Anybody have some spare change ? I could fold bandages and scrub floors in the dispensario, change diapers and scrub floors in the orphanage, wash vestments and scrub floors in the churchyou can see the pattern. 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.. The bookstore is receiving pro bono legal services from ADF for the lawsuit. Bingo, and thanks. As a first grade student at St.Aloysius in Wilkes-Barre, PA circa 1969, pagan babies were part of our extreme Catholic instruction. And then the certificate was put up above the chalkboard. Pagan babies may have disappeared from collection boxes but they started showing up in our families. Pagan baby names continue to be popular name choices for many new parents. My mom was not into that kind of stuff. I remember hearing the term too when I attended parochial school (mid 1960s), but by then it had been replaced by the UNICEF boxes. But, ours were JMJD, because were had to give accolades to St. Dominic. I Googled it because of my conviction that it was an acronym and I just couldnt quite figure out what the E stood for. FYI : My granny was raised in Sterling . For every $10.00 collected you got name the baby. My grandmother gave me $5 to buy my Remember Pagan Babies? Yeah! Stories ensued. Diane, Christians have always believed that baptism I suspect nowhere . . Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? He didnt mention that 60% of the profits went to the promotion company . But in 1969 the names we fourth graders favored were names like Ringo and Twiggy. Congratulations for moving on and helping children in other countries. babies. Design by. What did they really think about it ? You didnt buy one with the $5.00. I dont think that the money went sideways. Ill bet you remember those . We can smile at it now at perhaps how silly it was, Father Small said. We can smile at it now at perhaps how silly it was, Father Small said. 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. It was probably a good lesson in giving for us little ones ; but , the money - probably not a huge sum overall - ? grade 6A, 6B, 6C,). 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. We were wondering how much trouble Cary would get into . Cover Reveal for My Road Trip Cowboy Romance! Glad to have confirmed this for you , John . They wore full habits in the old style . When I gave my pennies to the missions, I could make a difference. Other Brookliners Remember Adopting But, in fact, the entire program was rooted in a sense of solidarity and charity in the broadest understanding of the word. Keep writingthis is good stuff! Or for the poor, underprivileged kids in the USA? When did this extremely non-PC term stop being used? Pagan babies are certainly a unique experience us Catholic schoolkids share! My mother thought that those nuns were as close to God as we would ever get on earth. 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. Does ANYONE know where the money did go? What gyp. except the last. Philadelphia 76ers Premier League UFC. It really didnt have anything to do with Jesus, per se. One guy talked about confession when he was in third grade. Youre too late. 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. Not many hands went up. Reproduction of material from this website without written permission, or unlicensed commercial use or It seemed like an honorable thing, he said. How great ! Required fields are marked *. 3:21; cf. Founded In Honolulu, Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States More than one artist goes by Pagan Babies 1. unless Father Terry is working a con of his own. 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 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? Might make a nice story . NEW YORK - They were called "pagan babies," an appellation that would never be used today. I am a Catholic of a certain age, a graduate of parochial school, and a former member of the Association of the Holy Childhood. The civil right movement was a much better teacher than The Catholic School system. I was not called to be a full-time missionary. Its a mystery! Thanks for the comment . An interactive website will feature video interviews with some of the former pagan babies, now nuns, priests and catechists in their homelands. Despite its apparent condescending tone at times, it instilled a radical sense of urgency in children that we are responsible for one another.. I am a recovering catholic now but am thrilled with the new Pope (too bad the old one is living in the apartment w/ is BF) he is a nasty old creep and was (or is) the sole channel for abuse victims. Who could choose the most ridiculous name ? Yeah , a few days later . She went to Catholic school too, and I dont know if they had pagan babies then, but I bet they did. I remember those statues . kids were allowed to give their baby a Christian name. We did that too. When I attended Corpus Christi Catholic School in the 1950s and 1960s there was a program we all called Pagan Babies . A different time ; a different place . The class received a certificate for each child they named. Considering your background , I am honored that you thought my silly little post on pagan babies was worth reading . 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 . Great sounding rare live tape here by Philadelphia's own PAGAN BABIES from mid 1988. Sports. Remembering a Different A-to-Z Challenge | No Facilities. 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 think mine were 25 cent stamps . 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!!! Do you know if I could list my pagan baby on my tax return as a dependent? collection boxes given to each child. Bonus question: Did children in Europe collect coins for the pagan babies? Anyone have proof the Catholic Church ( the dedicated Nuns ) were able to get the pagan baby money to its intended recipients? Pretty danged patronizing, offensive concept it was, too. He told how we had to examine our consciences. Happy Fathers Day! 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 . If they're actually disabled, they can file the application with the city to get a handicap spot installed. "Me too! It barely rings a bell hearing something about pagan babies. I still think of those days and have many wonderful memories. I attended St. Judes Grade School in Detroit, Michigan (1958 to 1966) and as I recall Pagan Babies were a big thing. I also remember buying 10 cent stamps that went into a book. 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. Check out our pagan babies selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Remember the "Pagan Babies"? She said she named them after me. It used to be a full acronym - United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund. But I remember that we did get certificates sent to us from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith with the babys name. 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. Linda A. McMillin is a professor of history at Susquehanna University. So then there was an ethical issue that , in some elementary way , even we students recognized . Ours always seemed to be colored brown . I just re-read your comment and am laughing about all that back then . . People needed food, water, medical care, and were looking to us to step up and provide it. by reneeqyancy | Feb 9, 2010 | Blog | 8 comments. I should have asked them if they had ever run into any pagan named Herman . - Ann C. Pagan baby naming makes good memories but was , I guess , conditioning in deception . Thanks for commenting. Sometimes the girls in one class would be pitted against the boys : Who could collect the money to name the pagan baby first ? They were missionaries working somewhere in Africa . Im 34. But how ? This made my day. Oh . 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. Someone must have 6:34, Col. 2:1112). Exorcist Responds to Sensationalized Russell Crowe Exorcism Film on Father Amorth, Ash Wednesday Breaks All the Rules of Modern ChurchThink, and More Great Links! Usually an ice cream party, it seems. 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 . Anyway, I attended Catholic grade school from 1962 - 1970, and we collected money for pagan babies during Lent. A kid in my class took a five dollar bill from his mother ( without her knowledge ) and a similar result happened . To get the bike we have to sell nine million thirty six thousand three hundred and eight candy bars .. I still find myself wishing THOSE people had relatively lackluster and unsuccessful lives. And yesyou know who you are. 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. I won the [ now I really dont remember which of the above things I won ] but a classmate wanted to exchange her prize , the other thing , for mine . My romantic notions of missionary work got a dose of reality that summer. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. 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. The money collected in the United States went to help feed, clothe and educate them. Consider these suggestions for renewing your life in Christ this season. . I do not remember the term pagan babies at all, although I remember the little paper boxes quite well. Pontifical Mission Societies and launched by Pope Francis. 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! God Bless you. Something good came from Corpus Cristi. Learn how your comment data is processed. Weird, the kind of memories we carry over from childhood, isnt it? But I dont remember her name." . I still have the ransom certificate to prove it. And in pagan lands, there are pagan babies. You never know what I might post about next! We maybe learned a little about giving though ? Im sure that Beverley Anne is fine and doing well . The Mary list is endless. The nuns tried to keep us on the Catholic path, but they had a lot of competition with of the civil rights movements of the time. Catholic mom and grandparents here. Always when he asked his question , no matter what the occasion , he seemed to be right smack dab in the middle of the group . That was the early sixties . 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.". Pagan ,pagan, pagan . Long time ago . . if you can open your heart and you want to do something to help, PLEASE donate here to the Gonzalez Family . Dell Publishing, $24.95 (272pp) ISBN 978--385-33392-4 The opening paragraph depicts a corner of hell on earth: a church in Rwanda after the recent. I too went to Catholic School in CA, and we definitely collected money for the Pagan babies. Charlie was in my class . So how many pagan babies did you sell in Brentwood ? Another thing at every Catholic school in those days were collections to save pagan babiesunbaptized children not taught about God. Simone Weil went into the factory to find out more about the social conditions of the modern worker in capitalism. 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. 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. - Sharon S. - Sal S. They changed the name because it had grown beyond the initial save the war-torn orphans mission. 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. We collected money (I think) for UNICEF but we didnt get to name anyone. In accepting his medallion, Cardinal McCarrick summed up the missionary spirit. 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. Pagan Names for your baby boy Achak: The name Achak is a Native American Origin name which means "Spirit." Adonis: Adonis means extremely good-looking (handsome), also of the Greek god of beauty and desire. Labeling any baby pagan, much less sweeping into this category all foreign children of color, makes me look back with embarrassment. Anyway , we never got pictures of our pagan babies . I spent all my paper boy money." Saving pagan babies occurred during a simpler time, before cynicism and political correctness found their stride. Pope Benedicts Resignation: Debate Continues 10 Years On, Example of Their Lives: 6 American Black Catholics Are on the Road to Sainthood, Ex-Cardinal McCarrick Asks for Dismissal of Sex Abuse Case Against Him, Citing Dementia, Albany Diocese Bans Latin Masses Following New Guidance From the Vatican, What Have the Jesuits Done About Rupnik? I remember the little cardboard boxes and wanting to saving the poor pagan babies. Then I developed dysentery, and the very people I was there to save were taking care of me. 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. 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. Well , I havent met any pagan (baby) Davids running around , but no pagan (baby) Patricias , either . Cary had guts, for sure , for such a bold attempt at fraud . 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. 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? Here a pagan ; there a pagan . I dont believe that UNICEF worries about saving souls. Thanks for sharing that. Anybody have some spare change ? 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.. My first lessons in social justice came through saving pagan babies. Great memories!!! I will say, Im happy I went to catholic school. The certificates had a picture of a white little toddler sitting down with little black toddlers. (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 boys could give a name to a boy pagan baby and the girls, a girl. Many of those kids still have their adoption certificate, like Bob No , only two thousand fifty , countered the salesman . The book may rally his followers, but it wont add to their number. Small world. Thanks for the comment ! Catholic Connection (right after the news). The idea was to collect money from students , nickels and dimes , for charity . (There were a lot of Christines then for some reason it was the favorite name of a lot of the girls). I remember Green Stamps . They were no doubt common . I keep asking her where MY money was! "I named my Pagan Baby Patrick. Of course, we collected money in the little paper boxes " for the missions" and I seem to remember something about either the school or each class "adopting"one of the mission children. I remember how exciting it was when the Pagan Baby certificate was delivered. http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1202140.htm, http://asksistermarymartha.blogspot.com/2006/08/announcing-pagan-baby-reunion.html. All rights reserved. Those were the good old days , eh ? 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. It is a few years after the genocide of the Tutsis by the Hutus.. Father Terry lives in Rwanda with his girlfriend Chantelle. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. In most classrooms to encourage donations, the nuns pitted the boys against the girls. The poor pagan was already named Herman , right ? A lot of your story is fiction. 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. Catholic Dopers >age 50- does the term "pagan babies" ring a bell? More than one-third of millennials now say they are unaffiliated with any faith. 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. I also remember something about a bridge . I named all my pagan babies after my cousin Karen, who had died at age 2. And so I traveled to Guaymas in the Sonoran desert expecting to accomplish great things. Plot summary. I remember this in Chicago St. John Fisher. Gaming. . 4. muddymoose 4 mo. I remember the rice bowls but no actual rice. But Im a bit cynical . I still suspect the money collected ( probably in actuality just chicken-feed ? ) 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. When the book was filled, it was turned in for a US Savings Bond. Now I am teaching fourth grade in a little Catholic school in Venice . As an incentive for our fundraising, when we raised $5 we were allowed to give a Christian name to a pagan baby. I do agree that the biggest thrill was the goal of the reward of getting to actually choose a name for an unknown child & therefore beat our class opponents! Hopefully its from the old days. 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. Copyright 2023 EWTN News, Inc. All rights reserved. Sure would love to hear from anyone that remembers. A collection of writing that wrestles with contemporary spirituality, within and without the doors of the church, 2023 Commonweal Magazine. 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). - Donna B. Along with the Pagan babies does anyone remember selling books of small stamps people could use on envelopes? Im sure none of that money got further than the downtown Archdiocese offices . 11 Facts About Murdered Bishop David OConnell, Cameron Bertuzzis Conversion to Catholicism, and More Great Links! I seriously want to start a band now, just so I can name us that. Patti Maguire Armstrong Patti Maguire Armstrong is host of the TV talk show Ladies of Another View and an award-winning author and journalist. Imagine what they would cost now." Your email address will not be published. Saint Martins actoss the street from you back then. 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. It took $10.00 to save a baby. We too raised $$ for pagan babies. She was managing editor and co-author of Ascension Press bestselling Amazing Grace series. I served lunch to old people and I received so many compliments from the old people that I thought that I was a goner . 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. I remember someone once making a comment about that phrase, but I can't remember what it refered to. . The teacher had a stack of them . Oh, yes, I remember raising money to save pagan babies. Or for the poor, underprivileged kids in the USA? Right, but there must be some type of guidelines that must be met for that to happen. One time, in the 70s, at an intimate dinner party, we realized the room was filled with about half Catholics who attended Catholic school. 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. The salesman had charts and pictures and a poster for every classroom of the glorious prizes . Give a Gift SubscriptionBless friends, family or clergy with a gift of the Register. As I write this I still feel the hurt and frustration 50 years later. 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 an Irish name?" I think we were the hope, somehow, for all the people who were seeing us and a hope for the country, recalls Bishop Christian Carlassare of the nine-day pilgrimage to meet Pope Francis. Someone nees to buy Charlie a shiny bike. Marianne Bruce is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Edgardo Gonzalez Pagan. Its a great way to perform works of mercy or give alms during Lent or find a family charity. Sold by themeekdontwantit | Ends on 2023-03-07 21:40:38. We went to Blessed Sacrament Grade School in LaCrosse and pagan baby buying was fierce and rampant; Within grades, boy / girl and between grades. Seems like the boxes looked like animal crackers boxes . own pagan baby! Seriously has anyone ever ran into a pagan baby named Herman or Mary or any other name?? We sold The Tidings , which was the L.A. Archdiocese newspaper , and there were prizes . Someone spilled the beans , I think , or he bragged to the wrong person just what he had done . ( Sorry for the delay. Yeah . James Dingwall picked that name and the girls immediately protested! "I remember Pagan Babies!" The beanies covered our heads during morning Mass. More and more babies are not getting baptized or raised in the faith. Christianity is significantly losing members. 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. Id give my expected nickel or dime each week . Maybe the program was intended , at least partially , to teach us generosity . The money collected in the United States went to help feed, clothe and educate them. Of course, the prizes helped. I refused. They were called "pagan babies," certainly not the most sensitive appellation and one that would never be used today. Because we purchased Pagan Babies for five dollars a head, on a regular basis. I dont remember what exactly the certificates were certifying Im assuming that little Christine Marie had been duly baptized but I know when we were younger we were told that we were buying the pagan babies. There were milk cartons to hold the money. I thought the amount was $10, but $5 does sound more realistic. They took me down to Carmel Hall when I was around 10 or 11 and had me volunteer with the nuns. Each classroom was given small cardboard collection boxes . Im sure we had to change it to Richard, but in our hearts he was our little Ringo. 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. It was boy versus girl PJ. The nuns encouraged us to bring in our pennies and when we saved up five bucks, bingo!, we bought a baby. A Timeline. Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? 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. 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 ) ? I guess this went on everywhere. The short-lived dream pop band formed by Kat Bjelland and Courtney Love in 1985 in Portland, Oregon, United States 2. Thanks for the comment . - Nancy K. No one was, in fact, adopted or bought. No one was, in fact, adopted or bought. "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 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. - Karyn D. Please email comments to [emailprotected] and join the conversation on our Facebook page. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Thanks for a trip down memory lane and validating my recollection. Remember JMJ ? Her latest books are What Would Monica Do? If you ever meet one, say hi from meus. Five bucks sure went far in 1958! Without her mothers knowledge ! Each pagan baby cost five dollars. 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). The rice they used was really good which I think defeated the purpose since a lot of kids looked forward to it, myself included.