Father Hopkins To Hold Retreat

Father D. Brendan O'Connor, of Holy Rosary Catholic Church, announced this week that his parish will welcome Father Bernard Hopkins next Sunday, March 3[, 1957]. The Redemptorist Missionary Father is well known to the Catholics of the Pomeroy area for the Mission he conducted here in the fall of 1956.

Father O'Connor stated that the purpose of Father Hopkins' return is to conduct a parish retreat; he emphasized that the retreat is in no sense another Mission, but rather a sequel to the Mission, intended to solidify and make permanent the spiritual benefits that resulted from the Mission week last October.

Father O'Connor also suggested that the retreat will be an opportunity for those who were unable to attend the Mission.

The missionary will be received by the pastor at the Masses on Sunday morning, March 3 at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. and invested with the spiritual authority of the parish.

The principal retreat exercises will be held each night at 7:30, beginning with Sunday night, and terminating Friday, March 8. An added feature of the retreat will be the daily Masses at 6:30 and 8:00 a. m.

Father O'Connor extends a cordial invitation to all the Catholics of the Pomeroy area to attend the parish retreat.

Church Crosses Down For Repair

The six crosses on top of the Holy Rosary church have been taken off for repairing and gold leafing this week. It is the first time the two large and four small crosses have been removed since the church was built in 1916.

L. D. Proctor of Walla Walla, the same contractor that repaired the courthouse roof recently, is doing the work. The steeple extends 98 feet in the air and a scaffold had to be built to the top so the crosses could be removed. The crew is also doing some repair and painting work on the steeple itself and the flashings around the church roof.

No work is being done on the steeple today as the painter said the wind was so strong that he knew he couldn't stay in the chair if he went up. A bystander ventured to say that he wouldn't go up the steeple even on the clearest and stillest day in the history of Pomeroy.

Fr. Mike McKeirnan, the Maryknoll missionary stationed in Hong Kong who said, "Sure we can do it."

Fr. Mike McKeirnan Helps Noodle Makers

In the January issue of the Reader's Digest, just now on the newstands, appears an article condensed from "Maryknoll" by W. J. Lederer, entitled "Monsignor Romamiello's Marvelous Noodle Machine." One of the authors of "The Ugly Americans" sets forth a dramatic example of what one man can do to help the cause of freedom.

The story should be of interest to all Garfield county citizens in that the Rev. Fr. Mike McKeirnan, son of Mr. & Mrs. J. M. McKeirnan, Pomeroy, now stationed in Hong Kong, is one of the individuals identified with the movement.

According to the Digest, Monsignor Romamiello called on Father McKeirnan, a teacher in Hong Kong, asking him if there was a possibility of constructing a factory for the making of noodles. "Sure, we can do it," said Father McKeirnan. "We have space for the factory behind the school. But first we must have a machine, and then we have to learn how to make the noodles."

This all took place in the summer of 1957. By October the first machine[s], powered with electric motors, were in operation, yielding 500 pounds of noodles a day. The noodles were packed in five-pound bags on which was printed, in big letters, "Donated by the People of the United States."

In this way the Maryknoll Fathers are able to feed hundreds of starving Chinese.

For Lederer's complete story of the marvelous noodle machine obtain a copy of the January issue of The Reader's Digest.