The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-02-11

either by themselves or in choosing jealous snC
active gentlemen or ladies who will organize
+ decades within the limits of their respective
parishes, and who shall collect the shares and
remit them to their pastors, who shall forward
them to our Vicar General, Very Rev. Joseph
Marie Millet, either by draft in the Post
Office mail, or by any other way that may be
| safe and sure.
| We establish this Diocesan Association for
| five years. because if all those who are able,
would show their good will, this length of time
is sufic Gent to redeem the Diocese and dis
charge the whole debt. Now 1 trust that all
the Catholics who solicitous about the
interest and honor of the Diocese shall con-
slider it a duty to take part in q work so light
| to each one and 30 grand in it's ultimate result,
| You ought, very dear Brethren, to look on
| this demand which we make, as if it were the
expression of our last will, for we are warned
by our age to grow familiar with the sight of
death, the thought of which is ever present to
CIR mind. Bat if God deign to prolong our
life, after having achieved this work, we may
by creating new parishes, respond to the
wishes of so many Catholics who placed far
off from the church aud the priest cry ont to
as to give them the assistance of religion,
which, for the moment, we are unable to ex-
tend to them. Aud if some of You should feel
humiliated to see us thus begging, our an
swer is, that, if according to nature it is hard
to beg, after having been used so many years
to lavish aims upon others, we blush not for
it but rejoice, according to grace, to have ever
remained poor, and to beg now in the name of
Jesus Christ.
You will then, very dear brethren, vndicate
the trust we put in you and responding to
the zeal with which your pastors will solicit
your concurrent action, you will hasten to ioin
this Diocesan Association. And no season is
so propitious for this meritorious work as the
holy one into which We now enter. The
Church, in prescribing works Of modification
and penite exercises, exhorts MS to sane
tify our fast and abstinence by aims and
prayer. And what aims of yours could be more
holy and meritorious in the sight of God than
the one we ask of youf May you all, very
dear brethren, SO enter into those generous dis
positions of penance, prayer and almsgiving,
that the means of salvation vonohsafed to you
by the mercy of God prove most profitable. So
that, advancing every day in Christian life,
and becoming worthy of enjoying anew the
temporal welfare we have lost we may pass
the fugitive hours of the present life in calm
and peace, and reap day the reward to
which we all aspire, in the beatific vision, the
love and possession of God throughout bless
ed eternity.
Moved by tnose considerations, having in
voked the holy name of God and having taken
the advice of our Council, we have ordained
and do ordsn what follows:
1. Owing to the existing pressure and to the
difficulty for most persons to procure lenten
diet, the use of meat is again allowed eyery
day, except Friday and Wednesday, during
Lent, and the three days in Ember week. All
who fast, should, on fast days, eat meat only
at one meal; but it may be eaten at every meal
by such are exempted from fasting.
2: Every day, during Lent, the use of meat
aud any kind of fish at the same meal ia
strictly prohibited.
3. They who deem themselves reasonably
exempted wholly or in part, from these regula-
tions concerning fasting and abstinence,
should consult their Pastors or Confessors.
and be governed by their advice.
4. The time assigned for the performance of
Easter duty, begins on the first Sunday of
Lent, and ends on Trinity Sunday.
.; The prayer Pro Papa will be said at Macs
and at the benediction of the Blessed sacra-
ment; and then the verse for the Pope is ad-
ded to the verse of the Blessed Sacrament, and
the the prayer for the Pope to the prayer of the
Blessed Sacrament.
be, as far as possible, a course of suitable in.
structions, unfolding the obligations of
christians. and inducing the practice thereof.
The faithful are directed to attend on such
occasions, that they may not be deprived of
the heavenly graces attached to religious
teaching.
z. The Reverend Pastors, in organizing tho
Diocesan Association, shall dwell upon the
motives that must incite the faithful to take
part in 20 important work.
. While apprsing in time their conRrega-
LIONS OF the collection on Easter Sunday for
the Seminary, which, having q special o6ieot.
must be continued, the Reverend Pastors
snail also insist on the Importance of that good
work, and make them feel that it ia the
bounden duty of the faithful to contribute to
It, according to their means.
And this our Pastoral Letter will be read at
the Paroohial Mass, on Qaipquagesima Sun
day, or the Sunday Immediately following it's
reception.
Given at New Orleans, on the Feast of the
Fertilization of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
February "a, in the year of our Lord, 1877.
NAPOLEON JOSEPH,
Archbishop of New Orleans
By order of His Grace,
C. RAYMOND. V. c., Chancellor.