New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-12
NEW ORLEANS FRIDAY, NAY IL, 1875.


Our Hyacinthe.
The Rev. Father Vaudry, spiritual head
of little flock Of CSyholic worshipers in
West Baton Rouge, has committed griev-
oss 6nd uppardonable sin. He has not muir
dered anybody, stolen anything, or set tire
70 house, These are minor matters, and
can be condoned. He has committed .
moro heinous erine in the eyes Of his spirit-
usl colleagues. He has taken to himself .
wife. His ecclesiastical superiors have de-
nounced and cursed him. His little brother
hood of pious believers sustain him, and
they in turn are excommuhicated and cut
Of from all hope of salvation through the
blood. of the blessed son of Mary. Father
Vaudrsy is mot frightened, it seems, by the
msledictiens of his ecclesiastical censors,
but meets the issue boldly and seuarely.
He writes - follows:
EDITOR REPUBLICAN:
l am informed chat the Catholic pastor of
East Baton Rouge, the Rev. Cyrille Delo-
croix, 30 conspicuous for his exquisite
sweetness of temper, whose heart is Q
perennial fountain Of Christian charity,
and whose lips distill the quintesseuce Of
me from his pulpit to the flames of that bot
tomless pit paved, according to the infak
lible testimony of celebrated pope, with
the skulls of Wifeless priests.
The ever msrciful reverend father readily
absolves prieats guilty of libertinage, but
never absolves priests guilty Of marriage.
To be guilty Of the most holy, most pure
and most divine sacrament of patfimOny,
oh, can there be imagined more hideous
crime than mine, snd-yours, Mr.. Editor ?
Aethinks l see hundreds of your readers
weight Of their guilt!
Frankly. fsarlsssly, conscientiously, in the
face of heaven and earth, have repudiated
the degrading state Of celibacy. But alas
that should then .disdain to follow the ex-
amples set before me by older and wiser
clerical worthless 1t would have been so
much more honorable and priestlike to
contract q marriage pro tenn. under tho
darksOme screen of the confessional.
Of course, such seIf-layishing natures as
Mr.. Delacroix's can not belong to one man
or one woman ekclusively. The mighty
stream Of their spiritual paternity flows
far, far over and beyond the too narrow
bed OF m0nOgamic love.
On the other hand, it is true that Roman
Catholic theologiaps confess, although most
reluctantly, that their celibacy ls not of di-
vine, but Of purely ecclesiastical institution.
j. G. it was not instituted by Christ, but by
wiser than Christ Himself.
1t is equally true that the crucial test at
centuries has been brought to throw its
light upon, to analyze and dissect that
vaunted system. Of celibAcy, and has
demonstrated it to be q disastrous failure,
q curse, q stupendous fraud.
And. finally, it is undeniably true that
only q few credulOus old women and chill.
dren are yet to learn that there is inn
measurably more purity in the sanctuary
of copiugal love than in the sanctuary Of an
unmarried priesthood.
But the question arises here: Is the con-
tact Of woman defling and impure, or IL
it the revereef Next to Gods own contact
10 not womau's soulful contact the most en-.
nobling and purifying upon earthi
If matrimOny does truly and really inter-
fere with the attainment Of the highest moral
perfection, why did Christ proclaim 1t great
sacramen,s Why did Christ make 80 little
of celibacy as to decline to raise it to the
dignity. Of . sacrament9 Did there not
exist between Christ and Mary Magdalen,
his beet beloved. that natural Interchange
Of Joys, sorrows, aspirations and love which
constitutes marriage in it's true, sanramen-
tai sense9 Edgar A. Poe was writer of
grea: merit, not because bat in spite of mis-
extremely Incorporate habits; Likewise
many saints are there who have Led pure
life within, but would have led q much
purer life without the pale of celibacy.
Ah, were it not for the purify ing influence
of faithful wives and loving mothers over
mankind st large, this wicked world would
soon sink ana perish in cslicus egotism and
mOnstrOus immOralities. History teaches
US that God has placed the golden sceptre
OF purity and chastity in the hands of those
heaven-sent priestesses who bear the sacred
name of mother. as God bears the sacred
name of Father! Old maids and dark robe
old bachelors have never been, and can never
be, the ennoblers and purifiers Of our race.
Motherhood 10 inOOmparably nObler, purer
and hOlier than maiden hood. Motherhood
10 the inexhaustible source whence flow
more virtue and herOism than can be dis
played by all tho combined sisterhOOds of
the past, present and future.
MIR. Editor, have been much vilified and
illuminated because of my, sO-called "un-
soundness of faith" but my bitterest ene-
mics are forced to acknowledge that my
moral character is without stain. l hold
their certificate to that fleet.
sinnate that the Rev. Cyrille Delacrox, not
satisfied with Being Jealous of my popu.
larity, is moreover jealous of my wife.
But that l disbelieve. l would only ad-
wise nay clerical friends to discontinue
their cant essays on virginity and chastity.
They remind one OF Bacchus lecturing on
temperance.
Dear Brother Delacroix, the step have
taken ia both honorable and .manly. "GO
thou and do likewise" 'Tis never too late
to repent. T. ALBERT VAUDRAY.
P. S.-Some of my dear reverend brethren
owe me- few hundred dollars which they
now refuse to pay, their plea being that no
faith is to be kept with heretics.