The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-03-31

exp0ubo8
honor as a Eust~ortSy religious community. The
present archbishop Of New York was the p .u1a
resPsctivsly-that is, be was the highest bidder
aud accordingly they passed into his hands for the time
succsssors but by legal title in fee simple From that
moment the confidence and hopes Of the Catholic people
began to revive They rallied around their biahop and
around The csrgymsn respectively appointed BY him to
take charge Of those churches By an effort whish has
they he s so
wers sold But they did than pay their legal debts
They retrieved their own honor as religious denomnA
which there was Law. They wiped out every stigma
which the bad management Of lay trustees had brought
would not be understood here imputing moral do
bDquency to the boards Of trustees then In
proved in our own country As well As elsewhere chat
there ID suote element Of deceptiveness lurking and
inherent in the nature o. esrporste bodies The mem
beTs Of such bodies seldom conscious OF the presence
philosophy has hitherto been basd in her attempts to
stunned BY some explosion Of Encouragement Of public
trusts by corporate bodies that the fact ese becomes
startling case Of fraud the astonishment settles down
into that benevolent humanity which winds up eatas.
rephe ON railroad with the consderate verdict that
lame is not to be attached to any In particular
have never known instance Of fraud or POPULATION
among the lay trustees Of the unfortunate churches to
which have referred In other respects they not
exempt from those self illusions to which corporate
bodies even in seasons Of apparent prosperity 30
long laDors After administration Of the temporal
affairs Of the Catholics during period Of fifty years,
ssy and ine Community were TOMS ..
stl in debt, to amount than its entire value.
Thus ascertaiDed that except in the mere Of
the edces for religious purposes the of the
Catholics Of New York than If they had
owned any church property Whatever 1t was not sur
and laity under such circumstances, should turn away
as they did, in disgust, from system which had
wrought ont such unexpected, and for the honor Of
a. n m m discr0dtabl0
results.
property by lag trustees has been set aside rather
has died out their reputation has been retrieved and
restored They have seen paid of not only their legal
defunct system They have those older churches
recovered from ruin and now churches springing on
chickering's and irfes in the several OF the
docess, and spirit of union harmony, and above all,
charity extending itself over their whole community
With this experience fresh in their memory nothing
less than absolute coercion viii induce them to return
to STEM from the effects Of which they have escaped
At the expense Of 30 many and such noble sacrifices
sent time 1t has involved the bshoo in many cares,
him great and most desirable relief to be rid Of And
should hail with delight any legislative measure by
from the former mismansst ment OF lay trustees might
be securely guarded against and on the other side the
Of ss a. s
and the church property legally secured to the sacred
ends and purposes for which it was created and
tended
In the petition which Mr. Putnam presented to the
Legislature behalf Of the trustees of St. Louis church,
insiDusted not asserted, that the system Of lay
trustees set aside by the improper exercise of eps
copal authority the diocess OF New YORK This is
was no Catholic Bishop in the State Of New York. except
myself and know that never used my episcopal au
thory whether properly Or Improperly for the par
II Is quite true that when appealed to have
Commended in few instances, that they should resgu
themselves of saving the church under their
ment from being sold for it's debts. This however
always In the form of friendly advics but in
have ask ed them to resign their Office Of
obedience to episcopal authority.
In care have ASKED them, any of them, to make
over the title Of their church property to never
recognized in them the right of snersnip and should
soon have thought Of asking the corporation Of Buff
alo to make over to me their city property of asking
the trustees OF St. Louis to make over the title of
their church. II was not their in such sense for
such purpose They could not do it, if they would
agents attempting to betay the confidence of their prn
not theirs wht q th
to in the petition OF the trustees aad seventeen
others utterly empty Of truth 1t is aiied and over
flowing with absuIdity and nonsense
The authority OF Bishop In the Catholic Church Is
SPIRITUAL authority IL the same in church that has
trustees as in that has All Catholics acknow
lecge and are subject to that authority may add also
what IL indeed obvious that that au:hor, extends to
purposes of religion and that consequently, when the
faithful have contributed for the poses of Catholic
worship II of the juridcton OF the right, and duty
OF the Bishop TO see that property contributed and
for such purpose shall not be misappropriated squan
dersd, or perverted from its
In the statutes OF synod held in 1872 certain rules
we're laid down by which lay trustees should thence
forward guided in administering the ecciesastcal pro-
pery which the Catholic people had contributed for the
The following extract from our Pastoral Letter pub
shed ON that occ ason contains the ouly rules which
could in the least trench the prerogaves OF lay trus
tees which had been SO long enjoyed for ruin with i'm
punity -
therefore directed and ordained by the statutes
OF the Docess that henoeforward body of lay trustees
lay persons by whatever called shall be permitted
as = S'a s ss
employed * in % nee with religion public
ordinary ti sas the
IN
r any dnT are Of TO d Il shall
to male use Of the church. chapel basement other
any meeting having secular eecesastsa
M Bhop nt s
with evils The trnstee system in es
Sss. sas
or for or be a. Liberty n TO s
sS Tic which
1s srs Of s I.
trustees Of the churches with the appreciation pastor
sha not be at liberty 70 epend amount larger than the
sent Of Bishop approving permitting such expenditure
am sure that member Of the legislature not even
Mr. Putnam, will be able to discover in these regua.
tons, anything unjust, unwise, or oppressive They
took from the boards OF trustees the power of contract
ing debts dd tun and bequeathing to their success.
sors in Office the less pleasant duty OF making payment
They took from lay trustees the right of employing
church property for the payment OF persons connected
with religion against whose fitness moral character
the pastor of the church might have strong and we'll
founded objections In these regulations viii be found
the only grounds that existed for the resistance
episcopal authority which the trustees Of ST. Louis
church, Buffalo, were pleased to inaugurate.
All the other boards of trustees in the oiocess acqui
esceu in them, and the Catholics at large in them
prudent measure and a wise precaution. The only
esption the trustees OF ~. Louis church. They
would be Catholics after their fashion they have
resped the consequences Not understanding the Eng
hsn language well they caused ths pastoral 10 be trans
lated into German Then in their corporate capacity
lay trustees they took IL into mature and spectful
consideration and reve we'd Is paragraph by paragraph
They we're hind enough To spprove OF some parts Whit
10 the most petite language, which French gentleman