The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-02-02

| keep your swearing to yourself"
says Hooley. 'Though Pm only Il
bachelor, can guess what it costs to
keep house, but can't see how it can
be very expensive to run a church
after everything is built up"
"Hooley," says Finnessy, ''if you be-
lieve what you say you are very
poor calculator. You either shut your
eyes to the facts i'm the case or you
have never considered the matter. 1t
won't hurt you, however, if refresh
your memory with some items of the
expense that must be borne by the
average city parish at the present time
1t costs nearly Il thousand dollars for
coal, it costs from two to four hun
dred dollars for light, three OF four
priests and their households have to
be maintained at least in decency, IA
sexton and a ianitor have to he en-
ployed, together with some women to
do occasional washing and sweeping:
from sixteen to twenty-four teachers
|
accomm odations have to be provided
for these teachers, together with books
for the children who are unable to buy
them; from two to three hundred dol
lars are contributed to the maintenance
of the clancellor's Office and the bishop
of tire diocese. from one to two hun
dred dollars are given to maintain
school superintendent and chaplains
(, to our public Institutions from three
to nine hundred dollars are contributed
to support the protectory and the Or
phans, from five hundred dollars to
two thousand are paid to secure an
Organist =. singers and music: taxes.
water rent, interest and insurance foot
up a large bill; new furniture, with
the wear and tear and repairs to the
church property, are important ex-
penses-and with all this before your
eyes you have the cheek to assert that
it can't be expensive to run church,
thousand dollars will maintain it for
Il year! Hooley, l had a dream the
other night and saw all the employees
of the church coming in procession to
the pastor for their salaries. Determi-
nation was printed on their faces.
But the unfortunate rector seemed
anxious to avoid them, for they ex-
tended down the street from the steps
of the rectory like the long line at
funeral"
Anyway" says Hooley, Though it
may cost good sum to keep things
going, the priest gets the money easily.
But don't like to see him standing at
the door on Sunday with the collectors
nor going up and down the aisles at
lowers his dignity, to my mind, and
can't get used to it,
II don't like the practice myself"
says Finnessy, "and 1 am confident
the priest abhors it. Time and again
have heard from his own lips that the
most humiliating part of his parish
work is to stand at the church door on
Sunday or take up the monthly collec.
tion from pew to pew. But how can
he help it? If the people refuse to give
to the lay collectors, what remains but
that he ask himself; it is question of
the existence of the church and schools
If the present incumbent and his as.
sistants are unable to procure the sin
ews Of war, the progress of religion
must cease or the parish must be re-
signed into more competent hands.
But it is the niggardly Catholics like
yourself who have put this unpleasant
burden on your priests. for l firmly
; believe that no educated man, even for
the sake of charity, feels any delight
in holding out his hand like Il bcggar
''Do you know what it is. u0olcy,"
. continues Finnessy; "if l had a son
would never encourage him to become
Il priest. l heard an old Catholic gen
tlcman remark some years ago. wher
speaking of the priesthood, that it was
a very hard trade to learn and the
more reflect on his words the more
believe it. | am aware that good
priest can do power Of good and that
he will also reflect honor on his family,
but also believe that his long train
ing in the seminary is only prclimi
nary to a life of self sacrifice, and that
; his years in the priesthood are filled
with wO1rimant and humiliation Man
. dear, 1 witnessed more modification
on his part on his recent visitation of
the parish as accompanied him from
} door to door, than ever imagined was
possible! The good man was jealous
lily engaged in his legitimate work and