The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1890-01-18
rI1E IRISH STANDARD: SATURDAY, JANUARY rs. IN

& thank you sincerely, citizens Of Du.
luth. for the welcome YOU have given
the Bishop Of this new See and your CO.
operation with him in the strife for the
moral good and welfare of a people. He
will do you honor and assist in building
up your city as much as the material en-
,erprises aud commercial energy which
has made your city one of the business
centres Of the country. The new do
cese Of Duluth is now established, and
it is pertinent to ask: By what author
ity has all this been done? By what au-
thority does PDpe Leo of Rome send
these letters naming new diocese and
appointing Bishop to preside over 1t
Is it an arbitrary action on his own
part ? Does he speak in his own name
or in the name o. az authority higher
than himself ? Is the Catholic Church,
whose Chief pastor he is, mere vOlun-
tarv ASSOCIATION of men to exist as he
wishes to allow it to exist, or Is there
in that organic alton a life coming from
above {? Man, of himself. in his own
name. or on hjs own authority, has no
right t. command. There is but one
Supreme Being, and that is God. He
is the Master, the Sovereign of all, and
those in authority have no right to COM
mand except as it comes from Him.
There is an authority in civil life. God
gave to man the right to execute social
| authority, and when men constitute a
| nation, thew chose their superiOrs, and
those suptriors reign. If there is au-
tn rity in national life, is there not also
authority in the RELIGIOUS common
wealth? There is. Nineteen hundred
| years ago there walked in Palestine
che who showed himself to be a teacher
of mankind: one who went about teach
ing che truth, aud before he went tn the
right hand OF His Master he had estab
lished a society or kingdom of his own,
which was foretold by Daniel to be
| more powerful than that Of the Per-
slams or Assyriaps. The Assyrians had
heretofore created empires and they
crumbled and fell. but God established
a society which would stand ALWAYS,
aud the gates Of hell shall not prevail
| against Him OF themselves, the Apos
ties had no authority to talk or to com
mand. They were merely agents, and
agents acting within the lines Of the
agency represent the principle. It was
| task beyOnd comprehension for them
to 90 out into the world and teach
Christ, but He was with them all days
even unto the end of the world. How
long was this to last? How long was
Christ's kingdom to be perpetuaCed ?
Peter, John and James were to pass
away, but the Office WAS the same-the
power remained. 1t is the same with
the Supreme Court of our land. Judges
pass away and their legal successors are
appointed. 1hey have the same au-
thority, and the Supreme Court is the
same to day as it was before.
1t was much to say that the Apostles
would remain always Who but God
could have promised it? We find that
Titus and Timothy also became Apos
ties. The succession was to remain
until the end of time. He, himself.
said 50, and Christ's words never fail.
The apostleship Of Jesus Christ in the
world is a mystic chain. The first link
is held by Christ himself. Each sue
cessive link is firmly welded into the
one before. and through 1t all runs His
inspiration, sort Of divine electricity.
This Is Christ's church, which he pro
missed should maintain always. We
can not believe that this divine teacher
would have stood In Palestine and
sDUken to the wild winds. Not only did
He appoint the Apostles as teachers,
but he pointed out to them the oneness
of their purpose. There is not a society
in existence which does not have a.
head, and that oneness concentrated in
the headship forms the strength Of the
society. II each of these states were
separated aud each had its head. there
would be no United States. If the
Apostles had been separated, there
would be no church. Hence He chose
one from the twelve Apostles who was
to be the leader--Simon Peter-the
master Of the house and ruler. From
Peter we have the rock and foundation.
and the Church was called Catholic
universal, the church of nations and of
all ages.
It is not necessary to detain you very
long to answer the second question.
Where is that church that is ruled over
by the successor Of Peter? 1t is mat
ter Of history. To-day Leo, as the sue
cessor OF Peter. speaks with all the au.
thority OF Peter. and we as Catholics
believe that the diocese of Duluth is es-
tablished with all the plentitude Of au-
thoriry which Peter had in establishing
the diocese of Antioch or tina diocese Of
Rome; with as much authority as if
sGs,d-mnn had himself established it.
MY DEAR BRETHREN,-When there
- q n,,o,r,nn ne u,,f hnrif {, I n roli0inn r.