The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-07-26
a Call to Prayer.
from the Catholic Review. ]


Our Holy Father, whose field is the
world, and who is ever anxious that it shall
every where bear it's proper Increase, has
lately granted an indulgence of 300 days,
and plepary one on the usual "ndIuons,
to all those who duly recite tho following
prayer:
Let us pray also for the miserable Ethiopian
people in Central Africa, who constitute a
tenth part of the ,cHole human race. that Almighty
God would now ut length remove from their
hearts the curse of Cham, and give them the
blessing alone to he found in Jesus Christ, our
God and Lord.
o Lord Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of the
whole amman race, who now r"lest from sea TO
and from the rirer unto the ends Of inc EARN,
voucbsa;e to open Thy Most Sacred Heart even
to the miserable souls in Central Africa, who
now sit in darkness and in the shadow of
DEATH that through the intercesson of the
ever Blessed Virgin, Thy immaculate Mother,
and her spouse, the ever glorious st. Joseph.
leaving their idols the Philippians may fall
down before Thee and be aggregated to Thy
holy Church. Who Invest etc, Our Father
Hail Mary, Glory be- etc.
In one of his last letters, DR.. Living
stone, speaking of the need of missionaries
of the right sort, and the futile efforts OF
| many of those self-sent ones already in the
field, made the remark that these Africans
were very unlike the civilized men of
European countries. They have not that
strange blending OF motives, that intricacy
of moral and mental action, which 80 often
make the men of nomlnally Christian
community q sort of compromise between
| good and evil which usually dwarfs them
| for either extreme. They are, he said,
either very good or very bad. One would
expect, beforehand, to find such a state
mept true of people who have SO long lain
| in invincible ignorance of any truth except
that written by God upon the hearts of all
who are born into the world. 1t should
make their conversion not difficult if under
taken by Jealous missionary orders and
sustained il more favored lands by nnre-
hitting prayers such as the Pope Las now
indulcenced. What good reason is there
why the Society for the Propagation OF the
Faith should not hereafter gather greatly
increased incnme in this country9 Hitherto,
| France has always been foremost in this
gre atest of good works, and even in these
years when her treasury has been depleted
by the payment of the German indemnity
she has stood far in advance of all other
nations in the sums she contributed to for
eign missionary work. Our nine Or ten
millions of Catholic Americans could not, il
is true, hope to compete with three times as
many French Catholics, traditionally
lavish in their expenditure where the
interests of the faith are concerned. Bot
yet, Americans too, are noted as ready In
their generosity, and notably free with
their money. Why should not the same
| spirit Oh ueVOIlOn W INC A1oly ooo, anu 'ee
interests, which has carried successfully to
it's issue the recent pilgrimage, make us all
active in this kindred work of spreading
the faith In how many churches are there
confraternities of the Propagation of the
Faithf Every body knows that the dues are
too trifling to be missed, even by the
poorest-they are hut one cent weekend
the obligations are of the Iightest. The
only difficulty is the lack of organization
why should it not be remedied, and con.
fraterrities formed and collectors appointed
in every parish7 1t is by the weapon Of
prayer, as our Holy Father has assured us
that the world is to be subdued and oul
present trials turned into exceeding joy
it should be aggressive prayer too, of the
sort which takes Heaven by violence, anc
proceeds from the faith which works by
charity. In a missionary country like
ours, charity, doubtless, begins at home
But as the Holy Ghost has told US, there