The Irish standard., 1901-12-28

The first to become converts to
Catholicity are generally the educated
and the learned who lead good lives
and keep Gods commandments.
Those who are but nominal Protest
ants and deficient in mental culture
rarely, if ever, join the Church of
Rome. Prejudices accompany ignor-
ance and those who are negligent and
Indifferent members of other churches
have no desire to enter heaven
through the portals of that church
which has been target for abuse and
misrepresentation for the last three
hundred years.
Conversions to the Catholic Church
in late years have been more numer-
Gus in England than in the United
States. Since the Tractarian move
ment in the early 4O's thousands upon
thousands Of men and women in the
highest ranks of life have renowned
the Episcopalian church founded by
Henry VIII of detested memory and
gone over to Rome. During the past
year 1,S0O Englishmen and women
have been received into the church in
the diocese of Westminster alone.
when men of such extraordinary
learning and genius as Newman and
Manning left the English Church of
which they were intellectual luminar-
les, it is not surprising that members
of the nobility and learned professions
followed them in large numbers. The
Earl of Ripon, who's was at the head
OF Freemasonry in Great Britain, re-
signed his exalted post to become a
Catholic, and now it is fashionable
among the elite of English society to
become members of the ancient
church established in their country
by Augustine in the year 597-
that Augustine of whom English his
torians say that preceded by two of
his brethren who carried alOft q silver
cross and banner bearing an image
of Jesus Christ, he announced to Eth
Gilbert, the king, and his attendants,
the word of life"
The Catholic faith thus taught by
the apostolic envoy of Pope Gregory
the Great was believed and practiced
by all the English people for about
1000 years, until the e-murdering
monarch repudiated papal authority
and made himself the head of the
church in Great Britain and Ireland
and sent the noblest of his subjects to
the block for refusing to recognize his
supremacy. Today the intelligent and
educated English people are returning
to the church of their forefathers.
while the ignorant remain members
of the Episcopal church or of other
more modern sects. Millions of them,
however, are Indifferent to church in
tiuence of any kind, and wallow in
vice and depravity.
1t is the duty Of Catholic young men
and women in Minneapolis to invite
intelligent Protestant friends of theirs
to attend the mission given by the
Paulist priests. Many honest Protest
ants are willing to hear the truth and
become convinced that the Catholic
Church is not as black as she has
been painted by her enemies through
ignorance or malice Those Protest
ants who believe that ''the one thing
necessary" is to save their immortal
souls are apt to accept the invitation.
Those who are religious slleptics.
wOrldly-minded, and cllasers of the
Almighty Dollar as the only thing in
life worth having. will remain away.
Some may go through curiosity and
some to learn the tenets of the Catho-
lie Church. Some may go who have
doubts about the doctrines of their
own church and desire peace of mind.
Some may have one motive, and some
another: but all are cordially invited
by the missionaries who are to give
instruction on interesting points of
Catholic doctrine ut the Immaculate
Conception church.