Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1902-02-25
AN EARNEST
|. PASTORAL LETTER
- ..
Archbishop Peter Bourgads Addresses the
Faithful Of His Diocese on Important
Questions.
ON MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE
Tho Law Of the Church. on These important Matters
The Education Of the Children Is Another
important Topic That Is Thoroughly
Discussed,

bishop Peter Bourgade to the faithfr
members of the Roman Catholic churc
as to their duties toward the sacra
ment of marriage, their position on tn
:, question of divorce and the education
of their children In the truths of tn
| Roman Catholic religion. The arch
bishop reviews tenderly and in vivic
and interesting manner the audienc,
;, given him by His Holiness Pope Leo a
Rome on the 2sth of last May. He con.
: tinues:
Now allow me briefly to touch upor
two topics of paramount Importance tt
the Catholics of our day and this sec
ton of the country in particular
Christian marriage and the Christian
: education of your children. What are
we to think of those wretched Catholics
who spurn the divine gift of sacrament
tai matrimony and who dare plight
their troth In form Goddess and un-
Catholic? They set a most evil exam
pie to their fellow Catholics; they bring
shame upon the church in the eyes of
the world ever ready to impute to her
the wrongs of her children; they cast
a loathsome shadow upon their off,
| spring, and they bring down upon
themselves and upon their children the
| curse of God. AS to the curse of the
church it is visited in special man.
ner, on those Catholics who marry be-
fore a non-Catholic minister, in the
form of an communication, that
dreadful cutting off from the church
and it's spiritual rights, privileges and
benefits.
connected with the marriage con-
tract there is another crying evil
which deserves most seriously to be de-
nounced: it is divorce proper, followed
or not by remarriage with another
person. l shall not now dwell upon
the grievous sin of this detestable prac-
t1ce and it's disastrous consequences to
good morals and to the proper training
or the offspring Gf suth parents as re
sort to divorce, and to the welfare of
society at large. They are too well
known. Suffice it to say here that the
church holds divorce in adherence and
that she has pronounced another ex-
communication on those Catholics who
being divorced by civil process, at
tempt to marry again.
There may be instances in which a
simple separation from bed and board
becomes inevitable between man and
wife. The church Is not unreasonable
and will grant it and permit 1t to be
gained in the civil courts when. after
thorough investigation of the case It |
Is made evident to her that the claim
is legitimate one
unfortunately the state in this
country has made no provisions for
the granting of this kind of separation
between man and wife; and In order
to obtain the civil effects of such sep
aration people must sue in the civil
courts for regular divorce. The case
Is, therefore, quite embarrassing. The
church will tolerate, in special circum-
stances, forced recourse to such an
extreme action for relief, but only on
condition that the case be submitted
beforehand to the bishop Of the do.
cese and his consent to proceed civilly
be secured, with the positive UNDER
standing that the matrimonial bond
remains unbroken and that, there
fore, there be no thought, no intention
whatever of marrying someone else In
either Of the couple suing for divorce.
whatsoever then, among Catholics
of his own and sole accord secures a
divorce, even on good and solid
with the intention of dissoly-
Ing the bond and entering upon an
other marriage contract. commits a
grave sin and puts himself outside the
pale of the church: there to remain as
long as the matter shall not have been
submitted to the bishop for his judg-
ment and, If there be good cause to
warrant 1t, for ratification, Moreover,
any Catholic who, having obtained a
civil separation with or without the
previous consent of the church, enters
upon another marriage during the life s
time of the first consort incurs all the
penalties of accommodation.
Whenever a parent has the means
and the opportunity Of sending his i
child to Catholic school in preference
to non-Catholic one, he should do so +
under pain of shouldering a weighty
responsibility: even when the doing so
entails sacrifice on his part and on
-
necessity compels you to place your
children in non-Catholic school, 1t
must never be in q denominationally
protestant school, where they will be
lnduly influenced against their own 7
'eligion. Public schools are tolerated
where no Catholic one is to be had, and
n which no religion is taught and fair {
neutrality. as to creed or belief Is OBJ {
erved. In such cases, however, a
more binding duty devolves upon the g
PARENTS to make up for the want of q
roper religious instruction In the r
chcol. They themselves must teach e
heir children their prayers. the cate d
hism and Bible history; they must
end them regularly to Sunday school n
nd to the catechism classes on week t
lays; they must take them to church u
very Sunday to attend mass and even +
espers or the evening services; theyl