Pagan Babies
Rabid Rant
1954
If you went to Catholic school, you probably remember the Holy Childhood Society annual fundraising campaign.
Its purpose was to encourage Catholic school children to raise money for poor, unbaptized children from far-away places. We called them “pagan babies.”
Toward that lofty goal, each student in our school received a cardboard collection box with illustrations of mostly Asian and African children in their respective environs and native apparel. The good sisters urged us to collect as much money as we could to help these poor heathens, with the promise that every $5 we collected would entitle us to purchase — and name — one pagan baby. Keep in mind, this was no easy task for fourth graders in 1955, when $5 was equivalent in purchasing power to approximately $60 to $62 today.
At the time, I’m not sure I was aware the money would be spent on turning unsuspecting pagans into God-fearing Catholics. In fact, when soliciting cash from neighbors and friends – many of whom were Lutherans, Baptists and even a few Mormons — I’m pretty sure I told them their money was going to provide food and shelter to thousands of underprivileged kids. I suspect many of the donors would have been less generous had they known they were actually helping little pagans discover the one true faith. Be that as it may…
Years later, one of my most enduring memories is of my friend Pat describing her “meet and greet” with a handsome black man she met online. While clearly charmed by his sonorous voice and melodic Afrikaans accent, she admitted to feeling a tad embarrassed as he described the harsh conditions he endured growing up in South Africa in the 50’s and 60’s. Then she leaned in and whispered sheepishly to me, “I couldn’t help thinking I might have bought him when I was in 4th grade.”
Looking back from my woke perch here in the 21st century, I see those crusades as both well-meaning and demeaning. Worse, I can’t help wondering where my pagan babies are today.
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CATEGORY DEFINITIONS:
Re-Recollection: A brief, occasionally edited recounting of an event or situation.
Rude Awakening: A short piece of writing describing a sudden awareness or discovery that causes a change in perception.
Rabid Rant: A brief diatribe on a single topic, often characterized by strong and passionate language.
