The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-05-21
Religious Vitality.

A religion which ia truly alive confirm
ally crops out in action. 1t is not, by an.
means, theoretical. Associations of dozen
of kinds form spontaneously, as it were
and organize for the more efficient ant
persistent doing of things that contribute
each in it's way, to aid in the great work o
the Church.
This condition of healthy activity is no
by any means of universal existence il
Catholic countries. Indeed, we know O
scarcely any nation but France, unlsss We
may call Ireland nation, where, a,
the present day, our holy religion mani
tests it's vital force in very marked
manner. Of course, individual faith and
piety are always to be found plentifully
enough in every genuinely Catholic country.
But true Catholic zeal is something rarer.
1t shows itself in exterior energy, and
especially in the spirit of combination.
| Reports of the proceedings of the Catho-
lie Congress lately held at Paris bring to
the mind quite picture, though a dis
jointed and imperfect one, of Catholic life
as it is found in that country. Catholics
there combine earnestly to forward all the
| interests Of the Church, political, social,
educational, even material, and especially
| devotional. There are, for instance, the
Nocturnal Alteration of the Blessed Sacra-
ment, the Society of st. Vincent de Paul in
| active operation everywhere, the great
work of the Propagation of the Faith, the
| Catholic Unions. the Catholic Clubs, the
Workingmen's Associations, the Archcon-
fraternity of the Immaculate Conception,
the ever spreading devotion of the Sacred
Heart and the earnest zeal of the influential
classes in bringing tho necessary in fluences
to bear on government as evinced in the
| Congress itself.
Every department of spiritual, political,
and social life is embraced in the sctive,
Untiring campaign which the living Catho
licity of France is forever carrying on.
Men are not there Satisfied with going to
Mass every Sunday, and to confession
| every once in a while, with being harmless
generally, with, in fact, being what we
might call vegetable Christians. No.
They boil over with strength and courage
They want to show their faith by their
works, and they do it.
In this great Congress recently Assem-
bled, there were found not only clergymen,
but lay and, to give both sides of the
picture, not only lsymen, but clergymen,
They all took an interest in it. The parish
priest was not entirely wrapped up in hiG
parish, nor the Bishop in his See, nor, on the
other hand, did the laity draw modestly
into their shells and leave the whole battle
to their clergy. There were Cardinals.
Archbishops, Bishops, priests, soldiers,
lawyers, editors, statesmen, authors and
business men. Whether there were any rich
men or not, we are unable to say, but GER
tainly the prominent men of that country
who pretend to bepractical Catholics, were
not remiss in attendance there. They evil
deutly consider it their duty to COMBINE
That is, a man is practically no Catholic
at all, in public opinion in France, unless
he combines with others to do something fol-
the advancement of religion or the benefit
of the Church.
| Well, this Catholic Congress took action
in many directions which looked very
little like being frightened out of the
political field. On the contrary, the de-
termination was beyond question to con-
test by every honorable means for the pre-
eervation of religious rights. Not only at the
polls, but through the press, and in the Par
liamentary forum every effort will be made
The sacred right of religious education
will be specially watched, but by no means
to the exclusion of others. There is, for in
stance, the faith of the army to be guarded
against the insidious schemes of those who
would contaminate it. In fact, every es-
tablishm ent from the school to the asylum
or the hospital, or the prison, where the
Government controls, will be battle field
on which the jealous defenders of the
Faith will dispute the insolent aggression
of an unbelief which would pull every
thing down to its own level.
This is what we call a vital Catholicity
A staguant CathOlicity is satisfied with per-
sonal rectitude or inofensiveness, without
the slightest care for the general condition