North American. [volume] (Swanton, Vt.) 1839-1841, 1841-06-23

whom Providence has placed over US ~ ths
Civil Government, Was not an iniegfa
part OF The sacred trust coniided 10 Va .t
disseminate among oil our followers, with
DOT emitting any particle oil II.
When we, ourselves, wished 10 Instruct
you on these matters, by our pastoral lei
ter OF the 24lh October last, these same
men, by aniul means, Induced many OF oul
beloved sheep not tn listen Ia the voice ol
their first pastor, by scandalously dragging
them from the holy place, 10 engulph them
more completely IN unbeliel Tor how can
a man believe himself in the right iaili
when he avoids the light 10 enligbten his
blindness Omnis enim qai male agu,
odt iucem. (Joan. 5, 90 But IN future
do not forget that when you wish 10 en-
lig hien your conscience gu ditiicui, and del
icale questions which affect the salvation
Of your soul, you must address yourselves
IN your pastors, In those Of whom Jesus
Christ has said, 81 He that heaTelh you,
heafeth me, and he that despiseth you,
dcspiscth me Luke 0,I6,) not 10 fiat
iereTs, who, with The .snunGing WORDS III
Liberty and Independence, wish TO IncnI-
cate doctrines Tor their exclusive personal
advantage, and who frequently know less
than you, mol only on the true interests OF
The Christian, but also On the great inter-
rsis OF Eternity. As n guide in the M
poriant circumstances IN which you have
been placed, our frs, pastoral letter was
sufficient, 10 which document we stated
explicitly the Catholic dogma on the sub
mission due to the established powers IN
the civil government, by The undeniahle
authority of Holy writ, by the constant
tradition OF the fathers and dignitareS OF
the Church in all times and places, by the
present Instructions OF all the Bishops oi
the Christian world, having a, their head
the Sovereign Ponuh. How has il then
happened that some have refused 10 hear
the voice OF their pastor Did they not
see that thereby they were separating them
selves from the flock OF Jesus Christ For
this divine Savior assures Us that his true
shrrp listen TO the voice Of The pastor and
follow him (John 10. a7) because the
stranger comes only 10 piIfer, kill and de-
stroy the flock, whereas the true pastor
seeks only to give TO his sheep everlasting
life. Ibid. 10, 10.
Let us then weep, beloved brethren, over
The calanlies Of our country let MS la
ment over the wounds of those who have
fallen, over The misJeeds Of those, who, on
This occasion, have so strangely forgotten
their duiv for among Christians, saysSI.
Paul, and between members OF the same
body, IL any one OF them suffers, all Others
suffer with him. q Cor. IL, 49, Who
Knows bui those, whose fall we depore,
needed this humiliation 10 become better
christians than ever Who knows if they
viii not surpass in loyalty those, who, 10
lay, weep over their misconduct /! They |
low conceive all the enormitv OF theirl
'rime, as is proved by their assurances OF
rpentancc and renewed fidelity addressed
o their Sovereign from all parts Of the
'rovince, they know the order which we
ave given to our co-operators in the Holy
not To dispense the sacraments
4 the Church. UJ- even at the hour OF
cath, 90 without previons repentance,
o those, who have scandalously shown
themselves rebels, and bI3- 10 refuse eccle-
iastica burial 10 those, who died without
cqui,ting themselves Of this just atone
rent. % They would certainly neither
'ish to retnrn to their vomt, e Peter 2.
9 nor to expose themselves 10 die like
Ten without religion or honor.
To this END, having invoked the Holy
anne Of God, we have ordained and regu
tied, and do ordain and regulate as fol.
)ws
|. In each church of our diocese, where
ublic service is ordinarily performed, the
rst convenient day after this pastoral let
Il shall have been published, solemn
'ass pro RHINESTONE peccatorum under The
te pro puhlica eeclesia caosa shall be
ing, which shall be followed by the tract,
)omine. non secundum, SC, with the
erse, Fiat misericordia, &c, and the pray
r, Ne despicias, &c, pro quacumque trib-
latione, inter diyersas the whole to be
.rminated by Divinum auxilium, sc.
Q. This mass, in the intention Of him
no shall say it and in shat oil those who
ay hear it, will be to make public atone
Ient 10 God for all the saerileges, murders
tressons and other crimes com
lifted in this District, during the insur-
'ctionary crisis we have experienced, and
, obtain pardon.
8. We exhort our Diocese to perform
On that day those works,
hich the Scriptures teach Us 10 be the
,ss nrnDer IN anneaSe The " rafh of Goh |