The Saint Paul globe., 1899-03-20
WHY | AM A CATHOLIC
RI. REV. JOHN STANLEY Ex-
POUNDS THE FOUNDATION OF
HIS DELIEF
CLEAR AND CONCISE ADDRESS


Set of Doctrines Taught In All
Catholic Churches-ChrfstF Form
ed Society on Earth with "a Dis
tinct Head. ~ @s.,
Bishop John Shanley, of North Dakota,
addressed large and appreciative audi
| ence at st. James Catholic church last
evening. The subject, "Why I Am a
Catholic" was handled at some length
by the bishop. The address was clear
and concise unmistakable in its meaning.
and -weighty in It's delivery. Previous to
the address a musical programme last
ing over an hour was rendered. Bishop
| Stanley spoke in part as follows:
THE question to be considered this
evening is why l am Catholic Var-
Gus reasons which need not be mentioned
impel me to speak on this subject tonight.
| The question is a broad one and to do
justice to it In the brief time allotted to
me is out of the question. 1 can at most
alIude to very few, but very substantial
reasons.
81 am a Christian because l believe
firmly that the. babe who was born in
the grotto of Bethlehem, 1900 years ago,
and who has left His influence upon the
world from that period to our own day,
was the one who had been foretold In un-
mistakable terms by long series of men,
| known prophets, and awaited 1000
years with great anxiety by the world at
large. I believe that that babe who was
born in Bethlehem was God, and I believe
that He proved His divinity not His
likeness to the Almighty, but His equal
Wit nd thn Eat hot, l,x,f f,,l
hlling in His own person the prophecies
that are contained in the records of the
Old Testament and by the actions of His
| earthly career, which are set forth in
those four books of the New Testament,
known as the four gospels. Never did man
perform the prodigies that Jesus, the Son
OF Man, the Babe of Bethlehem wrought
The prophecies fulfilled. in Jesus Christ
and the miracles worked by Him before
the eyes of the world stamped His mis-
sion as divine mission and proved con-
clusiVely to every unprejudiced thinker
the divinity of Him who claimed to be
God. So 1 am a Christian, as 1 believe
hrmiy in the divinity of Jesus Christ
DIVIDED CHRISTIANITY
christianity, unfortunately, has been
divided. In this city of ours, there are
know not how many churches. Now in
all the Catholic churches the same gospel
PROBABILITY the same lesson taught and so
| we hear the same truth Sunday after
| sunday. The self-same truths are taught
IN every Catholic church in this city. In
other churches, not Catholic, defy any
man to tell what set Of doctrines are
taught Certainly the doctrines main
| ta1ned by the Catholic church are not
taught in any of them. In some of them
The people have been taught that unless
they nave been plunged under the water
| III paptlSm there Is no place for them
| In the kingdom OF heaven In other
churches they have been taught that
| baptism Is one Of those myths In other
churches they have been taught that
there are three persons In one Cod
Again, in some churches, they have been
taught that there is but one person In
God. In other churches, also, they have
been taught that there is a hell with
| birthstone and fire
Conflicting doctrines have been taught
IN all the churches outside of the Catholic
churcnes IN this city. Well. now, it is
an utter 1mposSibility that these doc
trines set forth from all these conflict
ing pulpits be all equally true, as thew
are polntedfy opposed one to the other
| ana 1t becomes Il very important question
Tor us to consider which, if any. of these
various churches possess the truth that
the BaDe OF Bethlehem came into this
L contend that this truth Is found in
the catholic church. and in the Catholic
| church alone, and that Is one reason whv
| l am a Catholic
ESTABLISHED A SOCIETY
'One fact stands forth very nrom,nant
ly in the life of our Blessed Savior He
came into this world to save the souls
OF all men, He lived, not merely for the
Jews, who had the unspeakabIe hanniness
OF nearing the words Of life from His
olVlne lips. But He lived for YOU and
me, Tor all the nations, and for all time
| and He desired that all men should l1no1,
the truth, which He brought unon eartb
ana that through the knowledge of thar
truth should come to enjoy the vision of
| Goo forever. TO carry out the mission
aIter lie mad returned to His heavenly
father, He established a society COM
posed OF men, which society, perfectly or
sahizeo oy him, was empowered and
commissioned by Him to carry on tha
grand work of instructing men in tbe seIF,
same truths, and with the seIf-same an
tnorlty IN Which the divine founder of
the society instructed men, That truth
stands forth most prominent in the life
OF our blessed Redeemer. You know how
ne instructed them day after day. and
you know the promises that He made tn
tnem. You know that the mission that
lie confided to them, the grand commfs-
sion reported by one of the anost1as In
these words, Preach the gospel to every
creature. He that believeth and is hanti1
eo snali De saved; and he that believeth
not shall be condemned And enothar
90 ye therefore, teach all nations. teach
ing them to observe all things Whatso-
eve, nave commanded you, and 1 am
with you all days even unto the cons,,n,
nation of the world Such was tho CO
ciety that Christ instituted, and such its
magnificent mission, and such the divine
protection itself promised to il in tne
CARRYING out Of It's grand work He insti-
tuted those men
WE CALL THE APOSTLES
as an organized body; gave to them +bX
! seH-same organization that sensible lone.
headed men would give to any soeiet,
organized among them. He gave to i
nse d neao. DID anyone ever hear Of
oouy ol ralonal men forming itself into
socie.y ana not placing a governins
power over that society? Christ gave -
that society compfete- organization first
and before all other things he estahlisb
ed head. OF those twelve apostIes h.
appointed one, Simon, to be the head n
that society. The society he called hi.
church. Christ also gave to that sociatI
his own powers, whatever they mich
have been. His own powers to teach
for instance; his own powers to solve thu
dlHicultles. to answer questions in re
gard to the meaning of divine revela
tion. lie tnat heareth you, heareth Me
ana ne tnat desplseth You. despiseth Me.
Ihls society, thus organized and hay
Ing for its grand mission the salyatio,
OF all mankind, was to exist In such ,
way as to be easily ascertained. founf
out by all sincere inquirers Mernharsbi,