The times., 1901-03-24

| OF mutual good understanding and per
| sonal respect.
| In the United States particularly the
! Catholic Epscopate has been very aclVe
| in providing for the most Fundamentals
! spiritual needs of their focks-churches
| for religious services, priests for the ad-
| ninistration of sacraments, schools lot
! the preservation of the revealed Chris
| tian faith, orphanages for the little waits
and castaways of society Whether short
! or long. the periods of government of
| these church rulers have never been
! idle or marked by self-indulgence. Al
| most every one has left some monument
| of faith as a contribution to the general
good of Catholicism. i would neither eX-
aggerate nor boast, yet it occurs to me-
after many years of service, travel, and
| observation, that few ages of Christianity
can show a more laborious and elevated
| Episcopate than the nineteenth century.
The recruiting of the diocesan clergy
has been the gravest duty Of this Epis-
| cOpate, for religion lives by and for men,
| 1t can get along without wealth or monu-
ments, but not without intelligent teach
| ers of its tenels and faithful observers
of its precepts In keeping with the de-
| crees of the Council OF Trent diocesan
semnaries have been opened where it was
! possible, and elsewhere provincial insti-
tutions of a similar character. Both
| flourish in the United States and grow
more numerous with every decade. The
| older clergy, long drawn from the ven
| erable schools of Europe, have left a
sweet odor among us, the purest odor of
self-sacrificng lives of devotion to poor
and scattered focks. of patient, uncom-
planning contentment with the circum-
stances of poverty and humility. There
| is no diocese in the United States where
| there cannot be heard at the end of the
century tales of the hardships and brave
! lives of the ecclesiastics who laid the
| foundations of religion. We remember
them always, and hold their names in
| benediction. The younger generation of
our clergy enjoys advantages denied to
| their predecessors; but We consider that
| they owe it to those predecessors if they
have degree of leisure to perfect the
culture of their minds and a faithful
Catholic people te ask for the benefits
| which must accrue from greater learning,
if it be solid and well directed.
Yet l cannot admit that our older cler-
| gy were deficient in the learning of the
schools. The names OF England and Cor
| coran are at once on our lips, not to
speak of a long array of others almost
equally entitled to distinguished mention.
If the external conditions of the diocesan
clergy have improved, their relations 10
! the Church authority have been safe
| guarded with even greater earnestness
| and efficiency. The dispositions of sy-
mods, provincial councils, and the three
| plenary councils of Baltimore have, we
are happy to say, had little to do with
questions of doctrine. They have all been
held for the improvement of discipline
and notably for the welfare of the clergy,
In the same direction, also, have tended
the numerous decisions and instructions
from the Roman congregations, whose
wisdom has never been invoked by us in
vain, and whose sympathy for our con-
ditions we gratefully acknowledge.
THE CONGREGATION OF THE PROPAGANDA
Any account of the good influence ot
the Holy See on our ecclesiastical condi-
tions would be unjust and incomplete Il
| the Congregation of the Propaganda Eide
were omitted. To IL we owe an unceas
ing surveillance, full of prudence and in
teligence From its offices have come Il
the Bishops regularly counsel, warning
| encouragement, cooperation. 1t has beer
eminently just and fair. also fearless II
the application of the principles, the spir
it and the letter of canonical discipline
It's action is calm and grave one, mark
ed by reticence and patience and thai
composure which belongs to the highes
! I,n "a sIfn1ft
Church in the United States and in Cana
da owes it an undisputed debt of graft
tude The most learned Cardinals of TIN
century and the best ecclesiastical talen
have co-operated in the creation of it
legislation, which need not fear the criti
cism of any learned and honest judicia
body of men.
RELIGIOUS ORDERS AND COMMUNITIES.
In the religious orders and communitie
the Catholic Church possesses a very an
cient auxiliary force that has rendere
incalculable help in this century. BY thei
numbers, their strong inherited traditions
their central government, their willin
obedience, and their other resources the.
have come everywhere to the aid Of tn
Bishops and the diocesan clergy. Oftel
they bore alone and for a long time, an
at great sacrifices, the whole burden o
religion. Their praise Is rightly on a
sides, and their works speak for them
when their modesty and humility forbi
| them to praise themselves. The mission
of Catholicism in this century, as in 9th
ers, have largely fallen to them. The
| stood in the breach for the cause of edu
cation when the churches were too poo
and few to open colleges. They have Civ
en- countless missions and retreats, an
In general have not spared themselve
when called upon for works of genera
utility. They and their works are of tn
essence of Catholicism, and they ougf
rightly to flourish in any land where the
are free to live according to the precept
and the spirit of their founders, who al
often canonlzed saints of the Cathol
Church.
1 shall not be saying too much when
assert that among the invaluable service
rendered to the Church by Catholic We
men of all conditions of life-no uniqU
thing in the history of Catholicism-thos
rendered by the women Of religious con
munties are Of the first rank of meri
, | Primary Catholic education, in the Unite
! States at least, would have been almo'
, impossible without their devotion. 1t
owing to them that the orphans hay
| been collected and cared for, the sic
8 housed and sheltered, the poor and hell
. less and aged. the crippled and the blin
looked after regularly and lovingly. The
surely walk in the footsteps of Jesus d.
= ing good wherever they go. The perez
7 nial note Of sanctity In the Cathol