The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-12
WORK OF THE PAULISTS
CATHOLIC MISSIONARIES WHO LABOR
AMONG PROTEsTANTs.
Strictly American Society That Has
No Connection with the Vatican
General Religious News.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.

few are strictly American, and have their
general superiors here. The Missionary So
ciety of St. Paul was chartered by the
State of New York. AS the original st. Paul
was an apostle to the gentiles, these mod
eIn PauistS work wholly among Protes-
tants, and at the present moment large
number of their missionaries are working
among noncathoiics in Southern States and
in Western cities. These missionaries travel
by twos, and scarcely State is not visited
by them. Their special field is the South,
where the Roman Catholic Church is, in
proportion to its strength in the North,
very small in numbers. The Rev. Father
Alexander P. Doyle, one of the younger
members Of the order, is also general secre-
tary of the Catholic Total Abstinence
Union. Speaking of the Paulists and their
work, Father Doyle says:
1--WE are a society of men living together,
might say, under a voluntary contract,
with one aim in view, and that aim the
service of God. Our mode of life is, con-
structively, a remuneration Of all worldly
desires and interests. We endeavor to live
the perfect apostolic life, and by having alb
solutely business interests or property
OF any kind, we leave ourselves free to de-
vote our time thought, our talents,
wholly to God. We take no vow of poverty.
We have no VOW, except the ordinary one
especially that of poverty, as strictly as II
we had taken them. We hold no property.
II any comes to lis by inheritance we turn
1t over to the common fund. II my clothes
wear out go to the general superior for
money to buy new suit. If / wish to go
to another city, do the same, and also get
permission to go. He might refuse me, you
say? Yes, he has the authority to do so,
but, as matter of fact, he never does so.
1T is a wrong impression, this one that
only converts from professionalism may be-
long to our order | am not a convert from
it. Both Of our general superiors have been
converts, our late one having been a son
of a Congregational clergyman, which fact
shows how it is possible for men to change.
Not all our missions are to noncatholics,
but most of them are.
Our personal lives? Our discipline is
very strict. Each is assigned to room,
and on certain hours of every day, when
not absent engaged in mission work, we
are required to meet together for prayer
Our church duties are assigned to us peri
odically, and there is no appeal from the
assignments. We must obey. OnerouS?
On the contrary, delightful, interesting, in
spiriting."
That unique religious body, the Church of
the Strangers, New York, is seeking new
quarters. For many years its congregation
has worshiped in leased church in Mercer
street, the rental of which is based on a
property valuation made twenty or more
years ago. The property belongs to the
very wealthy Sailors Snug Harbor corpo-
ration, of Staten island. This corporation
has been most considerable but now feels
that it ought to appraise its property anew.
When it does so the rental would need to
be about $4,000 a year. This sum the
Church of the Strangers cannot pay. Hence
it has been announced that it will move,
either buying lot and building or purchas-
ing a church already built The Church
of the Strangers congregation is cur1ously
10 n
strangers, and it has in attendance upon
it's services persons from almost every
where. And yet it is supported by as reg
ular a congregation as almost any other
church. There are about four hundred
members in all. Above one hundred live in
Harlem, and the rest live in practically ev-
practically settled that it will purchase the
Central Congregational Church. in West
Fifty-seventh street. a change which in
wolves move from its present location of
about four miles.
Church mission boards. both in this coun-
try and in England, are suffering from di-
minished incomes. The American board,
the Oldest of mission boards in this coun-
try, has just decided to send deputation
to China and Ceylon to inquire in what way
the mission work in those fields can be cur
tailed with least sacrifice. Methods en-
| ployed by missionaries under Congrega-
| tional supervision are to be looked into and
| compared with the cost of methods and re-
| suits accruing TO efforts put forth by other
| denominations The head of the deputation
| will be the Rev. DR.. JudSon Smith, one of
| the secretaries. To keep up the present ex-
penditure an increase of at least $4,000 in
| contributions from churches must be real
| lied. So far from this increase being like
| ly, a growing deficit is accommodating. There
| is already q debt of $4,000 A crisis is at
| hand. and the Reputation to China and
/ Japan is rendered necessary as means of
meeting it.
| Methodists are experiencing a growing
difficulty in their larger conferences about
| the matter of entertainment. A district
conference having three hundred ministers
! brings often as many more secretaries, mis-
| sionaries, lay preachers and others. To en-
| terrain so many men for week is a big
task-so big that annually it becomes more
difficult to get an invitation from any one
/ congregation. For the approaching spring
| conferences churches have, in some cities,
Joined in promising entertainment to fifty,
seventy-five, one hundred men each. But
this plan has been found to have it's draw
| backs, and it is the belief that very soon
| some other provision will have to be made,
| If a place is to be found to hold confer
i ence at all.
| In a number of cities arrangements are
making by the local telephone companies
| to connect all hospitals with a phone
| placed in the pulpit of some popular
| preacher whose sermon a majority of the
| patients have expressed a preference to
| hear and thus enable large number of in
I validS and convalescents to hear q, Christ
| mas sermon. Telephone companies are in
| some cities doing this sort of Christ
| mas present" or charitable contribution.
| In one New Jersey city telephones are to be
| placed at each cot in every hospital in the
| city.
Efforts are being made by the Church
| of Rome to heal the schism between itself
| and the Coptic Church, which has existed
| for more than a thousand years. The Cop
| tic Church is descended from ancient Egyp-
/ tan Christianity, and is now dwindling
| away before the advance of Mohammedan-
| ism. To rescue what is left funds are rails
| ing throughout Europe to found seminary
| at Alexandria for the education of the levi
| ties of the Coptic rite. The head of the
| reasons, this head being the archbishop of
| Malines. former vicar apostolic in the
| Soudan has just left Rome for Alexandria,
| and upon his arrival a council of Coptic
| leaders is to be held. 1t is said that the
| schiSm is now, under the pressure of Mo-
| church to become once more an integral
| part of that of Rome.
|
| Tomorrow is national communion day of
| the Catholic Young Mems Union, and in a
large number of cities it is to be observed
| for the holding of a general service having
| for its object the extension of the union and
a knowledge of its purposes. The president
| Of the national organization is the Rev.
| William T. MCGUIRE, of Brooklyn. and in the
| principal cities there are diocesan unions
| with local officers. The aims of the union
| ara similar To those Of fhP Christian En-.