The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-12
THE PASTORAL LETTER.
A Strong Statement of the Catholic Attitude
Many Important Points.

States composing the third plenary council of
Baltimore to the clergy and laity of their charge
is made public through the Catholic Mirror 1t
is a lengthy document, but the following abstract
gives the main points of the leading matters
which engaged tho attention of the council
Reference is made to the great increase of Cath
Ollie institutions in the past eighteen years. es-
pecially in the West. The assembling by Plus
TX of general council at the Vatican is al
luded to as one of the most important events of
our age, and the details of its working given.
The Catholics of Prussia are commended for
their good work IN using every legal means to
check the advance of despotism and save their
own freedom and their country. The letter then
discusses the laws of the church and this coun-
try in the following terms
1--WE think that we can CLAIM to be acquainted
both with the laws institutions and spirit of the
Catholic Church. and with the laws institutions
and spirit of our country, and We emphatically de-
| clare that there is no antagonism between them.
A Catholic finds himself at home in the United
States, for the influence of his church has con
stantly been exercised in behalf of individual
rights and popular liberties, and the rght-miud-
ed American nowhere finds himself more at home
than in Catholic church, for nowhere else can
he breathe that atmosphere of divine truth which
alone can make us free. We repudiate with
o1ual earnestness the assertion that need to
la aside any of our devotedness to our church to
De true Americans and the nsinuation that we
need to lay aside any of our love for our
country's principles and institutions to be faith
full Catholics. 70 argue that the Catholic Church
is hostile to our great Republic because she
teaches that there is no power but from Cod
or because therefore, back of the events which
led to the foundation of the Republic it sees the
providence of God leading to that issue. and
back of our country's laws the authority of God
as their sanetion-this, evidently, is SO illogical
and contradictory an accusation that we
astonished to hear it advanced by persons of or
binary intelligence. We believe our country's
heroes were instruments of God to the Nation in
establishing the home Of freedom To both the
Almighty and Ills instruments in the work we
look with grateful reverence, ard to maintain the
inheritance which they have left us. should it
ever-which God forbid-be imperiled our
Catholic citizens will be found to stand forward
as one man, ready to pledge anew their lives,
their fortunes and their sacred honor no less
illogical would be the notion that there is aught
in the free spirit of ourAmerican institutions in
compatible with perfect docility to the church of
Christ"
The attempt to grasp the property Of the
Propaganda is severely condemned, and our
government warmly thanked for the action that
saved the American College from confscation
1t is declared that, in all the wide circle of the
Holy Fathers great responsibility the progress
of the church in the United States forms, in a
special manner, both a source of Joy and an OBJ
ject of solicitude A considerable portion Of the
letter is devoted to a discussion of the education
of the clergy and their pastoral rights. With
respect to church properties and church debts,
the letter says:
THE properties are held in trust of the church
for benefit of the people. 1t often becomes
necessary to contract church debts. The multi
plication of Catholic population has been so
had tn hp in, TIM,
churches and schools, and it, under such circum-
stances, pastors had to wait till all the funds
were in hand before beginning the work a gen
Grafton would be left without necessary spiritual
aids, and might be lost to the church and to
God. 1t is our earnest wish that existing debts
should be lquidated soon as possible in
order that the money consumed in paying
interest might be employed IN great improve,
ments still to be made especially in helping on
the glorious work of Christian education"
PLEA FOR SCHOOLS.
This latter subject is treated at great length
Childhood and youth, says the letter, "are
periods of life when character ought especially
to be subjected to religious influences nor
can we ignore the palpable fact that
the school is an important factor in forming
character in childhood and youth-so important
that its influence often Outweghs that of home
and church. 1t cannot, therefore, be desirable
or advantageous that religion should be excluded
",
to be one of the chief agencies for molding
young life to all that is true. and virtuous. and
holy. TO shut religion out of the school and
keep it for home and church is logically, to
train up generation that will consider religion
good for home and church. but not for the prac-
tical business of real life: but more false and
perncious notion could not be imagined
Religion, in order to elevate people
should inspire their whole life and
rule their relations with one another. life is
not dwarfed but ennohled, by being lived in the
presence of God; therefore, the school, which
principally gives knowledge fitting for practical
HE. ought pre- eminently to be under the holy
influence of religion. Two objects, therefore
we have in view: TO multiply our schools. and to
perfect them. We must multiply them till every
Catholic child III the land shall have within its
reach the means of education, There is still
much to be done ere this is attained. There are
still thousands of Catholic children in the United
States deprived of the benefit of school Pastors
and parents should not rest till this defect be
remedied No parish is complete till it has a
school adequate to the needs of its children and
the pastor and people of such parish should feel
that they have not accomplished their
entire duty until the want is supplied. We de
sire that the history of the United States should
be carefully taught in all our Catholic schools
and have directed that it be specially dwelt upon
in the education of the young ecclesiastic stu
dents in our preparatory seminaries. So, also,
we desire that it form a favorite part of the
home library, and homo reading We must
keep firm and solid the liberties of our country
by keeping fresh the noble memories of the past,
and thus sending forth from our Catholic homes
into the arena of public life not partsans, but
patriCts.n
The subjects of co operation of the Christian
home with the Christian school, Christian mar
riage and the indissolubihty of the marriage tie,
treated upon, and in this connection the