The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1899-02-25
THE ORIGIN AND OBJECT OF THIS
GREAT CONGREGATION,
AND ITS WIDESPREAD JURISDICTION.
THE INFLUENCE IT EXERTS ON THE.
CATHOLIC CHURCH..
DIFFUSION OF CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE
WORK OF THE PROPAGANDA IN ALL
PARTS OF THE WORLD.

PARTS OF THE WORLD
The Catholic church is governed by the
supreme pontiff, to whom, as successor
OF st. Peter, Christ has entrusted the
Welfare of His flock. Yet, when we con-
sloef the great numbers of the faithful
belonging to the Church of Christ the
extent OF the territory over which they
are scattered, and the variety of change
able conditions that surround them
IN different countries, it is evident that
nc man can attend to all the details OF
the government. Iii order to more ef-
1ectlVely discharge the duties of the ST.
preme Ruler of more than 25O,OOO 900.
every pope has to call to his aid num-
Der OF wise and learned men, who form
themselves into committees to deliber-
ate on Important matters, make resolu-
t1ons concerning them, and refer them
to the pope for sanction. Before the
18th century such committees were
formed as necessity or expediency re-
quired, but in the 10th century they be-
came permanent institutions chiefly by
degrees issued on the subject by Sixtus
These committees are called con-
gregations. One of them is the congre-
cation de Propaganda Fide"-"of the
propagation Of the faith" It's very
name indicates the object for which it
was Instituted. 1t has to spread the
faith in those parts of the world. in
which it is not yet established, while
other congregations have for their OBJ
ject the preservation Of the faith, in the
countries in which it has already taken
firm root. To more fully understand
the working of the propaganda it is
necessary to know that for administra-
tive purposes the whole territory in
! which the church displays her activity is
divided in two parts. That part in
which the hierarchy is fully established
and in perfect working order to the full
extent of the common law of the church.
is called Province OF the Apostolic
see;;" the other part, in which there is
no hierarchy or where there it is only i'm
perfectly established. goes by the name
OF Mission Countries The mission
countries are governed by the pope
through the propaganda, and through it
alone; the provinces of the apostolic are
governed by means of other congrega-
tions.
The territory subject to the propagan-
da comprises, O in Europe: England,
Scotland. Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Dem
mark, Holland, Luxemburg, Switzerland,
the Balkan peninsula, Greece, Gibraltar,
Gambia, and part of Germany; (2), in
Asia: Turkey in Asia, Persia, Arabia,
India, with the exception of the province
of Goa, Indo-China, the Malay Peninsu-
Ia, China, Corea, and Japan; (3), the
whole of Africa with the exception of
Algeria, and some dioceses belonging to
European provinces; az, in America:
Canada, the United States, the Antilles,
Guiana and Patagonia; (5), Australia
and all the islands of the Pacific, with
the exception Of the Philippines. All
this vast expanse is entrusted to the care
| of this congregation. The project Of the
propaganda has to appoint missionaries
for every part of this territory. Many
religious orders, indeed, offer their serv-
ices voluntarily and take upon them
selves the obligation of providing GER
tain number of missionaries for the
appointed districts; also missionary
societies, like the Society Of the Foreign
Missions, in France, the Mission House
in Steil Holland; the st. Joseph's Socie-
ty of Mill Hill, founded by Cardinal
Vaughan, to help the prefect of the prop
aganda to furnish laborers for the extern
sive vineyard; yet in spite of the great
numbers sent by the religious orders and
the various societies, there is always
want of men ready to devote themselves
to the arduous work. To increase their
number the pope has founded in Rome a
college connected with the propaganda
whose sole object is to educate young
men from all parts of the world that
they may carry the light of the faith
into the darkness of the Gentiles. The
visitor to Rome now meets with repre-
sentatives of every race under Heaven
He sees the red Indian of the American
forest, the dark son Of Central Africa,
the islander of the Southern seas, the
young Chinaman destined for one Of the
provinces of his emperors celestial
kingdom. the native of Corea, the child
of the Arabian desert, the soft hearted
Circassian, the swarthy Syrian, and oc-
casonaly fair haired son of Albion
Thousands Of apostolic men have gone
forth from this college to the distant
lands, and not few of them have won
the crown of martyrdom.
At the time the propaganda was estab-
lished, the church in the lands once
Catholic, now committed to it's keeping,
| was everywhere in ruins. Four fifths
Of the population Of the earth wandered