The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-09-27
About Father Butler.

TIE SUNDAY TATTLER gave the story
of the probable flight of Miss Mary Ellen
Brady with the Rev. Father Butler, late of
st. Bridget's Church, to its readers last
Sunday morning as a piece of news. We
resgetted to be forced to make the facts
public, but THE SUNDAY TATTLER is, as
lis readers know by this time, news
paper, and publishes all the news team
reach thatis of interest to its readers The
investigations of other papers. taken up at
the point where, for want of time, we were
obliged to leave off, seem to leave no
room Unreasonable doubt that the suspi-
cion of their elopement is well founded
That the good Catholics of this city---and
probably of the whole county-feel that
Father Butler has dealt his faith and his
church heavy blow, we know for a fact
A scandal in any church is to be deplored
But the Catholic Church can say, for the
everlasting honor of its adherenls, that it
has been singularly free from scandals of
all kinds; and the escapade of one of its
curates cannot counter balance or appre-
Gladly affect the good work such moral
examplars as Fathers Hennessy and Nc
Quade and Concilio, and Monsigneur Seton
and the long roll of honorable, high toned,
holy men who have filed the priesthood
in this city are, daily and hourly. iu season
and out of season, accomplishing. No
church has afforded So few pretexts for
newspaper sensations; while Its record of
healthy labor in Ithe &c Vineyard of the
Lord is behind that of no other Com
munion.i Father Bntlers flight has, how
ever, dealt the church blow on its most
sensitive point The celibacy of the priest
hood is one of the inviolable Canons of the
church. A priest cannot violate it in
Catholic eyes. To be once priest is to
be always priest. If we understand it
Alright, it is impossible for him to renounce
the church, or for the church 10 shake
him of. He is a sore upon the body
polite as long as be lives. AS the church
forbids his marriage he can never be any
thing in the eyes of good Catholics but an
open adulterer, even If he goes through
the form of a ceremony in civil court or
under the ministration of priest of
another denomination. Catholics, in fact,
recognize as holy only those marriages
that are blessed with the Catholic cere-
mony. Almost any other violation of the
church law might leave u way open for
pardon; but marriage-made for life as
all marriages sre-forbids the idea of for
giveness because it forbids the opportunity
for repentance. It is not yet definitely
settled that the reverend gentleman has
married the fair companion. of his fight.
Miss Brady's hitherto high reputation
would seem 10 preclude the idea that she
would link herself 10 any man without
ceremony OF some kind; while on the
other hand her church education would
scarcely permit her to- consent to mar
riage with any other than the Catholic
form to solemnize it. OF course no Cath
ole priest would oficiate at the wedding
OF q fellow priest, and the road to marriage
in the church is so hedged about with pre-
cautions, that 1t is scarcely possible for
them 10 have deceived any Catholic priest
into performing ceremony between
'them.s To the rest Of the world they may
be married in any other church or by
civil ceremony; but they have forever lost
their standing in the Catholic Church.