The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-10-28
IIVNNI1It UIl IIIUUIU IIuTT %
Father Macke1's Able Dis
course on the Faith of!
Our Fathers.
ST. PETERS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION.
Services All Souls Day At 81
Joseph's-Fair At st. Bridget's
mission At st. Mary's.


College Hall. The matter Of haylDg az
alumni dinner will be discussed, and also
thu date for Lolding the next literary
meeting decided on. There seems to be a
notion that the Alumni Association Is
only for graduates Of the college. This
is a mistake, The assocla ton was or
ganized for the benefit Of all former
students of the college.
The members are more than p leased
W it'll the success which attended their
first literary meeting last Wednesday
evening. The hall was crowded, aud all
present enjoyed the excellent pro-
gramme. President John Nevin de-
livered an excellent address, but the
hit of the evening was made by that
gifted young pulpit orator, the Rev.
Charles F.. MscKel of st. Mich ael's
Church, this city. Father Mackel's ad-
dress, la brief, was as fsllo
FATHER MACKEL's ADDRESS.
1.-THE object of this address. as Of those
which will follow, is to aid in organizing
an Alumni Association consisting Of the
former students Of st. PEERS. The rea-
son is twofold-to encourage the present
students by manlfestiug the interest we
feel in their success. and to pay a deot OF
gratitude 10 the college by displaying our
grateful affection and reverence for our
Alma Mater. The subject | will speak
upon is the THE Faith of Our Fathers
q religious topic, but not less appropriate
on that account. becaus. our teachers
would feel that They had laoored in vain
il we proved faithless to the religious
teachings they had SO diligently incul-
Gated during u college course. Ii IL my
purpose TO state the reasons why young
men who have enjoyed n liberal educa-
fian ~ tnn1I a md n Al. ntl mo nronnPAA IN do
fend their religion in the face OF
calumuies and misrepresentation heaped
upon it by those outside its fold,
"It is expedient tina we first review the
present condition Of Catholics in the
United States. For the past three HUI
dred year Catholics in English speaking
counties have not hau the opportunity to
defend their religion as they would have
wished. The spirit of religious in>
tolerance deprived our fathers OF educa-
tiop, and in the meantime ISLANDERS u
calumuies were circulated concerning the
church, until today English literature is
saturated with Catholic prejudice
and bigotry.
MISTAKEN NOTIONS.
"These mistaken notions have become
current in this country. The church is
continually assaulted in press and pulpit.
Men put Il hideous mask upon the fair
brow of the Church and thus ~dis1gured
they expose her to the quackery aud in
suits aud hatred of the public. As for
remind them of the Eighth Command
ment and leave them to God. But there
are thousands who thiuk ill Of the Church
because they have been deceived. They
have learned b she is from enemies
blinded by passion, or reneg de children
from ingratitude. We firmly believe
that if lair minded Protestants saw the
Church a. we see her. they would cling
10 her and embrace her and say with
Augustine, 20, Beauty. Ever Ancient
and Ever New, loo Late Have l Known
Thee, Tot Late Have / Loved Thee"
with TINS view of the present condi-
ton Catholics IL seems evideut that it
should be for all of us IL labor Of o v to
disabuse those outside the Church Of
their mistaken notions regarding the
Catholic religion. You will meal with
many even among your " friends VINO
are persuaded that the Church is the
enemy Of the Bible; that we regard the
Pope as one who may US TO
commit sin and we must obey; tnat ths
Church Is responsible for tue Spanish 1n>
QUESTION and for abominable crimes;
that an Indulgence is u permissi sion to
commit sin bought and paid for at stated
prices; that owing to the Catholic Church
the wnole OF Europe was, duriag the
| I1luu1G AXES Sunh III n &uNe - 0Sh
barism until, IN the sixteenth century
| Martin Luther rescued the Bible and
restored true Christianity TO the knowl-
edge of mankind. Ii we knew we'll The
answer to all these objections what in
c lculable good might We accomplish III
a quiet unobtrusive way in the course OF
conversation with our frisuds.
1.-The real solution of the difficulties is
to be found in great part In the little
catechism which many OF us have Tor
gotten. For there we will find a cleag
statement OF our doctrines and in many
cases IT is useless to engage iu controversy
and more advantageous TO state simply
what the Church really believes and
teaches.
THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERS.
But besides Tie ,atechlsm we have the
little book, the title OF which | have
adopted as my discourse-'The Faith OF
Our Fathers q work written BY Car
dinal Gibbons. when he was a young
priest engaged in preaching he Gospel IL
Virginia and North Carolina. So an'
tagoulstlc were the inhabitants to The
Catholic religion that the Cardinal wa
Obliged to preach, not in the vestments oil
q priest, but in the ordinary garD OF 4
laymau. He addressed his flock in court
houses. pubic halls or other edittces, OF
in the dwellings of the few scattered
Catholics. HIS simple, manly aud direct
| uiSCOuto0o v WAC 0SbGAbion "a OsOo
TN s IL Catholics, and when, u few
years later, he rad become Bishop oi
Richmond. he compiled these addresses
iuJo u single volume and called 1t tht
Faith Of Our Fa hers" Today mis- nam
is u household word In every nome III tins
land as the advocate of labor. the frlenc
of the masses, the model ecclesiastic, apt
the true type of the Catholic AmetIcan.
within the compass OF this little work
you will fud the most lucid solution o1
the objections entertained by the Ameri
can people regarding the Catholic relig-
ion, With q masters land he sketches
the nation aud the marks of the churcn
There you will Inc The command of GU
Savior that His church sh 1uid be QUE
ever as He and the Father are one; tina
it should be adapted TO all ages an | TO all
classes of men, aud should come down IL
unbroken succession from the days of tht
Apostles TO the end OF the worli, aud that
all these conditions are fulfilled only
in the Catholic Church. Her man bers
number at present $50. 000. 900, aud yet
they are all unitel in the profession o
The same faith, receive the same sacra-
ment, worship at Toe amt altar u ar,
subject to the one common head. Should
a member be SO bold as TO deny a single
article of faith or refuse obedience to hel
lawful "a slorS, he Is at once cut off from
her communion, IS were Henry VIII liz
/ England and Martiu Luther IN Germany.
"One by one he passes in review tn
other objections made to the church. and
proves concluslvely that only blind
prejudice aun bigolry can seq aught els.
in our religion than the work OF GJd."
U LOVE OF COUNTRY.
Tn c0ncIndius Eufhar MuckaI zajd