The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-12-17
Morning Star and Catholic Messenger.
nlW ~ala ANS. eunDAY. DEChMbEk II. is1i.
sermon Of the Archhishop Of Westminstsr ON the
Departure Of the NisGoners.

~>~~~~~~~~-~---~~~-~- - =,
Sermon Of the Archbishop Of Westm,nstsr ON the
Departure Of the 1isdoners
More than Thousand years ago . lonely
priest in the west of England, meditating
in his cloister on the spirituai misery nno
OF Europe, found no rest day or night until
he had formed tho resolution, aud carried
that resolution into effect, of leaving his
home, his brethren, and the charities Of
life, to go over to Friesland, and TO preach
the Gospel to those that were in the bonds
.of ain and death. He went forth and failed,
and returned again. But the fire of zeal
was in him, and could not be- extiDguished.
A second time he went forth into the same
land, and into Thurlnga and Bavaria The
hearts of the heather opened to his voice,
and Winefrid, or Boniface the Englishnan,
became the apostle and martyr Of Ger
many. From that day to this, men Of our
blood and speech, in the habit of st. Fran
els, st. Dominic and st. Iguatius, and more
recently in the congregations OF france,
have gone forth into all the world. Men OF
English blood and English speech, men Of
Irish blood and of Irish faith, have loft our
shores to labor among the heather. But
England has never until now founded o
seminary for missions to the heatben.
While England was Catholic, England had
NO colonies. 1t was shut up within Its four
seas. The New World was not known to
exist; and the East was pre-occupied, or
beyond our reach. When England ac-
ou;red its great Colonial Empire It had lost
the faith. BY strange cross and contra
diction of Divine Providence, when Eng
land was Catholic it had no missionary
BODY, and when it lost the faith it acquired
the world. But the Church in England
lived ON like the live coal in the embers
hidden under the ashes: and He who "does
not break the bruised reed, nor quench the
smoking tow" in His own good time kim
died again into fame the faith and charity
restored to the Church in England its per-
lection in the unity automatically of its
Episcopate; and within fifteen years of
that time the Catholic Church founded its
College for Foreign Missions. think, then,
We have singular cause of great JOY to-
day for, so far as know, nothing like it
is written in the annals of the Catholic
Church in England. While it was yet Ca
tholic, l may say it could not be and GER.
tainly was not and since England lost the
faith it has been to US impossible. We
meet, then, to-day to send out the first
missionaries from the first seminary found
ed by the Church ia England for missions
TO the heather world.
The Mission to which these devoted men
will 20 is q mission of an exceptional kind.
This seminary was founded, as you know
not for the ordinary work OF priests IN the
colonies of the British Empire-nor for la
Dor within the boundaries OF any Christian
then strictly so-called. We send forth to-
day these good Fathers for the work of
converting the negro population III the
South of the American Union. At first
sight you will perhaps say-This il not,
indeed, within the colonies of the British
Empire. but it ia within tho frontiers of
Christian civilization. l answer, the popu-
lation to whom they go is altogether ex-
centionaI, In the heart of Christian peo-
pie there are 100000 of the negro race,
who the other day were slaves gathered to-
gether without pastors and without spirit
Hal care. They are altogether nm excep-
tional, might say an isolated race in the
midst of Christian people. Therefore
the Mission of to-day fulfls to the very
letter the terms for which this Seminary
was founded. It is in very truth o Mission
to the heather, to the most outcast hea-
it is true, within the warmth of civiliza-
tion, yet excluded from its Inheritance. It
dwells apart, in the cold air of neglect and
contempt. To such a people, sitting alone
in darkness, these good Missionaries are
sent. They go, not to labor for the white
pastors of America in lnboring for the
blacks within their parishes or districts.
They go, bound by the VOW which they
will make in your hearing, to labor for the
black population alone. 1 may describe
their Mission by the words of the Prophet,
s. The spirit of the Lord is upon them" If
ono one can say that Jesus is the Lord,
except by the Holy Ghost" then surely no
one could conceive the purpose and the
will to choose this Mission to the negro
race but by the Holy Ghost. If the spirit
of the Lord had not been upon them, they
would not be here to day. That they are
sent by the Lord we know, for the Vicar of
Christ, with special benediction, has sent
them. They 60 "to preach to the meek"
to population the most abased, outcast,
down troddep of all the people of the earth.
The Indians of the East and West-the
races of Asia are noble, dgnifed and
chixalrous compared with the poor negro.
The races of Africa have been despised
and trampled under foot by all nations
even to this day. 1t is this poor, offcast,
prosecuted race that these good Mission
aries have chosen for their special care.
Truly they have been sent "to preach to
the meek, to heal the contrite of heart, and
to preach q release to the captives." 1t was
but the other day that they had the chains
of caDtixitF- anon them-the calling scara