Dan, Loved your post on the Pagan Babies! At every Catholic school in those days were collections to save unbaptized children not taught about God (Pagan Babies). They were called pagan babies, certainly not the most sensitive appellation and one that would never be used today. I know its not a politically correct term, but babies are not getting baptized or raised in the faith. Pagan babies are certainly a uniquely Catholic childhood memory! This is hilarious, love this! God Bless you. a Pagan Baby but lost touch. Technically, Jews could not be pagan, because they believe in the same monotheistic god Catholics do/did. - Bob U. But I was in the mist of all of the Catholic Truths and those truths just werent ringing true to me. between boys and girls. Now I am teaching fourth grade in a little Catholic school in Venice . In most classrooms to encourage donations, the nuns pitted the boys against the girls. If you want, you can contact the director of music programming at Hawaiian Public Radio, and ask him if hes still using it, though. I got JUG in high school - Jesuits a few times. Ransom and Baptism? 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. Check out our pagan babies selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. - Mary Ellen M. . EDIT: On second thoughts, I think that was **not **an official school thing, but kids bringing in this charity appeal from their church thing. Here is sister Mary So-and-So in the plane about to fly off to baptize the pagans . Each pagan baby cost five dollars. With missionary nuns and pagan babies for starters. ), and its name was even weirder - it was collect money to feed the Black babies. 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. adoption pledge. Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions. I remember how exciting it was when the Pagan Baby certificate was delivered. How great ! You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. So, pagan baby collections in LaCrosse , too ! I remember the rice bowls but no actual rice. Biographies are listed below: 1. - Kathy F. went into some general fund and wasnt really sent where we imagined that it was sent at the time . No pagan babies, just for the hungry, I think. UNICEF is the United Nations Childrens Fund. Shop high-quality t-shirts, masks, onesies, and hoodies for the perfect gift. Maybe the program was intended , at least partially , to teach us generosity . But in 1969 the names we fourth graders favored were names like Ringo and Twiggy. We were wondering how much trouble Cary would get into . Someone must have decided it was no longer a good way to raise money for Catholic missions. Good luck. This made my day. End of March we usually plant or seed our wishes for the year. But are those even the worthy ideals to strive toward? 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. Did the Catholic Schools consider Jewish People Pagans? Im sure we had to change it to Richard, but in our hearts he was our little Ringo. "I think they cost five dollars." But I dont remember her name." And of course, there was competition between the classrooms. Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. Thanks for the comment . Maybe the kids of today are more savvy . 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 Or a beer. We maybe learned a little about giving though ? It is so very true the whole Pagan baby scam my mom complained to the principal about how us kids were made to feel guilty for not coming up with the cash every day some of the richer kids would buy 10s of these Pagan babies I think we came close to sponsoring an entire small tribe in those days, Funny as hell reading this story great memories! There was something he needed to know . I served lunch to old people and I received so many compliments from the old people that I thought that I was a goner . Because we purchased Pagan Babies for five dollars a head, on a regular basis. The missionary spirit was evident as Pontifical Mission Societies honored three people at the gala. Thanks for commenting! How many people who raised their hands the first time were still in contact with their pagan babies? Wow ! Lets never forget that one day we will account for how we helped others. 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. I thought the amount was $10, but $5 does sound more realistic. - Sharon S. Found this page while looking for something completely different, the unexpected joys of broken algorithmic search engines. When five dollars was collected the box would go.somewhere ..and a new box would be folded out by the teacher . Names chosen for each baby were REQUIRED to be the names of bonefide saints, beatified by process through Rome. The oldest nun asked : Any questions , children ? ), and its name was even weirder - it was collect money to feed . I cant guarantee your sanity , but Im happy to have helped . There were just people who needed another shoulder on their plow. 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. Your email address will not be published. But, in fact, the entire program was rooted in a sense of solidarity and charity in the broadest understanding of the word. Like using Necco wafers to practice First Holy Communion. Save that document. There have to be plenty of them around somewhere . Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? Thanks for your thoughtful comment . My first lessons in social justice came through saving pagan babies. But I remember that we did get certificates sent to us from the Society for the Propagation of the Faith with the babys name. 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. No one was, in fact, adopted or bought. I have been searching for a pagan baby box for 30 years, any idea where I can find one ? It cost $5.00. A bulletin board held the certificates, pinned to the wall. Saving pagan babies occurred during a simpler time, before cynicism and political correctness found their stride. Sorry man , no money for you . Same thing, just a more PC name. - Sal S. I taught in Catholic schools in the 1970s and pagan babies were a thing of the past ( as far as I know ; but never underestimate the nuns ). For a baby girl, Sister always pushed us to choose Mary something - Mary Beth, Mary Alice, Mary Margaret, Mary Catherine, Mary Jane, whatever. (After Vatican II beanies were no longer necessary.) Those memories come from a ways back . But I assured her that my Karen went straight to heavenMonsignor had said so and celebrated a Mass of the angels in white vestments rather than the usual funeral Mass in her honor. In the book, Pope Francis also addresses corruption at the Vatican, abuses committed by members of the Church, the COVID-19 pandemic, Russias invasion of Ukraine, among other topics. 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. 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. 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. Remember Pagan Babies? Yeah! Stories ensued. I seriously want to start a band now, just so I can name us that. Some we're pretty outrageous!" 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.. 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. DUDE! Maybe it was a Toledo thing?! 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 did the saving bond thing , too . You know the drill . . *One of them may have been slightly Asian, but that was pushing things in those days. Weird, the kind of memories we carry over from childhood, isnt it? Id give my expected nickel or dime each week . Already he was losing his enthusiasm . My Catholic neighborhood friends and I would have a carnival like MD carnivals sponsored by Jerry Lewis. I jumped at it. "Me too! Anybody have some spare change ? My mother was horrified. 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. kids were allowed to give their baby a Christian name. ( to save the pagans ! He didnt say that the big winner was the salesman himself , who had spent only a couple of hours with the principal and with the students but now had three hundred children who would be desperately trying to sell his candy for the next two weeks . A recent Pew Research Center study revealed that much of Christianity is significantly losing members. I actually went to St Charles, but attended Corpus Cristi mass once in awhile. 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. 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. It seems hard to believe, but according to the National When you get to heaven have it in your pocket . They spoke for an hour and I think that every sentence they uttered had the word pagan in it . My Jewish neighbors always bought a packet of the Childhood Catholic Christmas seals. members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission 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 ended up with about five babies!" Whether or not they converted is one thing, giving up their cultural ties is quite another. I also had a more personal reason for hitting the $5 markthe point at which you actually saved a baby and got naming rights. Gina Cascone grew up in central New Jersey and is the author of Pagan Babies, Mother's Little Helper, and coauthor of twenty-six books for children. . Years later, as adults, my younger sister, Patricia, confessed to sneaking into my room and using a butter knife to weasel the coins out of the bottle to buy candy and, yes, pagan babies. It didnt glow , but she was in a sort of a case shaped like a bullet with two doors that could close her in . You missed the naming and the fold-out box ! "We can smile at it now at perhaps how silly it was," Father Small said. With touching little pictures of hungry children. But, ours were JMJD, because were had to give accolades to St. Dominic. NOT catholic, hallelujah. I remember Green Stamps . Now they're in together for a bigger payoff than either could finagle alone. is the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives access to the other those babies. Anybody have some spare change ? Contrary to popular belief, the United States fails to live up to its promised values of freedom and fairness. No longer just an auxiliary fundraiserthis was my chance to be part of the action! The problems were global, structural, and often ambiguous. Youre welcome . 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. 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. It was pretty obvious he was showing off his flawless French accent. There must be a lot of pagan Davids running around out there, bought with purloined funds. Labeling any baby pagan, much less sweeping into this category all foreign children of color, makes me look back with embarrassment. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. 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.