The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-05-04

Where stood the one bishop and his
two missionary companions, there
stand today throngs Of bishops and Of
priests; among them very prince Of
the church. In place of the little wood
built chapel. there arises n stately
temple; instead Of the few pioneers,
there are the thousand laymen; and
the modest ceremonial of the first
episcopal installation makes room for
highest pomp and circumstances that
Catholic rite allows. Nor, indeed, is
it IL mere episcopal installation TINT we
grown into metropolitan dignity, and
today, over the shoulders of Dubuque's
prelate floats the Roman pallium.
And all that our eyes perceive is but
feeble indication of the happenings
of sixty-two years, Of which the
churches Of Iowa. Minnesota and the
two Dnkotas are today the witnesses.
In the portion of Christ's vineyard
blessed by Bishop Loras on the 10Th
day Of April, 1S39-where before his
arrival there were three humble chap
els, some hundreds of Catholics, and
not one resident priest, there are now
eight bishops, two Of whom are metro
poitans, go priests, 97G churches, and
q prOportiOnatc number of converts,
schools, colleges and Institutes of char
ity, with Catholic population of 67S,-
500. Such are the figures given by the
Catholic directory for the year 1901.
Surely, wonders have been wrought in
the church Of northwestern America.
Let lis therefor offer praise and thanks
! to the Almighty God; let us believe
such wonders were not wrought with
out n special Providence, the nlystcri-
GUS designs of which it is our duty to
discover, so that We may in humility
and carncstncss work the better in CO.
operation with the all-wise and all
bomntiful will.
And now l widen my theme and beg
my hearers to have in mind the church
in the United States.
The story of the church in the former
diocese Of Dubuque is but an illustra-
ton of It's growth in the whole coun-
try Yesterday the church of the Unit
cd States was the little mustard seed.
Behold it today; 1t has become great
tree, with branches ovcrspreading the
whole land. In 1889 America received
it's first bishop; there were, then,
in the country to acknowledge his jur-
| isdictlon score Of priests and 10000
Catholics. AS dawns the twentieth
century, there are in the United States,
according to reports in the Catholic
directory, thirteen archbishops, eighty
bishops, within few figures 5000
priests, and Catholic population Of
100000.
The church in America is passing
from infancy and adolescence into ma
turity; the duty Of her guardians and
her sons Mt this solemn moment in her
life, is to receive lessons from the past,
! to give promises to tie future.
We have. according to the directory
OF 1901, Catholic population of H..
100000. ] am convinced that this fig
IRE is much below our actual numbers.
1t is made up from returns of pastors
to diocesan chanceries, and Of CHANGER.
les to the publishers of the directory.
But who has looked closely into the
matter will in many cases take such
returns as merest guessing Seldom,
If ever, are they the result Of exact
census work; rarely are they based on
the same lines Of computation. Here
Catholics are those who 60 to Easter
Communion; there they are those who
occupy and pay for pews; elsewhere
, they are those who are personally
known to the pastor. count as Cath
olics those whom the Holy Church
counts as such-wfo were baptized and
have not by q formal act renowned
, the faith. Especially in large cities
! vast numbers Of Catholics, somewhat
neglectful of religious practices, or 60
, ing now to one church and now to
another, escape the notice Of all pas.
tors. How often it happens that
priests are called to the bedside of