CAPT. S. M. SHELTON, USN
Commanding Officer
CDR • d. L. CRANCE, USN
Executive Officer
Published each Monday for all ftefc^onnel
on Adak by Special Services. Provision^
for NavExos P-35 (Rev. JUly 58) compiled
with. Mimeographed at MavSta Adak. Funds
furnished from non-appropriated sources
at no cost to the government. Articles
contained herein are not to'be construed
as representing the official opinion of
the Commanding Officer or the Navy Dep
artment, inasmuch as the Adak Sun is not
an official publication.
EDITORS H. T. DAVIS, YN1 055-J or 365
CHA
A .IN
;>KN£X
MtbbAbt IN 1He UUbi
It is surprising that no one turned
in a fire alarm. Smoke flowed into
the passageway from the room where two
coughing, wet-eyed men added fuel to
an open fire. They were not arsonists
or saboteurs; not even communicators
burning their day's work. They were
just the Catholic Chaplain andhis yeo
man burning palms left over from last
Palm Sunday,
A hundred palm branches and a book
of matches produced enough ashes to
fill a small mason jar and assorted
by-productss two smoky uniforms, four
sootfblackened hands, three burned
fingers, a spotted overhead and a
dirty deck.
Next Wednesday, afterihey have been
blessed, the ashes will be imprinted
on Catholic foreheads by the priest
who will sayto each person, "Remember,
man, you are dust, andto dust you will
return," This ceremony is a relic of
a custom which dates back to early
Christian times.
In tnose days whoever had committed
a grave, public sin was obliged to sub
mit to public penance at the beginning
of Lent. The penance consisted in ex
clusion from the Mass, the practice of
works of satisfaction, prayer, mortif
ication, fasting. It was imposed pub
licly by the Bishop on Ash Wednesday
(continued next column)
when he ceremonially presented the
burlap penitential garment to each of
the penitents and poured ashes over
their heads;
As centuries passed the Church mit
igated her penitential practices, and
penances were assigned secretly* Since
the early middle ages Catholics in
general have dedicated themselves to
the practice of penance by receiving
[the sacred ashes. Nobles, Kings, em
jperors walking barefooted would lead
their people to the Altar seeking the
| sacred dust.
The black mark of ashes which will
be seen on so many Ash Wednesday is
worn as a symbol of man's nothingness
and God's Allness. No longer a con
fession of public sin, it is still a
sign that human weakness can- be con
quered only by a combination of God'S
grace, penance and prayer. Only Cath
olics will wear the mark, but everyone
can benefit by its message.
Chaplain Francis A. Fay.
WATCH FOR THE R-E-A-L-L-Y B-I-G S-H-O-W
Music, Magic and Madness will be
(Coming your way sometime in* March.
This production will boast an ALL
,STAR cast of the best on Adak. Music,
iMagic and Madness is not onlythe title
!of this production but will be the
jtheme of the evenings entertainment. !
Music by "JONES FOUR", the Canary-*
like voices of talent that has been
hiding in Ad^k’s Tundra entirely too
long. There will be skits by Adak's
Answer to the Barrymores, Martin & Lew
is, Abbott & Costello, Laurel and Hardy
all combined into one big package of
music, magic ana madness.
"Big Jeff" and "Freddie Junior" are
writing and producing Adakfslst Xtrav
agansa since Liberace played the Met.
Auditions will be announced over
AFRTS and in the Adak SUN and are plan
ned for the end of February. If you
have any novelty act, would like to
sing or appear in the show, help with
production or effects, please contact
"Big Jeff" at AFRTS or "Freddie Junior"
at Special Services or AFRTS after 1700
for information.____