The Irish standard., 1899-07-22
Noted Prelate Introduced by the
Duke Of Norfolk.
A LETTER FROM CARDINAL VAUGHAN
The Bond Of Friendship Between
The Two Nations.

The annual meeting of the Catholic
Union of Great Britain was held in
London, Tuesday, June 27th. A letter
was read from Cardinal Vaughan, in
which he highly complimented Arch
bishop ireland who was to deliver an
address on that occasion, He expressed
the hope that the Catholic Church in
England will be united in close relation
ship with the Church in America and in
concluding said: Next year 1 hope
the Cardinal-Archbishop of Baltimore
and the Archbishop of New York may
honor us with a visit and take fore
most part in the ceremonies of the dedi-
cation OF the Cathedral OF Westminster
and thus more closely unite in friend
ship the Catholics OF the United States
and OF England
The Duke OF Norfolk then introduced
the Most Rev. John Irkand, Archbishop
OF St. Paul, who delivered very elo-
qrent and interesting address, as fol-
lows:
This is memorable occasion in my
life. am addressing the Catholic
Union OF Great Britain, representing
the Catholic Church in this great coun-
try. see before me some OF the most
distinguished gentlemen OF the British
empire, men known TO the ends of the
earth by the hereditary glories of their
families, by their great public services
to country and church, and by their lit
erary achievement. can conjurc up
before me at this moment history OF
the Catholic Church in England during
many centuries OF glory and OF suffer-
ing. There are men here whose families
preserved the faith in times OF trial, and
who thus connect the Church in Eng
land to-day with the Church OF Anselm
and a'Bcckct, and Thomas More and
Fisher. There are in this assembly
gentlemen who represent the second
spring in the Catholic Church of Eng
land, men converted to the holy faith,
and witnessing to its providential revival
in England and throughout the English
speaking world The present and the
past are here, and God permits us to
look forward and to see the future. We
pray from our hearts that the future may
be all that we wish it to be- that it may
be all that the interests OF holy Church
demand. Oh, the misfortune for the
Catholic Church, when in a fatal mo-
mcnt England was led away from her
fold! In the whole history OF her two
thousand years OF life nothing ever hap
pcncd SO dcplorable, nothing ever hap
pcncd with such dire results to religion
Oh, England, Catholic England of olden
days, how we regret you! How Cath
olics OF all English speaking countries,
how the Catholics OF the world regret
you and regret the day which first saw
schism between England and the Apos-
tolic See. (Applausc.)
Years go by, and as the great world
is opened before It's, and as the new age
dawns upon us, we understand more
fully than heretofore the immensely OF
the loss to the Church. To-day the in
fluencc of England is worldwide. To-
day across all oceans and through all
continents the English language is
spoken. The future OF continents and
OF hundreds OF millions OF human beings
depends upon the influence OF England
o God OF truth, o God, founder of the
Catholic Church, if only to-day the full
influence OF England over thousands OF
miles OF oceans and continents we're
Catholic! Oh the triumph in the world
of the Church! Oh the glories OF the
great twentieth century! God has per-
nitted that things otherwise should be,
ard we must face the fact, deriving
therefrom new courage and new deter
mination, SO that, by cooperating with
Gods grace and Gods power, the great
ness OF the English-speaking race in the
world may be still made tributary to the
interests OF the Catholic Church. For
tunately for the Church, not all ties have
been broken between England, between
the British Empire, and the See OF
Peter. There remained here and there
on English soil a holy leaven of old
English Catholic families who passed
through the darkest days with the cour-
age of martyrs.
There was also, God permitting and
God ordering, the sister island, Ireland.