Who "Bought Pagan Babies?"

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After the “poor pagan children” charity fell by the wayside, we did this–
It was called “operation rice bowl”
 
That’s good to know. I haven’t heard of it under that name in many years. There are of course other initiatives to support both the Missions, and the hungry in our own communities. I think the focus has gone a little bit more towards feeding hungry local people in a lot of parishes.
 
I don’t remember it as ‘buying’ but just as the card says ‘adopting’. We had little money ourselves so believe me it was tough to part with that few cents lol.
 
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I think by the time I came up it was “operation rice bowl”. We still got to make the cardboard houses with the slot in the top for money, but instead of racially insensitive cartoons, the box was covered with photos of smiling, naked black children with bowls of rice.
 
Yes, I recall doing this at our elementary school, but I don’t think we got to name the babies or get a certificate. It was just a way to raise money for the missions, but it was called adopting pagan babies. I think that there were some sort of stamps involved as well as the cardbord folders.

And once a month Sister would hand out the “Treasure Chest” comic books, but that’s another matter.
 
“Pagan Babies,” was the practice of giving money to foreign missions so non-Catholic children could be raised Catholic and be baptize. In the 70’s at my Catholic school we had the Pagan babies mission program. We all place what we could in the box and when it was full it was replaced by another one after reaching $5.00.

This was the work of the HCA, the Holy Child Association. It was more than baptism and raising a child under the catholic faith. it’s aim was about children helping children.

There is a book called Pagan Babies: and Other Catholic Memories. The book it’s the memoirs of a woman who when to a Catholic school.
 
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Today it is called “Sponsor a child through XYZ mission society”.
 
Treasure Chest! Good heavens, you just brought back another memory!
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Yeah, I remember the Pagan babies collections. In our school, though, we weren’t allowed to name them.
 
I just learned something new today with the Pagan Babies.

It is not surprising though since I never attended Catholic school. In fact I wasn’t even Catholic until I was 12 or so.
 
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