. Unabridged Audiobook. And my mother prayed. Only we had to write JMJD, for Dominic, as ours were Dominican nuns. A lot of people never knew what I was But Cary was caught . Charlie stood up to his full height of about four foot three , his head held high , a serious look on his face . Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. What kind of horrid name is that for a babypagan or not?! I think that the white kid had flowers in his hand and maybe a halo on his head. ( to save the pagans ! It cost $5.00. Students gave their allowances to save They took me down to Carmel Hall when I was around 10 or 11 and had me volunteer with the nuns. 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. He didnt mention that 60% of the profits went to the promotion company . I just found yur comment .). The missionary spirit was evident as Pontifical Mission Societies honored three people at the May 2 gala. Those who would like to know what became of their pagan babies will soon get a chance to find out when Pontifical Mission Societies formally launches its Great Works Campaign in the coming months. Each pagan baby cost five dollars. At every Catholic school in those days were collections to save unbaptized children not taught about God (Pagan Babies). Ive been fortunate to travel to various parts of the world and to admire (our missionaries) extraordinary love of the world and of the people with whom they live, the cardinal added. Actually , as I remember , the girls in the class were very worried about this but we boys werent so much concerned with the little pagan familys problem . They folded out . For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ (Gal 3:27). I also seem to recall mention of it in some dimly remembered memoir I read years ago about growing up catholic. We were wondering how much trouble Cary would get into . members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission Thanks for checking out my blog about my fathers WWII service on the PT boats. American Women Quarters 2023 Rolls and Bags - Bessie Coleman MULTI (D) (P) (S) $40.00 - $60.00 Shop Now 22EH American Eagle 2022 One Ounce Gold Uncirculated Coin West Point (W) $2,670.00 Add to Bag 17XA American Liberty One Ounce 225th Anniversary Gold Coin West Point (W) $2,765.00 Add to Bag Coin Sets That bring back memories!" Those were the good old days , eh ? I liked your PT post . The oldest nun asked : Any questions , children ? Theyd say, Whats in it for me?. When I was young, in South Philadelphia, I have memories of collecting for Trees for Israel and the Allied Jewish Appeal. Small world. Now they're in together for a bigger payoff than either could finagle alone. maybe he rode to work on a bike . So, pagan baby collections in LaCrosse , too ! Needless to say, Zachary stuck. My allowance was 25 cents a week . Davey; Really thought I was saving a baby!" Yeah , Charlie had a question . Its funny no one knew about Pagan Babies , though . They were called "pagan babies," certainly not the most sensitive appellation and one that would never be used today. Other prizes were plastic pencil cases with a ruler that formed the lid ; it slid out . "I also had a Pagan Baby; I regret to say I haven't kept in touch with him." And yet sometimes the answer was as simple as getting down on hands and knees to join the woman scrubbing the floor, to learn her technique and listen to her story. Great memories!!! Elementary Campbell, now retired from the film industry where he worked as a technician, told CNY 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. 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. JMJwow, totally forgot about that. Bonus question: Did children in Europe collect coins for the pagan babies? . Contrary to popular belief, the United States fails to live up to its promised values of freedom and fairness. I can still see the certificates posted above the blackboards. So it had to be pretty official, like our nun just couldnt pull a certificate out of her drawer and fill in the name.no, I think that it had to be signed by the big Catholic mucky-mucks. I got JUG in high school - Jesuits a few times. Enjoyed reading all of your comments about Pagan Babies. He's probably still wondering, "How did I wind up with OK, fair enough, it was about charity for this or that African country, but it so much stank of colonialism. They were missionaries working somewhere in Africa . Someone spilled the beans , I think , or he bragged to the wrong person just what he had done . Herman . I dont remember . - Ann C. decided it was no longer a good way to raise money for Catholic missions. Hey! And they spoke of pagans . At first, Sister tried to dissuade me from using Karen, as this was not a name on the published roster of saints. Oh , well . What memories. What did we kids know ! I went to a public school. 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. - Vera Marie C. Fogogo to mention JUG for bad behavior- Justice Under God, also at St. Ignatius College Prep JMJ was replaced with AMGD all for the glory of God. And then the certificate was put up above the chalkboard. Catholic Dopers >age 50- does the term "pagan babies" ring a bell? I keep asking her where MY money was! Bingo, and thanks. I attended Dominican High School (1966 to 1970) and actually it was in those years that I started my wayward path. I thought they would all come in a box and be distributed at the end of the school year. That fits , I suppose . Or maybe Pagan Babies: and Other Catholic Memories. You didnt buy one with the $5.00. My nephew's school is doing "Pennies for Puerto Rico". 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 My Jewish neighbors always bought a packet of the Childhood Catholic Christmas seals. Patti Maguire Armstrong Patti Maguire Armstrong is host of the TV talk show Ladies of Another View and an award-winning author and journalist. After all, it makes sense. 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. Pagan baby naming makes good memories but was , I guess , conditioning in deception . When I was in second grade I ransomed my own pagan baby and named her Pauline Anne after St Theresas oldest sister. Those memories come from a ways back . And of course, there was competition between the classrooms. The part of your story that really rang true was the fierce competition between either the girls & boys in the same classroom, or amongst each entire class in the same grade (e.g. Thanks for the comment. Some Irish nuns were there one day to speak to the students . A recent Pew Research Center study revealed that much of Christianity is significantly losing members. And I think that if you bought your own Pagan Baby you got to take the certificate home. Premium Powerups . Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Pagan Babies at Amazon.com. I remember the little cardboard boxes and wanting to saving the poor pagan babies. We also collected money in Sunday School for the missions, but we still didnt get to name anyone. When she told me about her Catholic School classes (she went from K 9) in New Jersey, I was floored. 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. Usually an ice cream party, it seems. To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. "We can smile at it now at perhaps how silly it was," Father Small said. Of course, there was always the show-off who bought a whole pegginbebbie for themselves and got to name it without any of OUR help. Thanks for a trip down memory lane and validating my recollection. But I dont remember her name." Needless to say, by the time I graduated from Dominican there wasnt an iota of true Catholicism left in me, other than the bit I faked for a while to protect my Moms feeling. probably denoting how much money was collected. Cant remember anything else about them except I would ask my parents, grandparents and neighbors to buy them. The salesman had no answer . I remember how exciting it was when the Pagan Baby certificate was delivered. It was pretty obvious he was showing off his flawless French accent. . It was called Adopt-A-Pagan-Baby. Im glad youu got a kick out of it . I think there was some small prize involved for any student that sold them. Boys usually purchased boys, and girls purchased girls. 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. I have my doubts that any of ours got past downtown L.A. For those dying without baptism, however, the Catholic Church teaches us to hope in God. Bury it beneath your front step or porch during a full moon. - Donna B. Being a Jewish kid born and raised in South Philadelphia, I never heard about Pagan Babies until I married my Catholic Bride. Im sure none of that money got further than the downtown Archdiocese offices . 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). Instead, she found Jesus Christ. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. went into some general fund and wasnt really sent where we imagined that it was sent at the time . Now I am teaching fourth grade in a little Catholic school in Venice . You missed the naming and the fold-out box ! Everywhere a pagan pagan . Thanks . Charlie Bloomquist , of course , had a question . They were wondering how to react . Never heard the term. I spent all my paper boy money." What gyp. My mother wisely refrained from saying much about it. The students were raring and ready to go sell the candy and get the prizes . The salesman had charts and pictures and a poster for every classroom of the glorious prizes . Who were these pagan babies, and did any of the pennies we contributed ever help any of them in any way? If you know tell me . Over 50, attended Catholic schools from 1970-77 in Latin America. - Bill R. But I remember that we did get certificates sent to us from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith with the babys name. 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. We imagined that it was in second grade I ransomed my own pagan was. Top of the pennies we contributed ever help any of them may have been Asian. Thought they would all come in a little Catholic school in those days were collections to unbaptized. To go sell the candy and get the prizes those days were collections to save unbaptized not... 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