The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-04-15
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER'S CHURCH.

sermon ny the ltey. DIR. vaughan-Ihe
Catholic Mission to the cOlored Race in
AInerica-Its Aims and the Manner OF
the Work-Thc COlored Man ind His
Religion.
At st. Francis Xavier's church, West sixteenth
street, yesterday morning, the ser on at the high
mass was preached by the Rev. Herbert Vaughan,
ID. d., superior OF the order whose mission it Is to
convert the colored race in this country to Catho-
lcity.
He began his sermon by showing that the love OF
God for the human soul is like His love for Himself
infinite, though in another order. 1t was this love
which was manifested in the incarnation and death
Of Christ. He dwelt upon the superiority OF the
spiritual over the corporcal works Of mercy. The
last words Of our Lord, His last commission to His
apostles, were reference to that love for souls
which had brought Him into the word:-.sGo and
teach all nations' He then went on to draw out
how God has used t..
THE COLOSSUS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
for the spread OF religion in the beginning and Of
how there Is every probability that in the latter
ages OF the world He viii use the vast empire and
sway OF the Englishspeaklng races for the same
purpose ST. Joseph's Apostolic Society of the sa-
cred Heart of which the early suggestion had come
from Rome, has been founded by the charity Of the
English speaking peoples in America and England.
The first mission assigned TO it to the colored
people Of North America.
The missioners prepared further work by plcdgng
themselves by vow to become
THE FATHERS AND SERVANTS OF THE CoroRED
PEoPLE.n
They made their first settlement at Baltimore last
December. The reverend preacher then described
his visit to the Southern states which almost every
where presented picture Of ruin and misfortune.
He said that the colored people were In number
about equal to the population Of Ireland I;
the. State returns show. that more than
half, or nearly three millions, of them are
'illiterates.n He divided them into four cate
gorics First, there were those who were lapsing
into fetishsm He had ascertaned from personal
inquiry into facts that Voodooism, with its snake
worship, Its horrible incantatons and practices too
shameful to mention, had strong hold upon large
and increasing number OF cOlored people in four or
five States and that these rites were practised
sometimes even upon the whites. Then there were
hundreds OF thousands without any creed re-
ligion; they were as sheep without shepherds. lie
had seen them
TREATED As so MANY DOGS.
Thirdly, hundreds of thousands belong to different
forms OF religion external to the Catholic faith and
hostile to it, IL too constantly happens that the
poor coored people are taken hold OF only by their
emotions, and that horrible excuses are committed
under the cloak ofregion; ana again it happens that
religion Is made protect for politics, and unprin
cpled Adventures use its name III order to begule
the simple and ignorant The preacher carefully
avoided wholesale condemnation, ana respected the
zeal and efforts OF very many OF those with whom
he could not agree In doctrine ana said Of them
what st. Austin had said in his time Of Others,
"BENE CURRENT SED EXTRA yIAM'
they run WELL but they are or the right track. He
went on to ask Tor an explanation of the fact that
some four millions OF dollars are annually sub
scribed by denominations in England outside the
Catholic communion ana over . million year by
the same denominations in America for the propa-
cation OF their tcnets abroad and said he could
only account for it satisfactorily to him
self by believing that the duty to spread
the truth ana the love of souls had been
rs tendery by our Lord that however
manned AMI imperfect might be the Christianity OF
truth, there was none that had not recognized this
fundamental doctrine or our Lord TO preach the
Gospel 10 every creature He said that they held
true principle and that
CATHOLICS OUGHT TO Re STIMULATED
to carry i out, since they had divine mission and
the formal promise of Christ to be with and to aid
all His missoners 10 the end OF time DR.. Vaughan
said he had sometimes heard the intelligence and
religious capacity OF the colored people called in
question He would reply that as 10 the former he had
met most highly cultivated, refined and intelligent
colored people, when the means Of education had
not been wanting. And their religious capacity
was proved by whole series OF heroic acts OF vir-
tue which might be quoted. In speaking of their
fitness to revive The catholic religion, lie admitted
that they were emotional; hui the Calabrians,
the Sicilians, the Neapolitans and other races in
Europe. Go and see them worship before their
slrlDcs and affairs ana
BEHOLD now DIFFERENT 10 THEIR MANNER
TO the conduct Of the colder character OF the north
ern races. And yet who should say that II was
more perfect or more Catholic to Worship God as
the coldcr-Diooded people do with their intellect
and heart only. than as the southerncrs do. who
unite III one ACT Oh homage tHclf iceng3 gestures
voices, minds and hearts The Catholic religion being
divine, was formed to suit every race OF mankind
ana every cline She would not have TO borrow
from any external society the manner whereby to
approach the colored peopie-she would find the
patterns within herself Then he went on to say
that the former unhappy condition Of the colored
people might help them TO embrace the Catholic
religion which calls on men 10 submit 70 author
ity-an authority which is OF divine orign-and he
augured better things OF the poor
SIMPLE AND IGNORANT, BUT DocILE,
than OF those VINO, esteeming themselves to be
highly elevated above Others are lull of intellectual
The fourth category was made up OF Catholic
colored mcn-many of whom excel
lent Catholics, and Of whom nucleus was
to be found in every large population. The
reverend preacher then detailed the plan which he
had laid down the one most likely 10 be success
ful. and finally appealed to his audience to help by
prayers, by giving Of their substance a. by giving
themselves Men or women who presented
THE PROPER QUALIFICATIONS
would be received for the work.
The reverend doctor looked forward hopefully to
the work to be accomplished by the Engsh-spcaking
races, and saw in the missionary zeal which exists
in England and America hopes for the conversion
Of the yet uneyangeZed countries OF the world.
This zeal has but to he turned into the right
pure truth 1t will, by Gods grace, convert the
world
ST, STEPHENS ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.
sermon by the Rev. DIR. McGlynn-Thc
Good Shepherd and His Fioci-NIusic
and Fashion.
At st. Stephens church yesterday morning
large congregation attended the high mass. The
music was particularly excellent, organist and
singers having got up quite an enthusiasm. Mr.
Danforth played voluntary az the opening which
deserves praise for the execution II called forth