The Irish standard., 1890-11-22
D j[.J'] OF PR ]. ESI'S.
Their Lives Devoted to Untiring
y Toll for the Masses. *

Pertaining to the People, for Upon
Their wisdom Much Depends - The
Preparation Necessary for the Office.
The preparation necessary for the
priestho God requires far more study and
Jealous labor to the object at heart
than most any other calling in life.
The applicant who selects to devote his
time on the earth to the cause of God
must learn to endure many hardships
and be prepared to deal with all classes
and conditions Of people. He should
in some respects be fnancier, for
upon him will probably rest the respon
sibility Of raising q big church debt.
He should understand the care of the
sick, for he is liable to be sent to some
isolated spot where he will be called
upon to perform the dut les of phvsi-
clan. His advice will be consulted in
hundreds of difficult matters, and upon
his decisions much will depend. In
truth, he is the veritable guide of a
comm unity, and upon his wisdom and
judgment the welfare Of his parish to
greater or less extent rests.
Life in seminary is divided between
study and the cultivation of piety and
devotion to the sacred calling to which
the students aspire. The rules of
discipline are somewhat strict and are
carefully enforced. A student rises at
5so'lock~in summer and $3.50 in winter.
Prayer, meditation and attendance at
Mass take up the time until 1880, when
breakfast comes. There is a short
recreation then before the first class
lecture at S:l5 This with study fills
an hour and half. Then fifteen min
utes free time and from II to 11:45 the
class room again. Fifteen minut es
prayer and examination of conscience
comes before the noon dinner hour and
after it recreation until 2 o'clock.
Sacred reading for half an hour fol-
lows with forty FIVE minutes prepare
tion for the next lecture. Aquarter of
all hour is given to recreation before
the third lecture, which lasts until
4:15. A brief rest and an hour and a
half in study and fifteen minutes in
prayer filled mp the time until the sup
per hour, 7o'clock, followed by another
recreation. At 9 O'Clock prayers are
said, and at $50 all lights must be put
out and everybody in bed This is tn g
average daily routine.
All the lectures, except those in sa =
cred eloquence and physical scien ces.
are given in Latin. During the first
two years Of his course the semanarian
reads an advanced course OF mental
philosophy and ethics. He also studies
Jewish antiquities, the history Of the
different systems of philosophy, the
physical sciences, especially in their
bearing on revelation, the exeeesis of
the Old Testament, ecclesiastical and
natural theology and some modern Ian
guage. In the next four years the
course embraces moral and dogmatic
theology, sacred scripture, exegesis,
hermensutics and history, liturgy,
canon law, sacred eloquence. plain
chant and Hebrew. u
At the end of two years, if the stud
ent shows the necessary disposition
The other minor orders are usually
conferred at intervals Of six months
after this and are steps leading to the
last grand results acerdotal ordina.
tion.
When he has finished his course at
the seminary the candidate is again
examined on his theological acquire
ments, and if he passes satisf actorily
he is ordained priest by the Bishop.
He cannot be made a priest, however,
until he has received the other orders
in the regular course, and two grades
of sacred orders cannot be conferred
on the same day. The Church teaches
that 81 priest receives supernatural
power in his ordination, an indelible
character, and, it rightly disposed,
grace to support him in the exercise of
his ministry, Having received or
dination he returns to his Bishop, to
whom he makes q VOW of
obedience Us his spiritual superior,
and is then assigned to work in some
parish. In each parish there is
pastor, and one, two or
three assistants, according to the
size and needs of the congregation.
Mass has to be said every morning,
sometimes twice on Sunday, with
sermon, Sunday school and vespers.
after which, during the week. the sick
have to be visited, the parish gener-
ally supervised, the schools looked
after, children instructed, sermons
prepared and the debts of the church
provided against. On Saturday after
moons and evenings, and on the ewes of
the festivals and holy days confessions
are heard, which means listening to
the thousand and one woes and abomi-
nations of erring manhood. For all
these the priest III ust have consola ton,
encouragement, reproof and admoni-
ton. The wicked must be directed to
the paths of penitence, the just
streng thened and urged to perseverance,.
The labors of the Confessional are
probably the most trying and exacting
of the priests duties. They must be
ready at any moment of the day or
night to answer the sick calls, and no
matter how virulent the pestilence or
disgusting the disease, there is not
moment for hesitation before hasten
ing to the sick bed, even though at the
peril of life itself. To their eternal
honor be it said that the priests of this
and every other land have never refused
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