The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-05-04
vas the response OF those countries,

was the response OF those countries,
the number Of priests in America was
never adequate to the needs of the
people. A mission would be entrusted
to one priest where there was work
for several; other missions would be
visited by priests, once only in a
month, sometimes only once in three,
or six months; and, then, priests were
so overwhelmed with the material toll
of building churches, gathering money
for the maintenance Of public worship
and the support Of the orphaned and
the poor, that but q scant portion of
their time was allowed them for the
immediate spiritual work of their min
istry.
"It is the mercy Of the Lord that we
We're not consumed" Apart from the
first century of it's life, it is question
whether the church in any period of
its history, in any land, was so beset
with trials rs in America in the past
century, especially in It's first half. At
other times and in other places 1t en-
countered open persecution; but open
persecution puts men on their best
mettle and challenges their highest
courage and is far less harmful than
the silent, insinuating peril of daily
waste of spiritual energies, which
arise from a poison and vitiated at
mosphere, through which the winds of
the heavens but rarely penetrate.
whose deathly breathings are ceaseless
in their encroachments upon strength
and life. And then, to resist open
persecution such as from time to time
fell upon Catholic countries, Catholics
would be massed together; they would
fight shoulder to shoulder; they would
be anchored in the faith by accumu-
lated traditions Of family and of ma
ton; while as things were in America,
Catholics were cut off from all their
old mornings, and often were scattered
from one another far away over the
vast expanse of a continent.
But over the church of America God
was watching; and, from the skies
bounteous grace was poured to
strengthen souls. And within the
church of America, priests and people
were showing themselves to be made
of sternest Catholic fibre. What glori-
Gus pages, glistening with recitals of
sweetest piety, courageous zeal,
deepest sacrifice of self, were those
which would faithfully describe of
Catholic men and women, and of their
priests and bishops in the pioneer
country in the life of the American
church! We are in a manner most I'M
just to those who have gone before us.
We recall the few who may have
stepped aside from the pathway of
duty-the troubles created, the scan
dals given in one place or another; the
virtues Of the multitude we either for
get or fail to relate. A precious vol
ume, which should be written to the
honor Of the American church is that
which will give faithful picture of
our early American Catholics. In this
picture I would put, of course, a Loras,
While in search Of souls, padding with
his own hands his birch bark canoe
from the falls of st. Anthony to Du-
buque, or walking across the trackless
pralrles Of Iowa, the satchel Unfolding
the sacred vestments strung over his
shoulder; a Cretin, feasting for months
OH crackers and cheese, so us to be
able to serve the little flock without
taxing their poverty; would put there
the lonely settler on the trackless
prairie, setting out on foot for a Jour-
ney of a hundred miles that his child
be regenerated with the waters of ban
tism; the humble laborer ON canal and
railroad contributing far more than
the prescribed dime to support a priest,
ana build a chapel; the timid girl in
n prejudiced household, Offering to
Christ her tears which taunt against
her faith had provoked; nor would /
leave from it the ardent youth, the
polished man of letters the ambitious
citizen, closing their eyes to the sun
shine of success. because between it
and them was interposed the insult to
holy church. or the demand for apos-
tacy from it. Subjects for the picture
here are ten thousand times ten thou
sand; we who have lived through a
portion of the past can imagine how
rich 1t should be; it's full beauty only
God and his angels may know.
What despite obstacles. people and
priests accomplished, the American
Catholic church of today witnesses to-
day. We have but to look around us.
Who fears to speak of the American
Catholic church2 Who bushes at the
name? The bare record of numbers in
the Catholic directory of 1901 astounds
the render. I speak Of the number of
churches, colleges, schools, converts,
hospitals, orphanages and other insti-
buttons of piety, charity, education and
apostolic zeal, with which the whole
country Is covered. How much of gen.
crosby, of sacrifice, Of devotion to re-
ligion Is represented in the mere ma
terial structures! Those are not the
creations Of the civil state or of rich
cellEtQuS cQInOratinns thoJx aro tho no