The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-10-17

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Tuesday. 20-St. John Cantius, c.
Wednesday, 21-St. Ursula and comp"
V. MN.
Thursday. est. Severus, B.
Friday. est. Theodoret, NJ.
Saturday, 24-St. Raphael, Archangel.
American Monastic Orders.
or the 1900 priests in the United
States, 5000 belong to the monastlc
bodies. beside some 1,50O novices and
1900 lay brothers; and of all these very
few ever return 10 secular life, although
1t is fairly easy to do so. OF the total
OF 800 the Jesuit order includes more
than quarter, though its rules are
among the most severe. The members
of these communities vary in rank and
condition according to the constitution
of the society. In a community ike the
Paulists the members are all priests,
whereas with the Benedictines they are
divided into two classes, priests ana lay
brothers, who live under the same gen.
eral law, but each according TO the du-
ties OF his state. Again, some colnmu-
mites, like the Alexians and the Broth
ers of the Christian Schools, are maze
up entirely of laymen.
Each community has its Characters
tics so marked that the well-informed
Catholic easily distinguishes between
Benedictine and Franciscan, Jesuit ana
Dominican, Redemptionist and Vincen-
Jian. Hence the society feeling is al
most as intense in the members as race
feeling among laymen. 1 say almost as
intense, because race feeling at times
overpowers the community feeling. For
instance. the Jesuits have in this coun-
try a race division in their American
and German provinces, and the Fran
ciscans also in their Italian and Amer
lean provinces. The BenedictineS IN
the United States are largely recruited
from the German population; the Fran
icscans, from the German and Italian;
the Jesuits. from the American ele-
ment, sprung from all immigrant races,
perhaps chiefly from the Irish; the Re-
demptorists, from German and lrlsh
chiefly, and so on down the entire list
The secondary aim of each communi-
ty is some particular work, which IS
eagerly sought as soon as membership
and preparation will permit. An eX-
animation Of the statistics shows that
all the communities in the United
States are engaged in three depart
ments-education, charity work for
men and boys, and parish and mission
work In the field of education the
work of the communities has been sin
gularly effective. The colleges of the
Jesuits enjoy a high reputation, the
Benedictines have many fine institu
tions in the west, the Holy Cross IA
theirs have won a great success in their
university at Notre Dame, Indiana, and
the Brothers of the Christian Schools
have been equally successful in the
primary and grammar schools and in
the college. The charity work is en-
tirely in the hands of the lay communi-
ties, for the sacerdotal bodies do not en-
ter this field. The care of hospitals,
orphan asylums. refugees and protecto-
ries for men and boys engages the time
and skill of half the entire body Of
community laymen.
Almost all the sacerdotal communi-
ties take their share in the parochial
and mission work of the country; some
times because it is part of their rule so
10 do, or because of the pressing need /
of the people. The Jesuits have a we'll
defined system in this regard. Their
college and church are usually insep- |
arabic. If they must choose, the col |
lege gets the preference, since the high |
er education of their own members and |
OF the laity is their chief aim. Circum- |
stances change this rule, as in the case
of the western missions, where they |
have only three colleges, but look after |
40 poor parishes that would otherwise |
lack proper care. The Jesuits are very
proud of their Indian missions, as they |
have good reason TO be. In the same /
way the Benedictines look after 200 |
parishes through the west and south; ]
the Capuchins also spare some MEM |
bers for the work, together with the |
Nincentians Augustinians, and Fran |
ciscans. Perhaps the Cistercians alone, |
Familiarity known as Trappists, adhere
strictly to their own converts accord |
ing 10 rule, and avoid participating in |
any kind Of parish work.
The most peculiar work which the /
communities perform is the preaching |
Of missions to the common people and |
retreats to the nuns and the clergy.
The mission corresponds in a general |
way TO the Protestant revival. and in
the average parish is held every other
year. According to the size of the par
ish, it will last from one to four weeks. /
The Redemptorist community is alto
Eether. devoted to mission work, and
trains its members specially. The same
may be said of the Paulist community,
which also makes a speciality of preach
ing the gospel to non-CathOlics; but
nearly all the sacerdotal communities
are more or less engaged in the work,
which in benefiting the laity has also
developed sacred eloquence among the
clergy to a considerable degree.--Rev.
John Talbot Smith, in Munsey's.