Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-10
PRIESTS WANT ARULE
The Semi-Annual Convention of the
Catholic Clergy To-day,
AT THE EPISCOPAL RESIDENCE,
To Talk About Parents Who Send Their
Children to Public Schools.
A QUERY FOR THE EXAMINING BOARD

The semi-annual convention of all the
Catholic priests of the Western PIttsburg
diocese will be held to-day at the Episcopal
residence on Grant street. After the con-
ference, meeting of the clergy interested
in the Pittsburg Priests Mutual Aid
Society will be held, and permanent or
ganlzation formed. About so or 60 priests
will be present at the meeting. The East
ern conference will be held at Altoona. on
Thursday, and will be attended by the
priests at the eastern end of the diocese.
At the conference to be held in the Epis-
copal residence to-day, q number of impor-
tant matters pertaining to the diocese will
come up for discussion. Among them will
be several cases of parents sending their
children to the public schools. Some priests
now refuse to give absolution to parents at
confession for refusing to take their chill
dren from the public schools and send them
to the parochial schools. Many are the
reasons given for the action, and in some
cases there seems TO be a special reason for
allowing the children to continue their
studies at the ward schools.
ONE OF THE REASONS.
Some time ago one OF the Pittsburg priests
had a case where a young Catholic girl was
preparing herself to become a teacher in a
public school. The priest had rule on the
matter, and at first refused to give the girls
mother absolutiOn. The circumstances of the
case were such, however, that he waived
the rule and absolveo the parents. The
case came up so frequently of late in different
churches that some Of the priests want to hear
what the conference has to say about it. 1t is
likely that some general rule about the matter
will be adopted.
Rev. Father F. l. Tobin, pastor of St Mary's
Church, Lawrenceville, will be master of the
conference Another matter likely TO come up
will be a discussion about the whereabouts of
the synod, appointed several years ago to regu-
late parOchial school matters. At the council
of Baltimore, it was recommended that an ex-
amlning board to be composed of members of
the clergy, be appointed in each diocese, for
the purpose of examining parochial school
teachers. In certain sections of the country a
claim has been made by parents who refused
to send their children to the parochlal schools
that the youngsters had received all the in
struct1ons the nuns could give them, and they
thought it necessary to send the children to
schools where the teachers take up the higher
branches.
ARE NOT PROFICIENT.
1fwas also claimed in this city that some of
the Sisters did not possess the same standard
of proficiency in teaching that teachers in
public schools did. To prevent this claim from
arising again, it was decided to create an ex-
amining board, and before a nun could teach
in a parochial school, she would have to pass
an examination before the board and secure
certificate. Like the public school teachers, if
they could not pass the required examination
and make certain percentage. they could not
get certificate to teach. The Pittsburg Synod
was appointed, but no one can be found who
knows what became of it.
After the discussions at the conference are
ended the meeting of the Priests Mutual Aid
, Society will be held. The Committee on Con-
stitution and Bylaws will make its report, and
the latter will be adopted. The object of the
society is to assist needy priests, and when any
Of the clergy sick they will be paid a certain
sum OF money each week.
The examination Of priests who have not
Served seven years as an ordained minister will
be held this year November II, u and Is.
The retreat will be held in July.