Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-12-08
HE MAKES IT PLAIN
0atolli States How the Cath
olic Church Stands
ON THE SECULAR SCHOOLS
He Rscommsnds That Some Changes IN
the System Re Made ard Rsiig-
ION Be Taught

ION Be Taught
ST. LOUIS. Dec. THE following u
the text of the address of Mgr. SatolIi
papal abiegats. delivered at the recent
meeting OF shs American archblshops
in New York. on the subject. "For the
Settling of tho School Question and the
Giving Of Religious Education"
ITO the Catholic church belongs the
duty and the divine right Of teaching
all naaons 70 believe the truth of the
gospel and 70 observe whstsoever Chris,
commanded Matt xviii, 2s). In her
llkensss 10 vested tho divine right ol
instructing the young in 90 far .,
theirs 10 the kingdom Of heaven Marx
<, IA.
(Conf conc bait pl. Ill, No. 1914; thai
| 10 10 say, she holds for herself the
. right OF teaching the truths Of faith
and tho law of morals in order 10 bring
q youth in the habits of christian
! life. Hence there 10 no re
pugnance IN their learning thu
| first elements and the higher branchel
Of the arts aud natural sciences in pub
lie schools controlled by the state
whose office it is to provide and pro
tect everything by which its citizens
they 1.-Two peaceabiy together with .
laws propagated by civil authority.
Tho Church siips In.
For the rest the provisions Of the
| council Of Baltimore are yet in force
aud IN . general way will remain. 90,
to.wit: Not only OF our paternal love
do We expect Catholic parents, but w
command them by all the authority
We p,ssess. TO procure q truly christian
and Catholic education for tho be
loved offspring given them of God
born again in baptlsm unto Christ, and
destined for heaven, to shield and se
cure them througout childhood and
youth from the dangers of . mercile 81
education, and therefore to send them
to parochial or other truly Catholic
| schools.
| United with this duty are the right,
| of parents, which no civil law or au
| thority can violate Or weaken. The
Catholic church in federal, and espe.
cially tho Holy See. is far from coz
demning or treating with indifference
the public schools. desires, rather, that
| by the joint action of civil and eccles
iastical authorities, there should b<
| public schools in every state, according
as the circumstances of the people re-
| Qulre, for the cultivation of the usefu
arts and natural sciences. But thu
Catholic church shrinks from those
features Of public schools which were
opposed to the truth of christianity
and to morality and science IN the in
terest of society itself. These objec
tional features are removable, there
fore. not only tho bishops, but citixenl
at large, should labor to remove them
| in virtue Of their own right and in the
cause of morality.
| Urgss the Catschism.
| 1t will be, 90 was the wont of ou,
| forefathers and Was done IN the early
days of the church, to establish weekly
classes OF catechisms, which all tn,
children Of the parish should attend
For the better success of this measure
let all of the pastors fulrill their duty
and the love Of Catholic parents leave
no effort unspared. No reproach
either in public or in private, shall bt
cast upon Catholic parents who sent
their children TO private schools or K
academies where q better education il
gwen under the direction Of religion
or approved and Catholic persons. II
they make sufficient provision for th'
religious training of their children, lei
them be free to secure in other wayI
education which the position of their
family requires.
1t 10 greatly to be desired, and would
be . most happy arrangement, II thu
bishop agrees with the civil authorities
or with the members of the echoo
board, TO conduct the school with mu
tual attention and due consid
Grafton for their respective rights
While there are teachers of any de
scription for the secular branches, ant
who are legally prohibited from offend
ing Catholic religion and morality, le
the righ and duty Of the church oh
tain of teaching the children catecbisn
in order to remove danger to thell
faith and morals from any quarte
whatsoever.
Taught the Faith.
AZ for those Catholic children that II
great numbers are educated in the pub
lie schools who are now without dan
ger, they receive no religious instruc
ton at all: strenuous efforts should b
made not TO leave them without sufh
cient o. nd reasonable instruction In th'
Catholic faith and practice. The adop
ton Of one of three plans 10 recon-
| meuded, the choice TO be made accor d
ing To local clrcumstau ces in the differ
ent states and various personal rela
| tione.
The first consists in an agreement be
tween the bishops and the members o
the echool board whereby they in
/ spirit of fairness and good will, allos
the Catholic children 10 be assembled
during free time and taught the cate
chIsm; 1t would be for the greatest nd
vantage If this plan we're confined 4
the primary echoole and colleges, II
the form of 4 free lecture.
The second. to have q cstechism clas
outside tho public school building. an
also classeSSof higher christian doc
tfine where. at fixed times, the Cath
ole children would assemble with dit
gence and pleasure, induced tberet
by the authority of their parents. tn
persuasion of their pastors and tn
nope OF praise and rewards.
The third place does mol seem At FRI
eight so suitable, but 10 bound up NOR
intimately with the duty OF bot
parents and pastors. Pastors shouI
uncessngly urge the duty lu
posed hy both natural and Il
vine law, OF bringing up the