St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-26


| XENSSssas, -" cal, religious and liter
E~~- GSSSs1 AIRY. Their assemblies
were called conferences" Soon, how
ever. they aimed at a higher object, that
| of Sanctifying themselves and 9TH
ers by works of charity which were Sug-
| gested to them by the accidental read
! ing of the life of st. Vincent de Paul,
whom they chose as their heavenly pro-
| tector; thus according to the beautiful
| expressions of Laccrdaire. placing their
| charity, the most beautiful of virtues,
under the most beautiful of guardians.
Two years after the first meeting the
| little band numbered fifteen members,
and two years later the members had
reached nearly one hundred. They then
! divided themselves into two distinct
branches, having each their complete
organization and united together by the
| bonds OF fraternal affection, which from
| the first has reigned among them.
| \ ears rolled OH and witnessed its
RAPID INCREASE
not only through France, but all over
Europe. Nay. more, like the church OF
| God, it extends its branches over the
whole world, SO that in 1851 it counted
already $50 conferences. and in July.
| 1866, the number of conferences in the
| United States alone was no less than
100.
On the 10th of January. 1915, and
| again on the 18th of,AuguSt. 1850, the
| Sovereign PontiffS deigned to sanction
| it by granting numerous indulgenceS to
| its members, and to those who helped
| them in their piOus works. Minnesota
| is blessed with seven conferences. in
1856, Rt. Rev. Joseph Cretin first bishop
of st. Paul. wishing to provide means
OF relief for the destitute of the city.
called meeting OF the gentlemen Of the
congregation and proposed to them to
| establish conference in our city. His
invitation was heartily accepted by
many, but owing to the circumstances
of the times, the society in St. Paul de-
| creased in numbers for awhile. Much
| honor is duet Mr.. Williams, since de-
ceased. who presided over it during its
| greatest trials. In 1899, however, it re-
ceived great impulse. Under the pres
years it increased to over Il hundred
members, when. in 1861. it was deemed
advisable to divide it into
TWO SECTIONS,
the one preserving the original name of
conference of st. Paul: the other, TAX
ing the name of the conference of st.
Patrick. The latter was attached to ST.
Mary's church when that church was
built.
The original signers of the articles of
Incorporation of the first conference in
St.PaUl were:W. B.Mctirorty AL. Lar
penteur, c. w. Williams. William Mar
kOe and w. j. BrOWnSOn. The secretary
was l.. i. COtter and the date of the pa
per Nov. Is, 1856. OF the names mem
toned, Mr.. MarkOe and Mr.. LOrpente ur
are the sole survivors.
The government of the society is mod
eled on the hierarchy of the church, so
as to form one body and preserve the
unity of spirit and those fraternal rela-
tions so useful and so pleasant. At the
same time sufficient freedom of action
is left to each particular branch to regu-
late itself according to the circum-
stances of place and times. The gen
eral council in Paris exercises its aIl-
thority over the whole society through
out the Catholic world. 1t corresponds
directly with the superior councils
which are established to unite together
all the branches of
ONE NATION
or part OF nation. OF these there are
two in the United States, one in ST.
Louis and the other i'll New York. The
conferences of Minnesota depend on the
Superior council of New York. In
cities were there are several conferences
| they are united together by a Particu-
lar council, and in some cases there
exists another Intervening link called
the Central council, having under it
| several Particular councils aud CORES
ponding directly with the Superior
| council of the nation.
Besides these, there are other means
of preserving the fraternal relations
| between the various councils. Four
| times year. Oh the first Sunday in
Lent. on the second Sunday after Eas-
ter, on the 10Th day of July (the feat of
| st. Vincent de Paul., and on the Sth
| day of December (the feast of the In
maculate ConceptiOnJ, the various con-
ferences of the same town unite in
| general meetings under their Particular
councils, and there make their respec-
| tive reports for the time that has
elapsed since the last of their meet
ingS. These reports are sent to the
Superior council, which embodies
| them in
GENERAL REPORT
and communicates it to the general
council of Paris. The first of these gen
eral meetings was held Feb. "a, 1886.
The rule of the society is not by any
means that OF an organization ~labori-
ously invented and imagined priori,
| but simply statement i'll writing of
certain practices to which the founders
| tees grew out of their friendly assem-
| blieS. There they had consulted to-
| gether as to the best means to carry out
| their charitable intentions with prudent
| zeal. The first work in which these
| conferences engaged, and which is still
| their principal one, is the visiting of the
poor at their homes. In these they en-
terrain friendly relations with the poor
| they have i'll charge, taking interest in
| them, aiding them by their advice, and
| should any Of their poor die, they show
| their friendship for him by accompany
ing him to his last resting place, not for
| getting to offer their prayers for him
| and having the holy sacrifice celebrated
| for his repoSe. Thus they have fire.
| quently been happy enough to bring
back to faithful performance of the
| Christian duties, souls sOured by adver-
| sity, and who, for long time, had
| abandoned God.
The general rule of the society is as
| follows:
| First-All Christian young men.
! who desire to unite in communion of
| prayer and a participation in works of
the same character, may become men,
bers of the Society of st. Vincent de
Paul, wherever they may happen to re-
| side.
Second-No work of charity should
be regarded as foreign to the society,
| although its special object is to visit
| POOR FAMILIES.
Thus the members are eXpScted to
embrace every opportunity of affOrding
consolation to the sick and to prisoners,
OF lnstructing poor, unprotected or i'm
prisoned children, and of procuring the
succOrs of religion for those who need
them at the hour of death.
| Third-When several members of the
society are found in any locality, they
meet to encourage each other in the