The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-01-28

q Legitimate birth and good, eheragt'r
She must have given evidence oi undoumrd
pity. ana Voration or fitness for tho life OF
religious After passing through postulany
Of jhrcc months. nnd "A noy tiat' Of two years.
she becomes profcssrd ist r, taking hcrVows
for on" year. and renewing them yearly she
rIscs every summer morning at :. ana IN ih'
winter at hall past :. Shc GOES 10 TIE ehnp1l 70
mHss cv ny morning h,for. breakfast, uni Is
engaged every hour oi the day until at night
in prayer work. contemplation, or recreation.
a. direct 4 hy her rui. an th" superior 81 hrr
house. Her whole life h. spout in tcn"hlne,
nursing the sick. taking caro- Of loundin.s and
orphans, or visiting prisoners. Us directed.
Wherever she Is commanded tO 10 She ~ =,
what yer she is told to do she does The door
of her convent swings both ways. and. ns she
tik her VOWS Tor but on, year at a time. she IL
us frrr t. go as she WIS 10 como; but. somehow
or other. she becomes fascinated with her life or
her work, or both an il very APT to ROMAN
bOnuetd for life. Rarely does one return to the
word. thOu.h there is no Odium or rCprOac IA
Now. il is easy 10 understand that all these
single men and women LIVING in communities
and under su III ru - rs Il y rino al must be- able
to do the work of cdu alton and charity cheap
er-ycs. and more thoroughly-than married
men and women possibly can, whose minds
lies. At any rate. II IL wrllknown fact that the
pupils and students who swell the numbers IN
Roman Catholic convent schools for girls. and
largely from the best and most thou ghtful rlnss
- of Protestant families. Well may james Par
ton eNclaim; Ccliha'y was most mast 'ry do
vice. Its inventorshoulll wtrrbly oanonn I'll. II
II the grcnt ~ secret oi the riii nry ofthc Roman
CnthOlic Church, An idea Of su N power and
value will never be lost. the future. ns in the
put. mon and women who fail in love with their
spr is VIII often find It b II 10 remain unmnr-
Rod. sim" the proper rearing ~ family IL in
itself a career and demands most Of life.'
In connection with tho subject of the iinan-
cinl arairs Of the Church | must say n word
about MISSIONS" Tho priests who belong to
orders condut these m ssions which would
b. called hv Prot -tants "protrat" meetings
rrvvals ni Prot .stanis are undoubtedly niifat ii
from missions which wcrc held among tntho-
lies long before Prot slant am was known.
AZ the tim" ihnt n MISSION ~ given IN any
church the priests " that church are rrHnlOr.ed
by delegation from one OF these orders. The
first mass is celebrated Mt 1--WE IN the morning.
Tor the convenience Of the greW body " labor
ins men and women: ut this mass a morning
sermon H. preached t. them. and H. soon us they
ara dismissed another yaN congregation as
semhcs. another at seven. ana at nine another.
sonnet mes there IL another mnss nj half pu-t
ten. In the afternoon confessions IRE heard
and dissolution given to pent'nts; Many Prot
,sihnts are brought INTO u" muir h at this time.
Tine mission lasts from ten days ~ two weeks;
Very liberal the mission priests are sent home to
several hundred dollars in the hands ~ cnrh
all Of which goes into the general Treasury ~
the order. Now. small tax IL paid by each
parish. religious house. ana community every
year 70 the Bishop for his support and that II
tn" do es'. some provision Il made in the
same why for the Arrhhishops the Cardinals and
the Pope The power of each bishop ~ SUI
preme in his diocese. He appoints the pastors
If the churches and Parishes he PLACES cn,h
suspends them. does with them Just ~ he
pl'9scs but h" j. himself. in the adm n stration
of In" affairs Of his diocese. subject to the laws
ana u-ngDs - the Church. There IL no appeal
against his decisions. except to Rome. and this
Resource r. seldom rr-ortnd to. But Bishops
urr not appointed unless they hay" been long
and well '~t'l. They are practically ei"ot"l
hN ~" worry MI they ara t. govern. soon nit"r
ilN death of any Bishop. IA" HIGHER clergy of
/ th' province to which he belonged assemble 10
cypress tnrir preference with rcgnrh ~ his SUI
/ cgs-'r. Tloy ,n 10 -'nd three names 90 llom'.
/ - N y
I tNi second. dgui0r iwnrhirri: an opuu- +. ths
I t.Iri nnm.. dgniss.nss tniosf wortiv The
. one against whose name most frequently aV-
} pears hgulsSups is almost Invariably apo utHd
/ ~ %" the next Bishop. The DECISIONS of the
+ Pop again nrr ~ iinll in the mar. 81 the dis
7 pos tiuns OF the higher clergy tn" Cardinals
/ Ar-hhisnopA AMI y ishops-as those ~ the
! separate dip.rs's. To Understand AMI estimate
7 thr power Of cnh priest over his. parish and
/ 10 b. u pra teal Catholic MINIS If.
| tn" most earnest OF all IN" members Of the
/ Cntn"t. Church nrr her priests. And th"y not
only it'iirv" IN the power ~ m" Church 20 work
/ miracles. hut are constantly inyr-iiad lng fn"
Gus : "i n'-. n mira - that frequent y EUR
among the lnd vidu. u- of th'ir 10 .h~ uni winn
J sl.h miracles hav- h""n .st"d fhey frequently
/ publish cert 4 ats of the facts la the eiis'
The most noted mira. that has nNnn claimed
u- having u.. urr'l m this country WIS in tl,
c,i-e OF tuc miraculous and instantaneous cure
81 Mrs. Ann Mtt,inslv. iii" sister of the Mayor
took place In Washington in the presence Of
/ i've persons. and nm ~'uunt NJ IL WIS published
! 10y Bl~utf IN-Adni bl ilffIf-~lfn, =. A.. WHO IN
! vest gated the mnttNr Appended t. his nurra-
tive were the afiidaviis NJ ihirfv-SHven persons.
all ufwhom had known Mrs Mar.nglv lurngtuc
/ SN years she had been sun, ring win disHit.r
which four of the leadng phN-ciuns 81 WASH
/ ingiun tAd pronounced IN urahle Irrational
~ "a belief ia all TINS may -c I'm. klmrn taihl-
lies ilrnv believe in tine truth 81 this mirtHlo
and oth'r-. some of which are investigated
and pa lli-l.,l. and others which are not. Sui
such Is the "lHst1 n1turr Of the Church. II
il u 4 necessary % believe ia these ~ n.gs. nor
in tire i'-rn l. of the saints. nor the efficacy of
prayers 10 them and e. angels 10 be- a Catholic.
But most practical Cttholi - which means
those who 70 regularly 90 confession and 10 re-
criNr communion in conformity with the ruo ~
the Church, do believe all thlS. and a great deal
more than | can in this short article plain.
Nor il il the unedurated and illiterat' Catholic
alone who thus believes Among tho many
practical Catholic men Of intellect and Of rare
su cess in the ranks Of the lihrral professions IN
trade. commerce. and labor. have found. upon
intimate Acquaintance with them. thnt they lro
firm believers in many. II nnt al thOSn legends
and uS.gcs viii Pro-. stunts in general re-
gnrd ~ -uporstitions prrgning only 10 the
ignorant classes 81 Catholics. They may not
b" - dcmonstrntive in the expression of ihoir
faith. bat the educated and cultivated class ~
of Catholics hell"ye in and prat-''. In private
aud in church. the telling Of their beads the
blessing of Themselves with the sign Of the
crOSs. the genuflpNi0n before the altar whrrnon
Proposes the blessed Sacrams NJ. the prayers ~
IN" Blessed Virgin and tho saints. the prayers
for Ia" rcpOse Of the souls in purgatory. and tho
practice Of performing penHnce az directed hy
their runtp-~orS.