The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1901-09-14
OF ANCIENT ORIGIN.
The Title "Father" as Applied to
Catholic Priests,

Catholic Priests,
Many thanks, my dear friend, for the
April number of the "Researches. /"
which you were good enough to send
to me and which I received and read
today, writes Judge A. NJ. Kelley of
the international court at Alexandria,
Egypt. to Martin I. J.-Griffin, of Phila-
delphia. l am greatly surprised at the
statement in your letter to the Pitts
burg Observer, to the effect that the
use of the word "Father'' as applied
to priests is of very recent origin; your
personal opinion being that it's general
use, at least in Ireland, was posterior
to O'Connells immortal achievement
Catholic emancipation. Its use in
France and Belgium certainly ante
dated that by centuries.
No word in any language is sur.
rounded with associations as interest
ing as that Of father" Its origin in
the form papa is found in the first
babblings of infancy. Almost, if not
quite, the first articulate sound of n
child is pa or ''ba" and the inclna,
ton. universal among infants, to re-
peat over and over again; the same ar
tic,llation gives us "papa," "mama,"
''nana." dada which are found in
nearly all tongues. The first appear
ance of the word father" in Holy
Writ is in the second chapter of Gene
sis, where the sacrament of mutrimony
is forcslmtlowcd.
One of the earliest mentions of the
word is in the Book of Judges, chapter
xiv, verse 10: and there. curiously
enough. it is used rs another title for
priest. Said Micah, BE unto me Il
father and Il priest" In fact, in the
patrarcllal days and before the elabo,
rate ritual OF Judaism was established,
and a tribe set apart for the priesthood,
the father was the priest In every fam
lily.
The Arabic word for father is abo,l,
evidently the same as the Jewish alb.
| Today the Retlotiins call a stranger
who has any peculiarly ''lbou," add
ing the word noting his popularity.
Thus the American Psychologist, Mr.
| Wilbour, who spent many years here
exploring, was called by the natives
whom. he hired "Abou," followed by
the word which in their tongue means
white beard" referring to his long
white beard which he never shaved
The word father with them, just as
when applied to priests, having no sig
nitcance as expression Of relationship
but only of respect. So Abraham ia
thcr Of the Nations
Tlle probable origin of all unrevealet1
religion is the worship of forefathers
The oldest existing religlon-tllat OF
the Chinese-continues this tradition tic
our days.
We describe eminence i'll ANY direc.
ton. whether of good or evil, by the
s,llne word "Father;" thus Adam is
'.o,u first Father" HippocHtes, the
father of medicine; Herotlotus, the fa
tller of history; Satan, the father OF
lies etc, etc.
SO sacred was the relation of the IA
ther tlrat neither in the Jewish, the
Grecial. nor THE Roman law was dny
punishment denounced against palTi
eide, the legislators being of opinion
that such crime was-as the modern
German would say-untalinllahle. II
has often been observed that of all the
Ten Commandments, the observance OF
one alone is accompanied by the prom
Use of a reward: that which commands
us ito honor our father and mother
And in the chapter of Exodus follow
ing that of the Ten Commandments II
is written, HE tlrat curseth llis father
or mother shall surely be put to death.
In our church, the early doctors
principally those anterior to the thir
teenth century. nre called "The Ia
TIERS" The Pope himself is called
Father of the Fathers, and signs his
name p. F., from THE Latin word.
equivalent.
Holy Father, once a common title o.
all bishops, DIS now exclusively used a.
, referring to His Holiness. The collect
i've clergy of the Orders are called, AM
l have for ages been called, the Benedic
l tine Fathers, the Augustinian Fathers
. the Jesuit Fathers, etc. The Frencl
/, priests who in the seventeenth cent,n.
brought Christianity to the American
: Indians, We're always called Fathers