6.VIII Bibliografía
(44) CTERA INFORME Nº7: CONDICIONES PARA DE MOCRATIZAR EL ACCESO A LA ESCUELA SECUNDARIA
Associate Pastor, Saint Vincent de Paul Parish, Elkhart, Indiana (1934 to 1942)
“Haven’t we become better men and women, become more intimate with God because we have known Father Grutka?” was written in the weekly bulletin, “The Vincentian,” upon Grutka’s departure from Saint Vincent de Paul parish in Elkhart, Indiana.1 Grutka’s time at Saint Vincent Parish set a template for his ecclesiastical, civic and social involvement. He was ready to mentor others and take seriously Noll’s
mandate in his appointment letter to Saint Vincent de Paul to ‘exercise a real zeal for souls and the promotion of the religious spirit in that community.’
Grutka’s efforts, while primarily committed to the Catholic community at Saint Vincent Parish, inevitably propelled him into involvement with the larger community. His youth programs were open to all youth, of all faiths and all races. During this time at Elkhart, moreover, “Grutka would be responsible for the admittance of the black student to the parish elementary school.”2
His education and formation, especially at the NAC, his experience in Rome, his faith and devotional life, his energy and zeal and his confidence about his Catholic identity empowered him to attend to the spiritual needs of his parishioners, but naturally led Grutka, and other priests of his time who pursued a similar path, to directly and proactively address the pastoral, civic, and economic issues of the day. The two models Grutka seems to have embraced to engage in his ministry were the Catholic Youth Organization and Catholic Action and their calls to sanctify oneself and society. To
1 “Sunrise Not Sunset,” “Vincentian,” June 28, 1942, 2.
understand Grutka’s ministry and impact, a brief understanding of Elkhart and Saint Vincent de Paul Parish is necessary.
During his time at Saint Vincent de Paul Parish, Elkhart, Indiana was known for: 1) the C.G. Conn Factory, producer of musical instruments; 2) a manufactory center for trailers, RVs and mobile homes; and 3) Miles Medical Company producer of Alka- Seltzer and One-A-Day vitamins. The priests and sisters of Saint Vincent de Paul Parish served the Catholic population in Elkhart; a parish made up of Italians and Slovaks among other groups.3
Saint Vincent de Paul Parish was founded in 1868 when A. B. Oechtering, of Mishawaka, Indiana erected the first church to serve the Catholic community in Elkhart. Up until that time, Catholics were serviced by a priest from the Mishawaka area and Mass was celebrated in private homes. The church, in which Grutka served, was built in 1886, and the old church was eventually converted into a one-story school, which was staffed by the Sisters of the Holy Cross. The rectory, where Grutka lived, was built around 1891, when the old parochial residence was given to the sisters. In 1906, Frank J. Jansen was appointed pastor and he served until 1927; building a school in 1909 and a new convent in 1918. As mentioned earlier, Noll had a personal connection to Saint Vincent de Paul Parish; it was the site of his first parish assignment as a newly ordained priest in the summer of 1898. In 1941, the town had a population of approximately 30,000 people with fifty-seven churches and only one Catholic Church, Saint Vincent de Paul.4
3 Lepara with author, March 2006; http://www.elkhartindiana.org/egov/docs1167354339877.htm (accessed
November 15, 2009)
4Noll, 325-326; Ann Ball with Father Leon Hutton, Champion of the Church: The Extraordinary Life &
Edward G. Werling, Grutka’s first pastor, was appointed pastor of Saint Vincent de Paul Parish, in July 1931. Werling was born at Tiffin, Ohio on April 12, 1877. He received his formal priesthood education at Saint Joseph College in Rensselaer, Indiana and at Mount Saint Mary Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio. Herman Joseph Alerding ordained him a priest on May 22, 1907 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Grutka viewed Werling as a fatherly figure who encouraged his ministry efforts with the youth and the building of a Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) Center. Grutka’s experience at Saint Vincent and his appreciation of, and loyalty to, Werling lasted long after he left to take on his own parish. In response to the tremendous vitality and enthusiasm that Grutka demonstrated, Werling seems to have given his young assistant full support and a free hand with parish ministry and projects; though at times, Werling wavered. Grutka looked back on his time at Saint Vincent and recalled “the joys I experienced in serving the needs not only of the young of the parish but of all the parishioners and many other citizens of Elkhart, Indiana.”5
It is important to note that Grutka arrived in Elkhart in the midst of the Great Depression, which dominated the atmosphere and had profound economic ramifications on Church life. In what would become a trademark of his ministry to address the realities of this time, Grutka fully invested himself in advancing parish ministry and empowering the youth of the parish and community to channel their energies in positive and active ways. Grutka saw the parish as a resource for the parishioners and members of the community alike. He gained the attention and respect of civic officials for his efforts and
5 Grutka to Saint Vincent de Paul Parish, July 9, 1993, in celebration of the 125th Parish Anniversary,
earned increased opportunities to engage in activities and events to promote the good of the Elkhart community.
One of his first actions was to establish a Catholic Youth Organization for the parish. Werling, consented to the efforts, but was skeptical of its success; the program blossomed with Grutka’s initiative and hard work. While CYO program unofficially started with Grutka’s arrival in 1934, a parish CYO building was opened and the official Youth Program was established in 1937.6
Grutka understood that community building meant getting various youth involved in many ways to keep them from being idle. One effective way in which he
accomplished this goal was to empower the youth to run a variety of parish committees as part of his new CYO to meet parish and community needs. These committees included a variety of interests: apostolic, library, publication, social work, little theater, athletics, clerical, cleaning, and summer school committees. All young people over sixteen were eligible for membership in the CYO but, strictly speaking, only members of the DePaulian Club (an organization for young men) and the Sodality were considered active members. Grutka understood that the key to membership was to strengthen existing organizations, not take away from them.7
Grutka believed that giving youth constructive outlets, grounding them in
Catholic teachings, and building and strengthening their character were key components in youth formation. He coached softballs teams, directed plays put on by the “Villager
6 CYO Homecoming, 1934-1949 booklet, January 29 & 30, 1949, 5 & 11, “Elkhart, Misc.,” 3, AGP, ADG.
Auxiliary Bishop Bernard Sheil of Chicago, Illinois pioneered the first CYO in 1931. In the early 1930s, deanery CYO directors were appointed for Fort Wayne. In 1935, Grutka mentions Noll’s efforts to launch the CYO Movement “to promote the welfare of youth.” White, 302-303; “Youth,” “Parishcope,” June 1935, 1; and Noll, 167-168.
Club,” established a business school to teach essential, marketable skills, and edited the weekly bulletin, “The Vincentian,” with the help of the parish youth. These bulletins were an excellent opportunity to communicate Catholic doctrine, promote social events, publicize events of the parish and the parishioners, foster the faith lives of the parish, and build community. No record exists as to the ultimate source of the idea for Grutka’s parish publication; nonetheless, it was similar to Noll’s publishing works in his early years in parish work.
Grutka’s experience in Elkhart was a positive one. His impact in serving and engaging the community and the youth became apparent in a relatively short time. He assisted with sacraments, and was a respected confessor offering the Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation) in Italian, Slovak, and English. His witness to service in the parish and community led to some conversions to Catholicism. His openness, charism, and desire to minister to everyone, provided a welcoming style for Catholics and non- Catholics alike. Sometime between 1934 and 1942 (the exact year is unknown) Grutka was responsible for admitting a black student, Eugene Taylor, to Saint Vincent de Paul Parish School.8
For the youth of the parish, Grutka was seen as “the finest teacher [the] children ever had” and “a molder of men.”9 Grutka was a natural born leader who became known as a man of education and action. His efforts and mentoring helped the young men and
8Lepara interview, August 1, 2006. Miss Lepara could not recall the specific year, but did verify the
veracity of the admittance of an African-American student to Saint Vincent de Paul Grade School. It is unknown at the time of this writing if Eugene Taylor was the first or only black student to be admitted to Saint Vincent’s Grade School. Not much is known about the circumstances of this decision based on the material the author could find. See also “St. Vincent’s Spellers City’s Best,” June 7, 1942, “1937-1939 Elkhart, Sodality News,” 3, AGP, ADG.
9 “Elkhart Salutes Bishop Grutka,” The Elkhart Truth, 1957; and People’s Forum, “Echoes Praise Of
Bishop Grutka,” The Elkhart Truth, 1957. Copies of the articles found in “Elkhart (Misc. Letters and Articles),” 3, AGP, ADG.
women of the parish become better men and women and ingrained in them sound principles and teachings. He took seriously Pope Pius XI’s call for priests to be “Apostles of Education.” In the encyclical, Ad Catholici Sacerdotii (On The Catholic Priesthood, 1935), Pius XI wrote:
The priest is, indeed, both by vocation and divine commission, the chief apostle and tireless furtherer of the Christian education of youth…the priest contributes more effectively to the solution, or at least the mitigation, of social conflicts, since he preaches Christian brotherhood, declares to all their mutual obligations of justice and charity, brings peace to hearts embittered by moral and economic hardship, and alike rich and poor points out the only true riches to which all men both can and should aspire.10
In Grutka’s understanding, a priest naturally gets involved in the social and
economic issues of the day, as a result of understanding the parishioners’ needs and lives. A priest needed to be well read and well informed about contemporary issues and to be grounded in the mandates and teachings of the papal encyclicals of his day. Grutka’s zeal to educate and form youth became one of his staple trademarks. One way he
accomplished this goal was to survey their needs with a “Religious And Parish Youth Work Survey,”11 which also allowed him to question them on their spiritual, intellectual, and physical development. He challenged young people to reflect on real life issues, which were challenging: national prejudice; matters pertaining to life and sex; mixed marriages; how they treated others; and their morals, values, habits and inclinations. Equally, if not more important to Grutka, was how the young people grounded
themselves in reception of the Eucharist, attendance at Mass, and devotional practices. He helped them connect faith to every day life. The youth responded to Grutka; he cared about them, he listened to them, and he challenged them and they knew it. They, in turn, shared a great deal about their lives with him.
10 Carlen, Encyclicals 1903-1939, 498, no. 7.
11 Religious And Parish Youth Work Survey, November 24, 1941, copy of the survey found in “Elkhart
In reality, he was applying his seminary formation program and the Spiritual
Exercises to the education and formation of the young people. Grutka saw ‘idleness’ as
unacceptable for young people and a quick way for them to be led down a destructive path. This idleness was contrary to the development of a Christian man and woman. His establishment of the CYO program and the CYO building allowed for consistent activity for the youth, but not unsupervised, unfocused playtime. Formation of youth involved development of the mind, body, and soul. He organized a “business school” to teach the young adults necessary skills, like bookkeeping, typing, and shorthand. Involvement built character that demanded excellence and manners in all activities. Most descriptive of the efforts was that “many a young person was shown and given a purpose in life.”12
His first attempt at a parish publication was called “Parishcope,” which would “serve as a telescope focused…on St. Vincent’s…so you may familiarize yourselves with the activities of this unique unit of the Universal Church founded by Christ.”13 Grutka served as the original editor, but gradually handed over responsibilities, as was his custom, to an interested young member of the parish. In response to the large size of the parish community and the need for greater communication among parishioners, the purpose of the “Parishcope” was three-fold: 1) to promote a greater spirit of harmony in the parish; 2) to acquaint the parishioners with each other; and 3) to serve as a medium of expression for the various parish organizations.14
The “Parishcope” evolved into “The Vincentian” in 1938. “The Vincentian” was a four to six page weekly paper that was distributed to all parishioners free of charge.
12 “Catholic Youth Organization, CYO,” 100th Anniversary St. Vincent DePaul Parish, 1868-1968, 51.
13 “Parishcope” May 1935, 1. The “Parishcope” was published monthly in the attic of the Saint Vincent de
Paul Rectory.
Meanwhile, the Holy Name Society covered the weekly expenses of sending copies of “The Vincentian” to the boys in the armed services.15 Another parish publication Grutka oversaw was called “Sodality News,” a monthly publication begun in 1937 “to promote the interests of the Sodality [and] to bring members into a closer union.”16 With a new editor, Ms. Rose Lepara, the title was changed to “Immaculata” in 1939.
His efforts laid a foundation that help the youth develop their character. The youth of the parish were empowered to organize and implement many structured activities and organizations. One of the most successful activities was the organization of men and women softball teams. Grutka served as the Men’s Chaplain and Manager. These games, held on Sunday afternoons drew capacity crowds. In 1938 and 1940, the men’s softball team won the CYO State Championship. In addition, Grutka helped to organize an orchestra, a choir, and other activities that were meant to build character and sound mind and body.
The chief determination to the effectiveness of the activities for the youth, in Grutka’s mind, was if the activities and the service led the youth to a closer relationship with God, which was manifested in Mass attendance and reception of the Eucharist. This connection was paramount for Grutka. The events were a means to bring youth closer to God and to the Church. In Grutka’s mind, the spiritual formation was always stressed above the material. In a mission statement, his intention was made clear when founding the group: “I will be able to judge just how much all this will amount to and how much
15Josephine Gildea to Noll, June 24, 1942, “Letters/Petitions, Elkhart,” 3, AGP, ADG.
16“Sodality News,” June 1937, 2, and “Immaculata,” December 1940, 5, “1940-1942 Elkhart Sodality
progress you are making, when I see an increase in attendance at Mass and the reception
of Holy Communion.”17
One specific and successful way to accomplish this formation was his Christian Doctrine classes, which evolved into “Religious Discussion” groups, one group for high school aged students and a group for college or post-high school age students. A variety of religious, social and civic issues were among frequent topics covered; papal
encyclicals and Church teachings were also topics for discussion. Grutka continued these classes for high school and post-high school youth in the future as Pastor of Holy Trinity Parish in Gary, Indiana.
In May 1938, the youth of Saint Vincent de Paul studied Pope Pius XI’s encyclical, Rappresentanti In Terra (On Christian Education, 1929). One important principle from the encyclical that Grutka understood and promoted was the notion of the three societies: family; civil society; and the Church.18
By 1939, three groups were in place to foster the education and formation of youth: 1) Bible class for those in high school; 2) Sunday afternoon classes for the public school students attending Roosevelt School, a local school, and those not able to take the religion class in high school; and 3) the Wednesday night group was for the youth beyond high school age.
These groups discussed many topics that related to their lives and the spiritual and social issues of the day. Grutka was convinced that the youth should be well informed about their faith and church teaching. The November 23, 1941 issue of “The Vincentian” mentioned that the teaching on unions was discussed at the post-high school Religious
17 “CYO Homecoming, 1934-1949” brochure, January 29 & 30, 1949, 11 & 17, “Elkhart, Misc,” 3, AGP,
ADG.
Discussion class; the focus of the discussion was a statement written by Bernard Shiel, auxiliary bishop of Chicago (1928-1969). Grutka exposed the students to papal teachings of the time. In one session of the discussion class, he covered Pius XI’s encyclical,
Quadragesimo Anno (On Reconstruction of the Social Order, 1931), and told the class,
that “labor and capital must work together…Capital cannot exist without labor and labor must have capital.”19
Aside from the Religious Discussion classes, Grutka found others ways to empower the youth of the parish. In Spring 1942, Grutka encouraged the High School Religious Discussion Class to publish “The Academite,” which covered the groups’ activities and suggested what they were learning.20
The Saint Vincent de Paul CYO Center became the center of all activities for all youth of the city. The center included social recreation, mechanical training, a
mimeograph business, catechesis and group discussions, as well as a reading room and library. A complete woodshop was located in the basement to assist the youth with the development of practical skills, especially those skills needed during the war and to earn a job. Recreation time at the CYO Center was offered during the hours of noon and 2:00 p.m. and in the late afternoon and evening. A psychology class was offered. Religious inquiry classes for non-Catholics as well as group meetings of student-sponsored groups, such as, the League of the Sacred Heart, the Rosary Society, and the Sodalists were held in the CYO Center.21
19 “Something of the Liturgy to be told to Tuesday Night Class,” “The Vincentian,” November 30, 1941, 1.
See also Pope Pius XI’s encyclical, Quadragesimo anno, no. 53, in Carlen Encyclicals, 1903-1939, 424.
20 “The Academite,” March 1, 1942, 1; “Elkhart Vincentians, June 1935 to July 5, 1942; Parishcope/letter
from Fr. Grutka,” 3, AGP, ADG.
As membership grew and the building was utilized more and more, the CYO program gained a solid reputation in Elkhart. Grutka’s CYO playground program was “at the time, the most complete in the city…the benefits of the playground and its program were not restricted to the young people of the parish. They extended outside its limits